Edge Of Tomorrow (Arrow's Edge MC Book 3)

by Freya Barker

  “Always half from the can and half from the faucet,” I explain to her how to mix the concentrate. “Make sure you shake it, and then you have to set it in hot water for a few minutes. It can’t get too hot or the baby will burn his mouth, so you have to check.”

  When Ezrah comes down a few minutes later with a happy Finn in his arms, his bottle is ready.

  “I’ll take him,” I hear Brick announce, and I take Kiara’s hand and the bottle, and walk inside.

  “Why don’t you and Ezrah watch some TV in our bedroom?” I suggest. “I’ll call you when dinner is ready.”

  The two don’t argue and head upstairs as I take a seat beside Brick and hand him Finn’s bottle. This is still my house and I don’t feel like cowering in the kitchen, I have a right to hear what’s going on. Luna is perched on the edge of one of the chairs, leaning with her elbows on her knees.

  “I was just telling Brick we found some interesting information on the flash drive,” Luna catches me up. “It has a bunch of files that look like military transport contracts, and a few audio files. One was a dictation by Kelsey in which she identifies the baby’s father as someone she calls V. I was just asking Brick if he had any idea who ‘V’ might be.”

  “Like I said,” Brick responds, “She never mentioned anything to me. She didn’t even tell me I was a grandfather.”

  “Could it be someone she worked with?” I ask.

  “Don’t think so. We tried matching that with the employment records Jasper pulled, but nothing seems to fit. She explains being swept off her feet by someone she met at a company event last year, which resulted in a very brief fling. She since discovered a few things about the man that had her decide not to inform him when she found out she was pregnant. She doesn’t elaborate what that was.”

  Luna leans back and runs a hand over her face, looking tired.

  “She had reason to be scared,” she continues. “The other voice recording was one of her boss, Devin Cranford, and another man. They seemed to be discussing hijacking one of the military transports. We’re trying to determine which one, because Kelsey downloaded an entire folder that held information on several scheduled for December and January.”

  “What are they transporting?” Brick asks, and Luna’s face turns grim.

  “Have you heard of the Pueblo Chemical Depot?” Brick nods, but I shake my head. “It used to be—well, technically still is—a chemical weapons storage facility, but in part, repurposed to destroy any and all chemical munitions.” She looks at each of us with a solemn expression on her face. “The contracts on the flash drive all appear to be weapons transports from various military facilities in the Four Corners area to Pueblo for destruction.”

  “They’re transporting chemical weapons?” Brick’s voice is almost a hiss.

  “Yup.”

  “What would someone want with chemical weapons?”

  Luna’s eyes land on me.

  “Good question. That’s what we’re trying to find out, and why it’s so important to know who this ‘V’ character is. We’ve had to notify the CID, the Army Criminal Investigations Division.”

  “What does that mean?” Brick wants to know, shifting Finn to his shoulder.

  “Well, things are no longer solely in the hands of the FBI. We have the CID on board, and also the National Security Agency.”

  “Terrorists?” I know that’s what would involve the NSA.

  “Jesus,” Brick hisses. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

  “Sadly, no. Which is why we have an undercover team from Denver currently making themselves comfortable in and around the compound.”

  It takes a minute for that to sink in. Undercover FBI agents in the club, I wonder how that is going over? That feeling dark clouds are gathering over my head is back and I don’t like it much. This isn’t over yet.

  A thought occurs to me. “What about Sophia?”

  “We already had a team on her. They know.”

  “Bring her here,” Brick grumbles.

  “She’s looked after,” Luna insists, but Brick won’t be deterred, shaking his head so vehemently he wakes Finn.

  I pluck the baby from his arms and get up, bouncing Finn back to sleep.

  “She’s with her sister’s family and that might put them in danger too. Bring her here,” he repeats. “Safer if we stick together. Easier to cover.”

  Luna seems to consider that and then nods.

  “I’ll get on that.”

  It’s much later, after dinner and the kids are in bed, Brick and I have a chance to talk. He’s been up from the couch a few times and says he’s not in pain, but I can see from the deep grooves on his face he is feeling it.

