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N AVY

“I know you’re only supposed to be gone another week, but I may need more time.”

James nodded and then looked over his shoulder at the passengers behind him before he said, “You know she’s gonna kill both of us if she finds out we’re plotting behind her back.”

“That’s a risk we’re going to have to take because you and I both know that if she’s here, she’ll jump in with guns blazing, and neither of us are willing to sit by and watch that happen.”

“And this way, the kids won’t be anywhere close by either,” James mused. I could tell by the look on his face that he was running through options in his head. He smiled brightly before he said, “Hawaii!”

“What?”

“She loved our vacation in Hawaii and still talks about it all the time. I’ll arrange for us to take a cruise there after we disembark from this one.”

“She’s gonna kill you.”

“Maybe not. There’s so much for all of us to do on this ship that they’re nowhere near ready to go home, so I’ll just extend our trip.”

“She’s still gonna kill you when she finds out.”

“I’d rather risk her anger than have her in the middle of something dangerous.”

“Me too.”

“That’s settled then. I’ll take care of it and stay in touch with you so I’ll know when it’s safe to come home.”

“That sounds like a plan. I’m going to make some calls to get some of my club brothers to join me on this little escapade.”

James laughed before he said, “It’s not like you’ll have to twist their arms. Once you tell them what’s going on, the guys I’ve met will show up with a smile on their face and murder in their eyes.”

“Just like I’d do for them.”

“You’ll have to be careful not to let Clark or Rafael go rogue. Try and keep those old codgers on a leash so they don’t get injured any further.”

“That’s easier said than done,” I told him with a laugh. “Although, I’d rather have that task than have to be the one to explain to my sister why you’ve suddenly decided to embrace a month-long vacation.”

“You think it will take a month?” James asked.

“For you to recover? I’d say at least six. Maybe more.”

“You’ve got that right. Okay, let’s reassess after a couple of weeks.”

“Sounds good. I’ll be in touch.”

James ended the video call, and I scrolled through my contacts until I found who I was looking for. When he answered, I said, “I need some help.”

Twenty minutes later, I had finished the majority of my calls and was even angrier than I’d been before. I tried to calm myself down as I waited to hear that my friends had connected and were ready for me to give them the details of today’s situation.

The phone vibrated with an incoming call. I set it aside and answered the video call on my laptop.

Within seconds, Ajax, Preacher, Hammer, and, surprisingly, our club president, Boss, appeared on my screen.

There wasn’t any time for greetings, because Boss jumped right in and asked, “Why the fuck does this guy think he can shake you down for money? Fuck him! That’s a good way to find yourself dead!”

It was funny to see a man wearing a badge talk about killing people, but I wasn’t surprised. Boss had always been an imposing man and was adamant about taking care of the people he considered family. Luckily, my father fell into that category as did I.

“My guess is that there’s going to be a couple of store owners who cave but a few others who report this shit to the law, as if they’d do anything about it,” Ajax grumbled.

“Why would they since they’re probably in on it?” Preacher asked, his penchant for conspiracy theories evident in his tone. “You’re on your own until the guys get to you. I won’t be there, but men are coming.”

“You won’t even come to California for little old me?” Preacher gave me a flat stare, and I chuckled before I said, “That’s okay, friend. I understand.”

“I know you’ve talked to some of the Nomads, and I put the word out to a few more,” Ajax informed me.

Boss was the president of our MC, and Ajax had become the unofficial spokesperson for the Time Served Nomads because he had the most contact with all of us through the jobs he occasionally hired us to do.

“Chewie was packing up when I talked to him. He’s waiting for Oz so they can ride together.” Boss cleared his throat before he said, “I didn’t call Dice because he’s got a baby now.”

“Understood,” I replied with a nod. “Thanks, guys.”

“And you know the creeper is going to appear out of nowhere,” Preacher said with an exaggerated shudder. “He’s just not normal.”

Hammer chuckled before he mumbled, “Pussy.”

Ajax was laughing when he changed the subject, probably to stop Hammer and Preacher from going after each other. “There are a couple more on their way to you, but I’m not sure when they’ll get there.”

“I’ve got plenty of space for everyone. I’d like to get a couple of men to watch the bar from the inside and out. I’ll also need someone to stick close to my dad when I’m not around.”

