by L. Ann Marie
I laugh holding my hands up in front of me. She likes football. “How the fuck are you still single?”
Her hands go down and she looks like I slapped her. “My husband was military. He died three years ago.”
I reach for her hand. “I served too. I’m one of the lucky ones. I’m sorry we lost him.”
She has a sad look on her face that I want off. “Are you in the reserves?”
I shake my head no. “I’m a retired SEAL from Team Ten.”
She nods. Most military know about the other branches. “I’m glad you made it back.”
We eat without saying much and I’m thinking I blew it with her. She’s perfect and I fucked it up. “What do you do for fun Taylor?”
Her question surprises me. “The same as you. I just go with the flow. Me and Mucimi do a lot of fishing. I hike, ride, zip line, or hang at the Club or reservation with my brothers.”
“You fish with Mucimi?”
I laugh. “I fish; he watches and smiles when I talk to him. He gets a kick out of the fish flapping on the line. I do my best to spoil him like a good uncle.”
She laughs. “You don’t look Indian. Do you mean members or real brothers?”
“This is a lot of me and not much of you information.”
She smirks. “You can grill me when I’m done.”
“Seven of us were adopted by my mom who runs group homes and my dad who is Mohegan Indian. We have a brother Mase that is theirs together.”
“Holy shit, eight kids and seven were adopted. Didn’t they want more of their own?”
I think about that one. “I guess not. My dad built a huge house on the reservation for his family before we met him. He’s always treated us like we’re his so I guess we were enough.”
“What a great feeling that must be.”
I love that smile. “It is. They are incredible. My dad was a SEAL too, same team and everything.” I don’t say except the fuckin’ nights in hell.
“That’s cool. He must be proud. Did any other brothers go into the military?”
I shake my head no. “Not yet. They would all make SEAL, but they work computers or are crazy smart like Jeremy and Jacob. Mase may, but he’s too young right now. I have a sister Joey. She’s awesome too, but with money. She handles Princes’ accounts.”
She laughs. “You have a family of incredible people. Your parents must be phenomenal.”
Something in the way she says it feels wrong. “What about your family?”
She drinks some wine then looks at me. “Just me and my brother left. My parents were older and died within a year of each other. Drugs were bad here before the Princes. My brother moved to New York and works in the city.”
Shit her brother left her here? “You’re not close?”
She shakes her head no. “As adults I moved from base to base. We were never that close. When my husband died, I came home and was happily surprised by the Princes taking it over.”
I laugh. “We didn’t take it over, just the PD and Outlaws.”
She gives me the smirk again. “It’s so much better than what I left. I like it here now. I have trouble making real friends, but the town is a good place to live.”
What? “How do you have trouble making friends? You do everything and are outgoing.”
She shrugs. “Clubs aren’t my thing unless it’s for something special. I like being outside and most of the nurses are either married or young and sit on their phones forgetting what it’s like to talk.” I think about the nurse at the station. She wasn’t friend material.
“How long have you been back?”
“A little more than a year.”
We are done with our food, so I signal the waitress for the check. I sign it with my ID number and stand. “That’s it?” She’s watching the waitress walk away.
“We have accounts that get settled every month. Joey handles everything. We just sign.”
She laughs. “Must be nice. Do you ever go over?”
“Never. I’m a simple guy. I have everything I want and don’t spend much but for food.”
She takes my hand and we walk out. “I like that you take my hand.”
She looks at me surprised. “I didn’t realize that I did.”
“Want to go for a ride up the coast?”
* * *
Beth
“Definitely.” How cool is this? I was hoping he’d take me for a longer ride. When we get to his motorcycle I let his hand go and take the helmet. I’ve dated but never just held a guy’s hand and wonder what’s up with that? I smile to myself. I like holding his hand. It’s been a while since I’ve had that.
