Page 27

HENDRIX

Three Months Later

John Stone stood strong with his legs astride and his hands on his hips, surveying the kids running around and screaming like lunatics.

“Fuckin’ petting zoo,” he rumbled, shaking his head disbelievingly. “Why the fuck didn’t I think of that? Look at ‘em; they’re happy as pigs rollin’ in shit. A genius idea that, Will. You’ve got an entire day of fun right there just with a few llamas and goddamned ostriches.”

Dad motioned to the expanse of lawn down the side of the hotel, where volunteers were walking small horses up and down with kids strapped to their backs wearing an array of brightly colored cowboy hats. “Think the pony rides are goin’ down better, John. The kids love it. Little Addie girl’s in her goddamned element.”

I smoothed my hand over JT’s little blue baker-boy cap and grinned at his cute baptism outfit. He looked cool as fuck in his little blue and white suit. Anna had a little chunky cardigan made especially for him with our ‘Property of the Speed Demons Virginia’ patch on the back, and I fucking loved it.

The tinkle of kids’ laughter drifted toward us.

I glanced over at Addie, who giggled with some of her new friends from town.

She was healthy and happy after the Ace incident. In fact, I think she saw it all as a big adventure. Anna, Freya, and Carina had since taught her about stranger danger. I wished her dad would’ve taken more of an interest, but he was still wallowing in his grief. Still, Addie and her brothers were surrounded by love and care, and I knew we’d bring Fender around eventually—or at least I hoped.

John’s eyes skidded over across the grass, and his lips pursed while his eyes narrowed.

“Look at his face,” Colt whispered from beside me. “He’s jealous as fuck he didn’t think of it. The best that old cheapskate ever came up with was that deathtrap playground. The remnants of that slide they had to cut Atlas’s ass out of are still laying in the yard. Sunny’s little face goes white every time she sees it. Layla’s convinced it’s the reason she’s terrified of heights. Poor kid's scarred for life.”

My gaze veered toward the back of the hotel, where Sunny and Kadence were flinging themselves around doing TikTok dances. Sunny’s little sister Willow was trying to copy them, but at the age of six, she didn’t have the same finesse as her teenage sister.

Gopher walked past them with a friendly grin, carrying a crate of Lucky Shamrock cider. Sunny’s body locked, and she whipped around to face Kady, blushing and giving her big eyes.

“Fuck!” Bowie muttered. “Where’s my fuckin’ gun?”

Cash laughed.

Breaker’s lips twitched.

Kai—who at fifteen was already almost as tall as his dad—glared at my prospect like he wanted to rip his throat out.

Atlas hooted and clapped him on the back before adjusting his daughter, Lola, on his hip. “Two years, and she’ll be dating.”

Kai grunted.

Bowie nodded at Lola. “Twelve years and so will she.”

Atlas snarled.

“Horsey!” Lola cried, stretching her arms out toward the petting zoo. “Lola wants horsey!”

“Take her to see the Llamas,” Dad suggested, throwing John a triumphant grin. “Poor little thing’s desperate to pet the animals.”

John’s lips thinned, and he folded his arms across his chest.

At that moment, Sunny and Kadence swanned past us.

“We still on to do a few songs later, Kady?” I asked.

She turned her stunning cornflower blue eyes on me—identical to her mother’s—flicked her long, blonde hair and beamed. “Sure.”

“I like your dress, Sunshine,” Kai called over, his cheeks staining red as he ducked his head.

Sunny smoothed down the material of her short, flouncy skirt. “Thanks, Kai. I like your Harley tee.” She looked at Kady and gave her big eyes again before walking toward the petting zoo.

Bowie cocked an eyebrow at Kai.

Breaker grinned down at his boots and ran his hand across his mouth.

“Fuck me,” Cash muttered. “It’s Noah and Allie, Speed Demon style.”

“Say what now?” John asked, his forehead furrowing confusedly.

“The notebook,” Cash replied.

“What the fuck are you talkin’ about notebooks for?” John demanded, the lines in his forehead deepening. “What’s notebooks gotta do with anythin’?” He sniffed, motioning his head toward his three sons and Kai. “Fuckin’ idiots talk like they’re from the planet Zog. It’s bad enough with the teens, ‘Fam’ this and the ‘GOAT’ that, and if I hear Sunny say IYKYK one more time, I’m gonna end up shooting a fucker. I try and stay down with the kids.” He held his hands out and did the gesture with his fingers like rappers do. “Why can’t they just say what they mean and mean what they say?”

Cash rolled his eyes.