“I’ll be there tomorrow,” Ajax said as he stared at his computer. After a few seconds, he said, “My flight gets there tomorrow evening. I’ll get a car and have a look around before I come to your place.”

“Are you going to put a hold on your extracurricular activities?” Hammer asked.

“I hate to, but I probably should. I wouldn’t be able to focus with all of this other shit I have going on.”

“Are you going to make the one tonight?”

“Yeah. It’s already in motion and on schedule,” I assured him.

“Gotcha,” Preacher said as he nodded and started typing.

“We could have Lurk take over for a while,” Boss suggested. I watched Preacher shudder again, and then Boss shook his head and recanted. “Nevermind. He’s got a flair for the dramatic, so . . .”

“Dramatic? The man bathes in human blood to look younger than all of us!”

“He is younger than all of us,” Ajax reminded Preacher. He looked confused for a second before he asked, “Isn’t he?”

“I don’t think anyone knows,” Boss said with his brows furrowed. “Anyway, do what you can, and when your support gets there, they’ll help you take care of the rest.”

“Until then, we’ll keep an eye on things and fish for more information.”

Knowing how much it would irritate him, Hammer started singing, “ You and me go fishin’ in the dark, lyin’ on our backs . . .”

“I will blow up your fucking house,” Preacher yelled before his image disappeared from the screen.

I couldn’t help but laugh when Hammer giggled and waved before he said, “Toodeloo!”

“I swear to God, if I didn’t like them so much, I’d hate their fucking guts,” Boss grumbled. “It’s like having children who are too big to beat.”

“Tasers might help,” Ajax suggested.

“That's how I used to get you to shut up,” Boss said thoughtfully. “I may have to try that.”

“Paintballs are also a good option, and they hurt even worse if you freeze them first.”

“Can’t do it, Navy,” Boss said as he slowly shook his head. “I’ll have Blue and Pita all over my ass for hurting their men. They’ll end up getting Jenn involved in the fray, and I’ll have to sleep in the barn with the animals until I apologize.”

“Aww, Boss. You have such a hard life,” Ajax said sarcastically.

“Piss off.”

“On that note, I’m gonna go so I can get some things done before my date tonight and the adventure I have planned.”

“Get plenty of rest and make sure to glove up,” Ajax suggested.

Boss burst out laughing before he said, “That advice can go either direction.”

I couldn’t help but chuckle as I shook my head at the men who I looked up to but could make me crazy in seconds. “I’ll talk to you guys soon.”

“Bye, kid. Bye, asshole,” Boss said before he disconnected, leaving only me and Ajax on the call.

“Any chance you can put off your adventure until I get there?”

I thought about it for a second before I said, “I can’t put off the one I have planned for tonight, but I’ve got two more in the works that you can take if you want or come with me if you’d rather I take the lead.”

“I’ll let you know,” Ajax replied. “Be safe.”

“You too. See you soon.”

◆◆◆

DALI

I knew Anthony . . . No, Dali! He’s Navy now, remember? . . . wouldn’t want me walking alone, but I needed to do this by myself, so I left through the back door while Rafael and Clark were distracted by a delivery man.

Even after years in the Navy, I still wasn’t very good at taking orders, especially when they didn’t make sense. The difference between then and now was that I did what my superiors told me to do unless I was in some sort of real danger. Then I wasn’t about to listen to anyone bark orders at me.

Not that Navy or his dad would ever do that. No, their orders would be posed as a suggestion for my own good or maybe even a declaration because they thought they knew what was best.

“Fuck that,” I said under my breath as I stepped on the curb and looked at the building in front of me.

Just a few blocks down from Three Sheets was another family-owned business that had been here for ages - except this one hadn’t just raised one family, it had supported half a dozen.

When my grandparents came to the US from the Philippines, they didn’t have much of anything other than determination and a strong work ethic.

They both worked their asses off to support their six children and, in time, opened a multitude of businesses, including the car wash on the corner lot a few blocks away from Three Sheets.

As soon as I heard about the attack at the bar, I wondered if my extended family also got a visit from the thugs the police still hadn’t managed to apprehend.

I now knew that was that case. The building had two boarded-up windows and a sign that read, “Closed for renovations, but re-opening soon!” .

Those motherfuckers had attacked not just the family I’d come to love but my own family too.