  “Do you want me to help you upstairs?”

  “I’m good, Sugar, not ready for bed yet. Come here,” he says, slinging his arm around my shoulders and tugging me close. “You’re tense.”

  I snort. Of course I’m tense, shit has just gotten really serious and frankly, I’m terrified. Luna explained if it was up to her she would’ve made the discovery of the flash drive public, but those in charge had different ideas. The concern was that if that news came out, it would only result in whatever organization is behind this to go underground and find another way to get their hands on what they want. Instead the general consensus seemed to be to get more information before a move is made. Which meant we’re left as sitting ducks in the meantime.

  So yeah, I’m tense.

  “Tomorrow we’re gonna have a look at the plans for this place,” he says, his voice rumbling in his chest. “We’ll figure out how much space we wanna add and where. We’re gonna focus on the future, Sugar. You, me, the kids, we’re gonna make this work. Fuck all we can do about the rest, but I’ll be damned if we sit here waiting for that future to come. We’re gonna build it ourselves.”

  “Not sure we’ll be able—”

  He shakes me lightly. “I am,” he says with conviction. “We may not be able to start building right away, but we’ll do what we can, and plan the rest. You and me, Lisa, we’re not gonna let circumstances stop us.”

  I tilt my head back and find him staring down at me; his clear gray eyes warm with love I can feel even without him saying the words.

  “Okay.”

  “Good. Now, there’s a few ways I know to work out that tension. Wanna know which one I’d prefer?” he asks, a hungry glare in his eyes.

  “The babies…”

  “Are asleep in bed.”

  “You’re hurt…”

  “Not as much as I will be if you turn me down.”

  I can feel the dark flush of desire starting to climb up my neck.

  “I don’t want you hurt,” I whisper, his lips already brushing mine.

  “Good,” he mumbles, “then take off those jeans and climb on, baby.”

  The promise in his words has my nipples harden and heat pool low in my belly. I quickly check the blinds are closed before I stand, unzip, and slide jeans and panties off at once. Brick already has his dick in hand, stroking it lazily and instead of climbing on as he ordered, I sink down on my knees between his legs, sliding the tip between my lips.

  “Jesus, fuck, Lisa…”

  “Mmhmm,” I hum around his cock, working him with my hand and mouth in tandem.

  “Sugar…you’re gonna make me come and I’m not near done with you.”

  The fingers of his good hand tighten in my hair, and I reluctantly let him slip from my lips. His cock, slick, broad, and darkly veined, is an invitation I can’t resist. Climbing up to straddle his hips, I position him at my wet entrance and slowly impale myself.

  So damn good.

  CHAPTER 20

  Lisa

  “I’M DONE!”

  I walk over to the kitchen table where Kiara and her brother are working on homework assignments.

  Both kids got ill with whatever flu has been going around the school a couple of days ago. Brick luckily was well enough on his feet to take the lion’s share of care for Finn, while
I ran from one kid’s room to the other for two days straight. Then last night finally their fever broke and this morning they seemed good enough to come with me to the clubhouse, but I’m worn out already.

  We ended up contacting the school and got homework to last until Christmas break, just to be sure. The kids have been working to catch up with this week’s assignments this morning and are eager to start their weekend.

  This entire place has been like an infirmary; all four older boys got sick, as did Ahiga and Wapi. The rest of us seem to have lucked out. At least so far. Wapi is still a bit under the weather—so are a couple of the kids—and keeping to his room in the bunkhouse. Sophia seems to have taken on his care, checking up on him a few times a day.

  She arrived Wednesday night, a little freaked out after Luna explained what was discovered about her employer, but she shook it off and seems to be adjusting. Aside from looking after Wapi, she’s also taken on care for the boys, and has been helping Ezrah with his math.

  This has left me able to pick up my responsibilities at the clubhouse, much to Ouray’s chagrin. He greeted me with a scowl yesterday, but then proceeded to introduce me to the ‘new members,’ the undercover FBI agents. Five of them, masking as imposing bikers. Surprisingly they blend in well.