“Jesus,” Bowie breathed.

Breaker grinned down at his boots again.

Kai looked at John like he’d lost the plot and rumbled, “Never do that rapper hand thing again, Granddad. Not ever.”

John looked to the heavens and cursed under his breath.

My neck craned when I heard laughter from behind me, my heart bouncing joyfully as I watched Anna walk from the back of the hotel with all the Speed Demons’ women, Tristan and Diablo.

Her kaleidoscope eyes locked with mine as she approached, and she beamed a smile.

The quiet tones of Sophie’s voice filtered through the air. “I think they’re really cool, D. I love the precision of the cut on that pinkie you showed me. You did a really neat job there. Have you ever thought about being a surgeon?”

Anna’s eyes rounded at me, and she rolled them from left to right.

I looked down at JT and made an eek face at my boy.

He pursed his lips and gave me a slow blink.

Suddenly, a loud, exuberant yell went up, followed by a deafening “Yeeeeehaaaaaaw.”

Every head turned in the direction of the zoo area, and men’s curses began to turn the air blue around my ears.

“Jesus fuck,” Cash muttered, his eyes glued to his son, Wilder, who was balanced on top of one of the makeshift posts of the petting zoo which held the wire penning the animals in. With another loud “Yeeeehaaaawwww,” he leaped in the air and landed directly on the back of one of the llamas. The poor animal was so frightened it made a weird, loud, bleating noise and bolted straight across the pen.

Wilder shrieked his joy and shouted, “Giddy up, horse!” while throwing one arm in the air like he was on a rodeo bull.

“Uncle Cash!” Sunny yelled. “Save Wilder. He’s riding a llama.”

Cash scraped a hand down his face. “Jesus fuck, Wilder!” he bellowed at his son. “What in God’s name are you doin’? Your mother’s gonna fuckin’ flip.”

“Yeah, she is,” Cara shrieked. “Oh. My. God!”

“Yeeeehaaaaawwww!” Wilder yelled.

Cara punched a hand to her hip and cocked it, her eyes flashing at her ol’ man. “I blame you for this. You let him get away with murder. He’s a goddamned hellion.” She turned back to the pen and screamed, “Wilder. Get. Off!”

“Woooohooooooo!” he shouted, spurring the llama on with his feet.

John rolled his lips together to hide his grin.

Atlas roared with laughter. He bent over double, holding Lola tightly as he stooped.

Lola giggled along with her dad.

“Yeeehaaaawwwwww.” Wilder’s voice carried over the breeze.

Anna appeared at my side. “Don’t just stand there. Somebody go save Wilder.”

As she said the words, I caught movement out of the corner of my eye. “Fuck!” I muttered. “Here we go.”

Blade stood over by the pony rides, his eyes on Wilder, barking orders down his phone. “Mayday. Mayday. Mayday. We’ve gotta situation. A kid’s riding a llama. Animals are getting agitated.”

A scream pierced the air.

My eyes sliced back toward the animal pen, and I swore under my breath.

The animals were indeed getting agitated. My lungs stopped working, and I watched in horrified fascination as the other llamas started to paw at the ground. Their heads went up and twisted, and then suddenly, they all took off as one unit. That was when the ostriches joined in the stampede, except for one of the spiteful little fuckers who ran at Addie and nipped her shoulder.

She wailed and started to sob loudly.

The kids’ screams were deafening as they stood there terrified while exotic animals ran at them, nipping and spitting in their faces. Then they started to run, and I watched, horrified, as the pen turned into a scene from a horror movie with animals running after kids. All except for Wilder, who was still doing his rodeo cowboy impression and yelling, “Woooohooooo!”

“Secure the perimeter,” Blade barked. “Protect the kids at all costs.”

My men started to move toward the carnage, tugging their weapons from their cuts as they approached.

“No!” Kady screamed. “Don’t shoot the llamas!”

Atlas roared, wiping tears from his eyes.

Breaker grinned.

Cash’s skin paled.

Bowie scraped a frustrated hand down his face.

Anna slipped her hand through my arm. “This is crazy,” she murmured. “How the hell did my son’s baptism turn into Armageddon?” Her kaleidoscope eyes lifted and locked with mine. “Is this going to be our life from now on?”

I took in my ol’ lady’s soft face, then looked down to study the beauty of my boy, fast asleep in my arms, and my heart wrenched inside my chest.

“I hope so, Freckles,” I muttered, leaning down to drop a kiss on the lips I loved more than life itself. “I really fucking hope so.”

THE END