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N AVY
I used the login information I had saved for Diablo the Douchebag’s computer and saw he’d been online less than an hour ago - which meant that either someone else was using his personal computer or he was healthy enough to sit up and type.
That infuriated me so much that I had to close my laptop and walk away from my desk. I stood at the window and looked out over the beach while I tried to regulate my breathing, but there was nothing I could do to stop the thoughts racing through my head.
I heard someone walk into the office and shut the door behind them, and I could tell by their breathing that it wasn’t Dali, so I turned around and looked at my friend.
It didn’t take but a second for Ajax to motion toward me with his mug and ask, “Who are we killin’?”
“Apparently, they didn’t do much to teach that fucker a lesson, because he’s been online this morning.”
“Well, that’s upsetting, isn’t it?”
“I was taking a minute to try and get myself together because my first reaction was to sling my laptop like a frisbee, and my second thought was to go shoot that motherfucker in the head.”
“The first option is expensive, but the second sounds perfectly reasonable to me.”
“So, this fucker can threaten my family and I don’t even know how many others and then go home and have a nice dinner?”
“It appears so.”
“He kidnapped my woman, goddammit!”
“I’m aware of that.”
“At the very least, he should be in fucking traction!”
“I agree.”
“You’re not helping to talk me off the ledge, Ajax!”
“Shit! Am I supposed to be trying?”
“You’re supposed to tell me that it’s never good to go in half-cocked because that’s when mistakes are made and that I should calm the fuck down before I do something stupid and end up back in prison.”
“That sounds perfectly reasonable too.”
“I thought you were leaving.”
“I am, but I thought I’d pop in and pretend you care about it.”
“I’ll miss you every minute until we finally see each other again,” I said, trying my hardest to make my voice sound forlorn.
“Alrighty then!” Dali said from the doorway before she spun around to walk away.
“Dalisay!”
“Y’all have fun, boys. I’m going to get donuts,” Dalisay said as she walked into the living room. Just before I swept her into my arms, I heard her mutter, “And a stiff drink.”
“You know I was joking, right?” I asked her.
“God, I hope so! If you’re going to bring a third party into this relationship, at least make it one who’s good looking and young enough to keep up with me!”
“What.The.Fuck?”
I laughed as Dali grinned at me. She winked before she said, “Out of all your friends, you picked a guy who doesn’t even clean up after himself?”
“You’re fucking kidding!” Ajax yelled over the raucous laughter from the men sitting around my living room. “I told you that in confidence!”
“Told them what?”
“That’s why Sandi’s pissed at me.”
“I don’t blame her. You left my favorite creamer out on the counter, spilled your coffee all over the place, and didn’t even put your spoon in the sink. If you do that every morning, I’m surprised she hasn’t killed you yet.”
The laughter was even louder now because I’d joined in. I set Dalisay down but held onto her as we laughed until Ajax said, “You can all go to hell. I’m going home.”
“Do you want a ride to the airport?”
“I called a car service because I didn’t want to torture you by making you tackle the traffic at the airport, but now I wish I hadn’t just so I could punish you a bit.”
“What kind of punishment?” Dalisay asked.
“What?”
“Like, spanking or . . .” Her voice trailed off when I growled and squeezed her tightly. When I let her go, she walked over to Ajax and gave him a hug before she said, “It was nice to meet you, but it will probably be the only time.”
“What makes you say that?” Ajax asked.
“Because your girlfriend is going to end up killing you. When she does, I promise to keep money on her books in your honor.”
“You deserve him,” Ajax said with a frown before he hugged Dalisay again and whispered something in her ear.
Dalisay just smiled, but then Ajax kissed her temple before he said, “It was a pleasure to meet you and your insane family. Someday I’ll bring Sandi to visit so you can bond over your shared trauma from living with assholes like me and Navy. ”
“He might be an asshole, but he puts my creamer back where it belongs.”
“Ugh!” Ajax yelled in frustration before he walked around to say goodbye to the guys.
Once he was gone, Dalisay shut the door and then walked toward the bedroom as she called out, “I’m going to take my time in the shower so you guys can talk about whatever it is I’m not supposed to hear.”