  “Well done, child.” I run my hand over Kiara’s braids as she slips from her chair.

  “Can I go play now?”

  “Clean up your things first, and don’t go bothering Papa, he’s talking.”

  It’s not a surprise Brick wouldn’t stay put for longer than a day. He’s supposed to stay off his feet as much as possible, but Tse found him an old golf cart. Brick now zips around the compound in that thing, and Kiara likes to take rides with him.

  Last I saw him he was at the bar having lunch with Shilah, who’s been doing the lion’s share of the work in the garage.

  Kiara stuffs her work in her backpack and skips out of the kitchen.

  “How about you?” I ask Ezrah, who has seemed moody. “Almost done?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Are you okay, boy?”

  He looks up at me with that stubborn set to his mouth. Something he inherited from Sunny, and maybe his nana.

  “I’d rather go to school. This sucks.”

  It’s on my lips to explain again why he’s not at school, but think better of it. He knows it’s to keep us all safe, but that doesn’t make it suck less for him. I get it.

  “I know. I’m not liking it much either. Afraid we’re both gonna have to suck it up, though.”

  He grunts something, returning his attention to the homework.

  “Hey, wanna start some Christmas baking later?”

  I know damn well those cookies probably won’t last much past dinner, but I sure like seeing that smile on my boy’s face.

  “Snowballs?” They’re his favorite.

  “Sure thing.” I grin back at him, while doing a mental inventory of the pantry to make sure I have all the ingredients. “Better get that work done then.”

  He bends over the worksheet and starts scribbling furiously, while I give the pot of chili simmering on the stove a quick stir before getting together the necessary ingredients.

  _______________

  “Do you have a minute?”

  I turn at the sound of Brick’s voice and wipe my hands on a towel.

  At some point while Ezrah and I were making cookies, Kiara wandered into the kitchen looking to help. So I leave the two of them to finish rolling the balls of dough while I follow the slightly limping man into the clubhouse.

  Sophia is at the other end of the space, watching something on TV with Finn on her lap. A few guys are hanging at the bar, but Nosh and Tse are bent over blueprints spread out over the large dining table when we walk up.

  “What are we looking at?”

  I notice Tse is drawing something on a large sketch pad in front of him. Brick takes a seat and pulls me on his lap, not letting go when I struggle against his hold. Nosh is grinning from across the table and I send him an annoyed look.

  “Have a look,” Tse says, flipping the drawing around to face me.

  I’m stunned. First of all, I had no clue he was that talented, and second, the sketch of the cottage plus extension is amazing. It’s a side view with a bump out on the back and a fenced-in yard. The cottage doesn’t have a yard currently, just a walk out to the mountain beyond.

  “That looks amazing.”

  “Wait ’til you see the inside,” Brick mumbles behind me.

  Tse flips over the page, revealing what looks like a main floor layout. I bend closer. The living room looks the same, as does the dining room, but instead of the kitchen in the short part of the L-shaped space, it now extends straight back from the dining room. Where the kitchen and laundry room used to be is now another sitting room and behind it what looks like a large bedroom with a massive closet, a bathroom, and a new laundry room.

  “Two living rooms?”

  “A living room and a family room, with three kids in the house you may want a quiet place to sit from time to time,” Tse points out.

  “It’s so big. You figure we need that much space?”

  “Sugar, three kids with little bodies now, but they won’t be little for long.”

  “Footprint is already there,” Nosh signs.

  “He’s right,” Tse follows up. “Have a look at the original plans, the foundation is there.” He points at some lines on the blueprints that extend beyond the house. “That’s an underground bunker Nosh built. We can build on that.”

  “A bunker?” I glance at the old man with surprise. “Why?”

  He looks a little sheepish. Tse saves him from answering.

  “In those days the club was into some dangerous stuff.” He taps on the print. “Good place to stash the family when trouble comes calling.”

  “How do you get in?”

  “Laundry room,” Nosh says in his rusty voice.

