Cade

I HATED LEAVING Navy. Fucking hated it. But Connor had sent a couple of his best guys to watch her house and she’d quickly made friends with them. He didn’t send new prospects as he’d said, but two guys who were already members. Train and Flea were solid, and no one would get through either one of them, so I felt somewhat relieved as I pulled away from her house.

I drove to the address Booker had texted me and saw my brother’s Harley parked just down the street. I also saw two others right beside it and sighed.

Shit.

I parked behind the bikes and slid out of my truck, before heading down the sidewalk and finding my brother, Booker, and the club’s secretary, Mack, waiting for me. Connor made his way to me and gave me a chin lift. “Hey.”

I nodded. “Hey. I didn’t realize we were havin’ a party, Con.”

He grinned. “Mack’s here as our legal cover.”

Mack was, in fact, an attorney and a gifted one at that.

“Jesus, brother, this was just supposed to be just me.”

“It was never just gonna be you, Cade. But now you’ve got backup. This asshole’s gonna tell us everything we need to know and then you can deal with him however you see fit, there’ll be no blowback, and Navy’ll be covered. She’s yours, which means the club’s gonna have her back.”

I shook my head. “Don’t need you to do that.”

“I know you don’t.”

Booker and Mack made their way over to us.

Booker rubbed his hands together. “Do I get to break doors down, or am I gonna have to pick a lock?”

“No blowback, brother,” Mack said.

“Fuck,” Booker hissed. “You never let me do anything fun.”

“What do you know so far?” Connor asked Booker.

“Couple of cameras around the perimeter. I’ve disabled both of them. This property is a short term rental and Bart has it rented until Monday.” Booker looked at me. “There’s a side door, back door, and the front door. No other way out, other than windows. Been watching the house for a little over an hour. He drove up twenty minutes ago with food bags and hasn’t left since.”

“Mack, you make your way around back,” Connor said. “Booker, you head to the side door. Cade and I’ll knock on the front.”

I bristled a little at my brother’s take charge approach but did my best to brush it off. It’s what he did. He was the Sergeant at Arms for his club and had raised our younger siblings since our dad had been imprisoned. He was used to giving orders.

As we walked onto the front porch, Connor stepped back and let me take point, leaning against the side of the house as I rang the doorbell.

After a few minutes, he still hadn’t answered, and my brother let out a low grunt. “Maybe he’s jackin’ off.”

“Seriously don’t need that vision in my head,” I snapped as I rang the doorbell again.

This time, a portly man pulled open the door, his T-shirt smeared with what could be ketchup, maybe BBQ sauce, and I’d obviously interrupted his meal. I didn’t give a shit.

“Bart Simms?”

“Who’s asking?” he spat out.

“Wrong answer, asshole,” I hissed, shoving my way inside, my brother at my back.

“What the hell’s going on here?” he squealed as Connor shut and locked the door.

Mack and Booker were already inside the house, and heading our way and I shoved Bart into the living room and onto the recliner next to the sofa. “Who hired you to find a woman named Navy Simmonds?”

“That’s none of your business.”

“Wrong again.” I open-palm slapped him. “You’re a slow learner, ain’t ya?”

“What the hell, man. Who are you?”

“You answer my question first.”

“Do you know who I am?” he sneered.

“I don’t care who the fuck you are,” I said. “Tell me who hired you to find Navy.”

“I’m a licensed private investigator. I’m not telling you shit.”

I slapped him again.

“Why the fuck do you keep slapping me?” he squealed.

“Because if he hit you like a man, you’d be unconscious, and he wouldn’t get his questions answered,” my brother said.

I chuckled. “There’s also a satisfying sound that accompanies a slap. You know, the one that comes with your palm connecting with the face of a little bitch.” I leaned down and scowled. “Who the fuck hired you?”

“I’m not telling you.”

“For fuck’s sake,” Connor said, pulling out this Glock and holding it to Bart’s temple. “How about now?”

Bart’s hands went up in surrender. “What the hell? What’s the deal with this woman?”

“Let’s try this again,” I said. “Who hired you?”

“John Shetner.”

“Her ex,” I said.

“He didn’t say.”

“Did he mention he beat the fuck out of her?” I growled.

“He did not,” Bart said.

“Did you ask?”

His face blushed bright red. “I did not.”

“I want everything you have on him,” I said. “Address, phone, social security, fuckin’ blood type. All of it. And if you notify him about any of this, I will find you and cut your dick off. Understand?”

Bart’s fat face jiggled as he nodded.

“Give me your phone.”

He pulled it out of his pocket and handed it to me. I held it up to his face so it opened, then immediately handed it over to Booker.

“How much have you told John?” I asked.

“Just where she lives and works,” Bart stuttered out.

“What do you mean, ‘just’?” I snapped. “What else do you know that you haven’t disclosed?”