Chewie gave her enough time to walk through the bedroom into the bathroom before he asked, “What’s got you so riled up?”
“That fucker has already logged onto his dark profile and exchanged three emails with his scumbag friends.”
“Are we sure it’s him?” Shorty asked.
“I didn’t check the IP address, just the accounts.”
“Either way, you need to check the IP so we know where we’re going,” Sully suggested.
“True,” I told him as I walked toward the bedroom. “And when I find out that he’s at home?”
“If he’s recovered enough to be a fucking pervert, I have to assume that he’s well enough for company.”
Chewie shrugged before he said, “I agree with Donner. At this point, the asshole is just begging for it.”
◆◆◆
DALI
“I talked to my father last night, and he agreed that you should come to work for the family since you’re home.”
“Doing what?” I asked my cousin before I went in for another bite of my burger.
While I was chewing, he said, “There are plenty of things for you to do for any of the businesses, Dali. Jodie is working on a new marketing campaign for the stores, so purchasing and inventory is slipping. I know this is horrible to admit because I hate how it came about, but it may be a good thing that Dad won’t be back at the helm for a while.
I feel like I can say that now that we know he’s going to be okay. ”
“That’s rough, Nathan. Damn.”
“It’s not like I wanted him to be attacked, Dali, but you and I both know that an extended hospital stay is the only way to get any of the elders in our family to stay off their feet for any length of time.”
Nathan had a point. Our parents and their siblings were raised with a work ethic that people today don’t seem to understand and they damn sure couldn’t replicate.
Having come from poverty, they helped their parents scratch and save for their first business venture and then worked hard every day alongside them to make it a success.
Over time, the businesses expanded, but they never learned to be idle because they didn’t have it in them to try.
I had the utmost respect for the older generations of my family who had come to America and made a life that we could all be proud of. I didn’t even have to consider it for any length of time to know that if I could lessen their burden in any way, I would do that.
“You want me to take over purchasing and inventory?” I asked. “What in the hell do I know about that?”
“Probably everything,” Nathan said with a grin. “How many times did you take inventory at one of the stores and then report back? How many times did you see an item somewhere else and then fight to get it sold in our stores? How many . . .”
“Okay, okay! I get it. But that doesn’t mean I know anything about the paperwork that’s involved or the computer programs that . . .”
“Jodie has been scrambling to find an inventory system that we can install.”
“There’s still not . . . They haven’t even . . .” I was so stunned that I couldn’t even speak.
“Everything is still handwritten, and there are boxes and boxes of files in the attic of each building. Honestly, I’m surprised that Conrad hasn’t burned the places down yet, because he’s the one that has to go through all that shit to get the taxes done every quarter.”
“That poor man,” I said, horrified at the thought of dealing with such an archaic system - and not just for one business, but for multiple businesses and locations. “Has he started drinking heavily yet?”
“If I was in my brother’s position, I sure as hell would!”
“You’re going to take this time while Uncle is recovering to change everything?” When Nathan nodded, I asked, “Is that wise?”
“He won’t come in and erase it all, especially when he finds out we’ve already invested in whatever programs we decide on.”
“And you’d want my help with that?”
“Yes. It will take some research, but Jodie has already started and has some great ideas. As far as the buying goes, I know you’ll be great at it because you’ve seen the world, Dali.
You’ve met people from all races and backgrounds and that can only help when we’re choosing items to sell in the stores. ”
“What about the car washes?”
“There’s a lot less work on that end, but have you seen what they sell there?”
“I guess I haven’t paid any attention.”
“Those hanging tree air fresheners and umbrellas.”
“They always had those hanging on a rack next to the register.”
“My guess is that the ones hanging there now were here when you left for OCS.”
“Good grief.”
“It makes perfect sense to join the family business, Dali. We’d love to have you. I’m surprised your brothers haven’t already mentioned it.”
“They have.”
“And you blew them off, didn’t you?”
“I thought it was just going to be a pity job or something equally unbearable.”
“There’s no such thing in our family. You know how it’s going to go. You’ll get hired to do this thing and maybe that thing and end up knowing how to do everything because you won’t be able to stop yourself from stepping in where you’re needed.”