  I mentally go over the laundry room but I’m sure there’s no other entrance or exit than the door from the kitchen. Nosh points at the wall separating the laundry room from the stairs going up.

  “He says there’s a set of stairs going down behind the built-in shelves,” Tse volunteers.

  The shelves are to your right when you walk into the space. I use them to store cleaning materials and such.

  “Awesome.” Ezrah—who I didn’t hear walking up—leans over the table to look where Nosh is pointing. “A secret doorway.”

  I can feel Brick’s chuckle at my back. “Yes, one you’re gonna steer clear of, you hear?” That’s all I need, a child with broken bones when he goes tumbling down the rabbit hole.

  “Can we go check it out?”

  His eyes are on Brick instead of me. My boy knows he’d get nowhere with his nana. I twist around and glare a warning at Brick. He grins and turns to Ezrah.

  “Sure thing, kid.”

  Brick

  I’m probably gonna get an earful for this when we get back to the clubhouse, but I couldn’t resist the look of excitement on the boy’s face. He’s still grinning big as he sits beside me in the golf cart.

  Nosh wouldn’t tell us how to open the door, which only adds to Ezrah’s hunger for adventure. He’s out of the cart before it even comes to a complete halt, but forgets I have the key. Before the door was never locked to my knowledge, but now it is.

  “Hold your horses, kid,” I grumble, as I catch up with the boy. “Don’t do anything on your own, you hear?” I warn him as I unlock the front door. “Hey—boots,” I remind him when he’s poised to tear through the house in his winter gear.

  He kicks off his boots, tosses his coat on the couch, and I don’t bother correcting him again, I understand his eagerness.

  He’s already busy pushing on the frame of the shelving when I squeeze through the laundry room door. No method to it, though, just haphazardly pressing here and there.

  “Hang on there, Ezrah. I’ve seen you try the same spot twice already. Be smar
t about it. Start up on one side first and then down the other. You’re gonna miss spots otherwise.”

  I flip over a laundry basket for him to stand on and hoist myself up on the washer. Then I watch as his small fingers slide along the framing of the built-in. It takes him a good fifteen minutes, and some muttered, frustrated cursing, when he suddenly alerts.

  “Found somethin’,” he says softly.

  I hop off and grab the laundry basket out of the way, setting it behind me.

  “Show me.”

  I lean over his shoulder and slide my hand over his between the second and third shelves. He gives me some room and with my fingertips I feel the slightly raised ridge in the side corner, between the two shelves. I push on it and feel it give with a click.

  “Sweet,” the boy whispers, and we both take a step back.

  “You push it open,” I tell him and he twists his head, looking up at me. “Go on.”

  He puts two hands to the right side of the frame and gives it a good shove. The shelving creaks open like a door, revealing a dark stairway going down. As eager as he was earlier, he seems frozen now. I bite off a grin.

  “Got a flashlight, kid?”

  “In my room,” he answers, sounding a little apprehensive.

  “Why don’t you go grab that? We’ll need some light if we’re gonna explore.”

  He squeezes by me, and moments later I hear his heavy steps running upstairs, returning almost right away.

  “Here.” He shoves the light in my hand, a clear indication he wants me to go first.

  “Hang on to the back’a my shirt,” I instruct him, and I wait until I feel him grab hold.

  There’s no railing and the stairs are typical wooden basement steps so I put one hand on the wall for stability. I go slow, so Ezrah can keep up.

  I’m surprised the amount of light his small flashlight gives off. The space in front of us looks empty. Just a slightly dank basement under the house, much like any other. But when I swing around to the part that is hidden under the ground—the bunker—I’m surprised to see a fully furnished space.

  Large racks of metal shelving house a stockpile of canned goods along one wall. In front of it a kitchen table with four chairs, and an old couch. In the corner I spot what looks like a small generator, probably to run the few light bulbs hanging down from the ceiling. The other corner is obscured by a shower curtain, which I suspect hides a chemical toilet or something. There are no faucets or pipes to be seen for running water.