When he kisses me again I’m surprised and he laughs. “Just making sure you’re paying attention.” I laugh and get on after him. He pulls me close again and does something so lights shine on the ground. This is awesome! I hold on and smile. I like this too. There are other motorcycles with lights on the road as we drive through town and Taylor puts his hand down as we go by them. He drives crazy fast, but he’s a good driver. My heart is beating fast and I hold on tight as we turn toward the coast. We hit a dip in the road and I laugh feeling my stomach drop. I feel him laughing while he speeds up and takes the winding road fast.
“I’d put my arms up like on a roller coaster, but I want to feel the rest of the ride,” I yell laughing and feel him laugh with me.
“Don’t let go,” he says through my helmet.
How cool is that? “I didn’t know you could hear me.”
“Yeah.” He doesn’t say anymore.
When he slows down I relax and look at the water. “It’s beautiful.” The moon is hitting just right throwing a reflection like a picture. I think about all he’s told me. I didn’t expect him to share so much, but I’m glad he did. His family is filled with interesting people and I can tell he loves them.
I wish my brother and I were close like that. The most I got when David died was flowers. He didn’t even come to the funeral. He’s older than me by nine years so we never had much in common, but he isn’t interested in seeing me. When I moved back, I was going to move closer to him and almost took a job in New York. He came right out and told me he doesn’t have time to babysit me. I was pissed and took the job in Rhode Island. I’ve never asked him for anything except to meet me for Christmas or Thanksgiving. You’d think I was nagging him for even that.
“You still with me?”
Shit. “Yeah. It’s a beautiful ride.”
“It is.” He slows and pulls to a beach access road. When he stops, he puts his hand out and I get off. “That was awesome. Thanks!”
He gets off and unclips my helmet then his. “I thought you checked out for a while there.”
I have to smile. “I kind of did. Telling me about your family had me thinking about my brother.”
He nods. “Your turn to spill.”
I take his hand and walk telling him about me. He doesn’t have many questions or much to add until we talk about hiking and fishing. When I yawn, he turns us around. “You had a full shift. You must be exhausted.”
“I am, but I’m off tomorrow.”
He nods and stops turning me toward him. “I didn’t expect this Beth. I want more than just tonight.”
Looking up at him I can’t believe he is talking to me. He’s so damn handsome with his long blond hair and eyes that can’t decide if they want to be blue or green. “Me too.” When he kisses me, I kiss him back until I’m dizzy. He knows how to do that really well.
“I need to get you back to your car.”
I follow him like a love-struck school girl. I really should slow those thoughts down. “Can you take me home? I’ll get my car tomorrow.”
“Yeah. Where do you live?”
“On Pickett.”
He nods. “Grid eighteen. Not too far from the hospital.”
Grid eighteen? “No. About twelve blocks.”
He puts the helmet on me and it dawns on me he’s done everything like that tonight. Me first, th
en him. I climb on and move closer, wrapping my arms around him. I really like this. I smile and pay attention riding back.
Chapter Three
One month
Taylor
“I need you on a job. I’d send Dakota but he’s needed here and Jessie just got back.”
Fuck. “Where am I going?”
“Maryland. Hopefully it’s just for the day.” He slides paper toward me. “Everything you need is there. I need a picture when it’s done. Your bike goes with you and you’re wearing this cuff. The drop and pick up is in Delaware.”
I put the cuff on. “My bike is tracked.”
He shakes his head no. “You’re actually on Jessie’s bike; tracking is off.”
I stand up taking the papers. “Roger Prez.”
“Try for the long shot,” he says watching my eyes.
I nod keeping my head clear. Walking out I’m relieved. At least it’s a long shot.
In my office, I change my shirt, drop tracking and grab my gear. Jessie’s bike is identical to mine and my thumb gets me riding. Neil from Baxter’s is waiting for me. This must be from them. No one talks about jobs, so I have no idea what the protocol is. We get the bike loaded and I sit in the copilot seat. Since he doesn’t say a word, I guess this is normal. I read my pages and think this is going to be a breeze. No wonder Jessie and Dakota don’t say shit about the jobs. Everything is mapped and planned for me.
