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S herman pushed his nose against the door to the clubhouse. Made of three-inch-thick wood and weighing over a hundred pounds—Stone knew, he’d installed the fucker—the thirty-five-pound puppy didn’t stand a chance.

“Nice try, little guy,” Stone said, opening the door and letting him bound ahead of them. Beside him, holding his free hand, Juliana smiled. Eventually, they’d need to work on Sherman’s leash manners, but for now, he seemed happy to stick close to them without the tether.

“Wanna bet that by the time he’s full grown he’s going to be able to open that door on his own?” she said as he led her in.

“If he learns how to manage a doorknob, then we have bigger problems,” he replied, eliciting a laugh.

“I wasn’t sure if we’d see you today,” Mantis said from his seat on the couch. Charley sat beside him, her feet curled up, her body pressed to his, a clipboard in hand. She glanced up and waved, then went back to her clipboard.

“We wanted to come by and see how Griswold is doing,” Juliana said. Sherman, who’d been sniffing around the pool table, bounded across the room toward Mantis and Charley, then jumped on the couch with his front paws, barely missing Mantis’s junk as he came down. Mantis winced and shoved the dog gently, but firmly, off the furniture.

“He’s fine,” Viper answered. He, Monk, Scipio, and North sat at a nearby table playing poker. Forgetting his not-so-warm welcome from Mantis, Sherman darted over to investigate. Stone’s gaze followed him, noting none of their temporary guests were in the room.

“They went on a hike with Cass and Joey,” Mantis said, reading his mind.

“Where’s Griswold?” Stone asked, keeping his eye on Sherman, who was manically sniffing Juan’s boots. Stone wondered if he’d been at the large soon-to-be-farm on the southwest side of town they were supplying materials for.

“Right here,” Griswold said, hobbling out of the kitchen, Dottie following close behind. “Trying to go home, but someone took my keys.” He glared at the table filled with Stone’s brothers.

“No one took them, you paranoid bastard,” Viper said. Although if he read the look the four men shared right, Stone would bet Griswold had left them out and someone had hidden them.

“Sit down, you big oaf,” Dottie said, not so gently manhandling Griswold to a couch. “Hi, Juls, hey, Stone. There’s lemonade in the fridge if you want, and as soon as this lug sits down and gets off his leg, I’ll pull together snacks.”

Juan and Monk looked up. “Snacks?” Juan asked.

“I didn’t know you cared so much,” Griswold drawled.

Dottie rolled her eyes. “I don’t. But since you helped my boys out—and Juls—I have to make sure you heal before you leave.”

Griswold’s eyes narrowed, though more in contemplation than warning. Juliana bumped Stone’s shoulder, and when he glanced over, she waggled her eyebrows. Griswold might be a grumpy bastard, but she’d seen the spark of curiosity in his expression, too.

“How are you?” Dottie asked, walking over to join them once Griswold settled with his leg up.

“Better now that it’s all over,” Juliana replied. “I don’t think I’ll ever take the feeling of safety for granted again. I mean, I know anything can happen at any moment, but I don’t have to go through my day wondering who might try to kill one or the other of us.”

“It takes a while for that feeling of safety to sink back in sometimes. If you have moments that are hard, it’s normal,” Dottie said before giving Juliana a hug. “Now, let me grab those snacks.”

Stone watched Griswold watch her leave the room. When the big man’s eyes closed, he led Juliana to a loveseat near Mantis.

“She has that big hiking trip in a few days so is going through the final checklist,” Mantis said, nodding to Charley who didn’t even look up. “What’s your plan now?” he asked.

Juliana lifted a shoulder. “Go back to work. Get back to life.”

Mantis’s eyes sought his, silently asking about their living arrangements.

“She’s moving in,” he said.

Chairs scraped on the floor as every set of eyes, even Charley’s, looked at them. Juliana glared at him. “That’s not exactly what we agreed.”

He raised a brow. “Then you can tell them what we agreed.”

She narrowed her eyes, trying to figure out what he wasn’t saying. He wouldn’t need to say anything, though, because his brothers would. “I’m keeping my place,” she said.

“Are you bringing clothes to Stone’s?” Viper asked.

Juliana frowned at the question. “Yes,” she replied hesitantly.

“And your makeup?” Charley asked.

“Yes, to that, too,” she replied.

“Where will Sherman live?”

“At Stone’s. It’s bigger and has more space for him. We’re also building a fence,” she said. Hearing his name, he trotted over and set his muzzle on her leg. He closed his eyes in bliss as she rubbed his ears.

“It sounds to me like you’re moving in,” Viper said.

“She’s moving in,” Griswold grumbled, his eyes still closed.

“You may like our boy Stone well enough,” Viper continued. “But there’s no way you’re going to be separated from Sherman.”

“But you’re keeping an out,” Mantis said, studying Juliana’s reaction.

“Keeping my place is not keeping an escape route!” Juliana insisted.

Stone didn’t care all that much if she kept her place. He felt confident he’d convince her to stay with him—well, he and Sherman would. It seemed like a waste of money to him, but if that’s what she needed to do before fully committing to their future, then he didn’t mind. She loved him—she’d said the words last night. And the second they walked through the door after returning from Galt, he made sure she knew he felt the same. It hadn’t been the most romantic moment—Sherman frantically searching for his new toys, both of them grubby from adrenaline and being in the granary. But it had been real and honest.

“Cut the woman some slack,” Charley interjected. “Jeez, you all. They’ve been together for, like, a hot minute. I know you all believe that when you know, you know, so you should just ignore the fact that picking a life partner is literally life-changing, but not everyone is built that way.”

Juliana grinned when all the men turned their attention to Mantis. The big man actually blushed—well, not quite, but a slight pink tinged his cheeks.

“Don’t look at me like I’m pressuring her to move in,” he replied defensively.

“No,” Viper said. “You’d never do that. We’re just questioning why it’s taking you so long. Unlike those two,” he said, pointing to him and Juliana. “You all have been together for longer than a hot minute.”

Charley rolled her eyes and looked to Juliana. “We’ve been together for three months, not years. By the way they talk, you’d think we’d been together for decades and still can’t decide whether to walk down the aisle or not.”

“If you’re headed there anyway, then why not cut to the chase?” Stone asked.

Charley hesitated. “I can’t tell if you’re joking or not.”

“He’s joking,” Juliana said. Then as if realizing that he might not be, she turned a startled look on him. “You are joking, right?”

He shrugged. “If I thought you’d go for it, I’d drive us to the county clerk for a license right now.” Juliana gaped at him, her mouth falling open and her eyes as wide as saucers. “But you’re not there yet, so I’ll wait,” he added.

Juliana stared a beat longer, then transferred her gaze to Charley. Charley shrugged as if to say, “See, I told you. They’re a little crazy.”

Juliana closed her mouth, swallowed, then nodded. “Okay. Well, then…”

“Huh,” Viper said, drawing all their attention.

“That wasn’t a good ‘huh,’ Viper,” Mantis said.

Viper typed out a message before raising his head. “You remember Lina Kato? From the night Leo got shot at Rita’s?”

No one would forget that night—the one and only time violence had touched the bar the club owned. And the events surrounding it were well known to the community. Juliana might not know Lina, but she’d know the night Viper mentioned.

“Long brown hair, dark eyes, helped you cover Joey so she could get to Leo?” Mantis asked.

Viper nodded. “She just texted. Asked me to meet her at a bar south of Redding.”

“That’s…interesting. She went home with you after, didn’t she?” Mantis asked.

Viper nodded as he rose. “She did, but that’s not why she’s texting. She says she needs help.”

Stone and his brothers looked to Mantis. He wasn’t the dictatorial sort of president often depicted in fiction, but he managed every project, every issue, every staffing need, and every schedule of all the businesses the club ran. If anyone left for more than a day, out of courtesy to the others, they ran it by Mantis.

“She’s not the type to cry wolf, is she?” Mantis asked.

Stone shook his head. “She insisted on going with Viper to cover Joey so that I could join you looking for the shooter. She’s trained. I don’t know how or by whom, but she’s a professional.”

“Then go,” Mantis said. Viper nodded and started toward the wing with his room. He had an apartment on the south side of town, but it would be faster to grab his gear from his room and head straight north. If he made good time, he’d make it there in less than five hours. Knowing Viper, it might be a lot less.

Stone shared a look with the others. Lina had been solid that night. She hadn’t hesitated for a second, and she’d moved through the night in perfect sync with Viper. It took a lot to rattle a woman like that. A lot for someone like her to ask for help.

He didn’t like the idea of Viper heading out on his own, but he trusted his brother. If he had any indication that he needed backup, he’d ask. That was the way the Falcons rolled. Still…

Juliana leaned into him as she picked up his hand and kissed the back. He pulled her closer, resting his cheek on her head. A contemplative lull fell over the room until Viper walked back in carrying a small pack that would fit inside his saddlebags.

Stone fixed Mantis with a look who nodded in return.

“Viper,” Mantis called.

He paused, nearly at the door. “Yeah?”

“You’ll call if you need anything?” Mantis asked, although it wasn’t a request.

Viper’s mouth tightened, and he gave a short nod. “You know I will. It’s what family does. Real family.”

THE END

“Curious about Sabina and Leo? Start reading the complete Mystery Lake series with Defenseless .”