The ride into Maryland is easy. I follow my pussy from his office and get to the restaurant before him. The boat is docked right where they said it would be. I pull the bike onto the boat and cover it with an old army blanket. Rowing out I think about the shot. He’s going to be at the window or outside. I set up and hunt for him in the scope. When he laughs, I see my shot but wait. Getting the rhythm of the waves, the wind blowing in and his movements down, I get comfortable and just feel everything around me. When he laughs again, I take my shot knowing it’s dead center. I love my Saker silencer. Pulling the camera out I zoom and take pictures. I drop the boat at the dock that’s mapped out and send a text that I’m clear then ride back to Delaware. Neil helps me get the bike loaded and we’re home in time for me to change at Security and pick up Beth.
She’s late, so I go up to her station and wait for her. She’s surprised to see me. “Is your phone dead?” She’s smiling, so it mustn’t be bad.
I pull it and turn it on. “Shut off.” I scroll through. “I was on a job. I didn’t get this. I’ll see you Saturday.” I bend and kiss her.
She kisses me back like she doesn’t care who sees and I’m hard. She works more than I do and her fuckin’ schedule is killing me. “Maybe Friday?” she asks pulling away. She’s ready and my dick notices.
“Late, but yeah.” Her fuckin’ smile is killing me too. “Glad I got to see the smile today. I’ll call when I’m finished on Friday.”
I walk away while I can. It’s been a fuck of a month with everything going on with Holly and Mucimi. I don’t see her enough. The nurse that was at the station the first time I picked Beth up almost runs into me. She puts her hands on my stomach as she steadies herself. “Not really sorry. It must be all that training.” Her hands move up then mine do while I’m stepping back. “Taken babe.”
“From what I hear you haven’t taken anything because it wasn’t given up. I won’t make you wait handsome.”
Fuck that’s not cool. “Respect is earned. One night doesn’t get you that. Meaning it would be the only night.”
I walk around her and keep going. Bitch.
* * *
Beth
I smile at the look on Andrea’s face. I’ve never seen her shut down before. An X-ray tech that was supposed to pick me up, dropped me for her and her suggestive comments. They walked out together as if I wasn’t even there. I’m glad Taylor didn’t take her up on it. I wonder if she’s said shit before, then dismiss it. Today he shut her down and that’s good enough for me. “I thought you were sick?”
She’s dressed to go out in a skimpy skirt and Lycra shirt that is stretched across her chest. She gives me a look. “I took a personal day.” She walks by me and opens a drawer. I watch her put earrings on smiling the whole time. “At least I know you’re not getting lucky tonight.” Her bitch is showing.
I smile bigger. “I can wait. I have a feeling he’s worth every bit of it. Have fun or good luck or whatever I’m supposed to say.” She spins wobbling on her heels and Emma laughs.
I look back at her smiling. She’s got her head on her hand like she’s watching a movie against the counter. “I like that boy. Don’t let him go.” She turns and I watch her walk away.
I hadn’t planned on it. We’ve had so much fun this past month. He even took me to the reservation down the road. We can’t seem to make our schedules work for anything more than dates. He’s canceled twice because of his job and me tonight. I can’t wait for Friday.
* * *
Taylor
I go to the patio and I’m surprised to see Dakota here with Prez. I hand Prez the picture card and bullet casing. He puts them in a low pocket and throws me chin. “It was faster than I expected. Good job Brother.”
Since Dakota can read everything, I turn to leave. “Hold up Brother.” Fuck. “Dakota may be able to help. He helped Sheila.”
What? My eyes snap to Dakota. “You can help? Jeremy can’t.”
Watching me he points for me to sit. “I will not guarantee a quick fix Taylor, but I can help dull the memory. I see your light on and think you sleep less than I do Brother. Perhaps we can fix that for you.”
I sit liking the way this sounds. “What do I do?”
Prez laughs. “Just sit and relax Brother.”
I hope no Brothers walk in for this. “We will not be disturbed. Relax Taylor.”
I close my eyes and think of the chant as the heat rolls through me. I always picture my grandmother. I hear Dakota say it’s good; I let the heat take me away.
When I open my eyes, it’s pitch black and I’m leaning back against the couch. “Fuck.”
“Dakota says he can see you again, but he did what he could for right now. When your mind is ready to let it go, he can do more.”
I shouldn’t be surprised he stayed here with me, but I am. “So I’ll still have them?”
He doesn’t answer right away. “For a while, but they will be vague.”
I’ll still have them. My mind jumps to Beth’s smile and I push her away. What the fuck is going to happen if I pull my gun and she’s right there? I can’t be sure I won’t shoot myself how do I keep from shooting her? It’s never going to work.
“You’re wrong Brother. You just need some time,” he says softly.
Whatever.
“Thanks Prez.” I stand. No one can fix me and I have no intention of putting Beth in front of my gun.
His hand is on my shoulder and I jump. I didn’t hear him move. “You’ll get through this. Tess would say it will be good.”
My head falls forward. “I can’t tell you that I’ll be here to make it to good Prez. Every fuckin’ time the sun comes up I’m surprised I get to see it. My gun is always loaded no matter where I hide it or the bullets. How the fuck do I get to good with that?” I think of my string and tighten my hold on it.
His hand squeezes. “Just like that for now. Hold on with both hands, but do it knowing you have me holding you. Behind me is your family, your Officers, and a whole Brotherhood that won’t fuckin’ quit. You’re going to get there, Brother. Just like with Lily, I’m not letting you go Taylor. I’ll hold on until you’re clear. You know what a stubborn bastard I am and I’m telling you I won’t let go.”
I hope to fuck he’s right, but the gun is so comfortable in my hand and against my head. “Trust in me Taylor.”
I open the door. “Thanks Prez.”
Chapter Four
Two days
I hear Brantley leaving and smile. It was a good night, so I’ve had a good morning. He’s just turning the corner when I pull
out. He must have Mucimi with him because Holly is following at a snail’s pace. I fall in line thinking it’s the Mucimi parade when Prez shows on the side of me. Since he keeps pace I crack up.
“I like the Mucimi parade. He’s laughing up there,” he says smiling.
I bet he is. My nephew is nothing but happy.
“Move!” He goes around the SUV and I see the car. Fuck! Prez stops in front of Holly, but I go around and shoot as soon as I’m at the gate. The crazy bitch is aiming for them. I see him roll, but the car is still headed right for him. Shooting the tire, it veers but I can’t see Brantley to know if it was enough. My heart is ready to beat out of my chest.
“Brantley!” Prez looks at me. “Push the fuckin’ car!” He moves to the front fast. “I’m not getting anything from him, but only his arm is pinned.” Mucimi screaming is messing with my fuckin’ head. He doesn’t cry. I put the car in neutral and push it back with him. He cuts the harness off Brantley and lifts Mucimi. He screams more. Jesus!
Nick comes running and takes Mucimi. Holly is frozen in place in front of the SUV and Prez is kneeling on the side of Brantley.
“Holly take Mucimi and try to calm him down.” I wait for her to get it, then turn toward Brantley. The bone is sticking out of his arm.
“Cover his arm I’ll be right back,” Nick yells over the screaming baby. I’ve never seen him scream.
“He’s okay, he’s just out,” Prez says and I breathe.
Nick takes Mucimi into the SUV, his screams are muffled, but I still hear him.
Brantley’s arm is out to the side and held up where the concrete is broken. When he moans, I see his arm move. His first thought is his son. My eyes burn and I move in front of him. He sounds drunk and isn’t hearing Prez or he’s too focused on Mucimi. Where the fuck is the ambulance?