“Where her dad and brother live and work. That she spends time with her elderly neighbor, that she volunteers—”

I could no longer hold back my rage and slammed my fist into his face cutting off the list of Navy’s weekly agenda. It was a good thing the man was already seated because he lost consciousness immediately. Despite the fact he couldn’t feel anything, I hit him again because I needed to feel his bones break under my hands, and if my brother hadn’t pulled me back, I would have hit him again.

“Wait for him to wake up, Cade. It’s wasted on him right now.”

“Fuck!” I hissed. “I want to make him bleed.”

“You did,” Mack said, pointing to the blood pouring from Bart’s nose.

“Not enough,” I growled.

Booker wiped Bart’s phone off with a bandana, then set it on the side table. “I’ve gotten all the info off it I need.”

“Let’s get outta here,” Mack said.

“Nah,” I countered. “Not enough blood yet.”

“Hatch, you wanna—”

“My brother has no say in this, Book,” I snapped.

“Pretty sure Booker was just gonna advise I give you these,” Connor said, handing me a pair of black latex gloves. “No DNA, no crime.”

Booker frowned. “Ah, yeah, sure.”

I slid the gloves on and waited for Bart to come to. It didn’t take long, and I smiled. “Good morning, sunshine. Sleep well?”

“What the hell?” he squealed.

“Before I leave you, Bart, we need to set up some ground rules. Got it?”

“What do you mean, ‘ground rules’?”

“One,” I slammed a fist into his gut while Booker and Mack held his arms behind his back, “you’re gonna forget you ever heard Navy’s name. If anyone ever asks you about her, you don’t know her. Got it?”

He bobbed his head as he choked out a, “Yes.”

“Two,” I slammed my fist into his cheek, only I pulled my punch, so he stayed conscious, “if John reaches out, you ignore his call. In fact, you block his number, so you’re not tempted to answer.”

Bart screamed in pain, but my final punch stopped the noise and then the four of us turned and walked out the door. Booker, Mack, and Connor headed for their bikes and I headed for my truck.

“FYI,” Booker said. “I’ve installed a tracker app. We can keep an eye on him going forward.”

I frowned. “Will he know it’s on his phone?”

Booker raised an eyebrow like I was the dumbest asshole on the planet, and I raised my hands in surrender. “Forget I asked.”

“I’m gonna follow you back to Navy’s,” Connor said.

“She’s not home,” I said. “Girls’ day with her neighbor. ‘No boys allowed.’ I promised Devon I’d bring him to the club early.”

“Home, then. We’ll grab Devon, see what Cullen and Cameron want to do and we can all head to the club.”

I nodded. “Sounds good.”

I climbed into my truck and followed Connor onto the freeway.

* * *

Navy

I knocked on Dottie’s door at four, and then let myself in with my key. “It’s me, Dot,” I called.

“Kitchen, sweet pea.”

I held my bag of goodies and Pickles in one hand while locking the door with the other then headed back to the kitchen where Dot was at the stove stirring something that smelled incredible.

“My mouth is already watering,” I said as I gave her a gentle side hug and kissed her cheek.

“Pot roast and gravy.”

“Yum.” I grinned, setting Pickles on the floor and my bags on the counter. “I brought tequila, per your request, and a chocolate cake.”

“With ice cream?” she asked hopefully, bending to greet the dog.

“Am I a monster?” I asked, pulling the tub out of the bag, and setting it in the freezer before laying a puppy pad on the floor for Pickles.

“This is why you’re my favorite.”

I laughed. “If ice cream is how I get that level of love, I’ll take it. What can I do to help?”

“Pour me a shot to start, then you can sit your butt down until I need help pulling the roast out.”

“You got it.”

I grabbed glasses and we each took a shot of Patrón then I sat my butt down as she instructed and once she’d turned the gravy off, we made our way into the living room to relax while the roast finished cooking. Dot grabbed the bottle of tequila on the way.

“I want all the details on this young man of yours.”

“What do you want to know?” I asked taking a sip of my drink while Pickles curled up beside me.

“Your face looks different.” She narrowed her eyes. “Like you got laid.”

“Dorothy!” I squeaked, nearly choking.

“You’re not denying it.”

My face heated as I stared at my drink and tried to catch my breath. “I cannot believe you just said that. You’re aged.”

“I might be aged but I’m not dead, sweet pea. I still keep my vibrator charged up.”

“Oh my god, kill me now.”

Dottie let out a little cackle. “Does he have a giant cock?”

“I’m not telling you that.”

“That’s a yes.”

I groaned. “Have you always had a dirty mind? How did I miss this?”

“You didn’t miss shit.”

I let out a snort laugh. “You’re the worst.”

“Well, no, my sister was far worse than me, god rest her soul.” She grinned. “You got any pictures of this hunk?”

I smiled. “A few. On my phone.”

“Well, don’t leave a girl hanging, Navy. Get your phone.”

I nodded, grabbing my purse from the kitchen, and returning with my phone. I pulled up a few of my photos and handed my phone to her so she could scroll through.

“Wowzer,” she breathed out. “And you knew this boy in high school?”

“Yes. We fell in love back then.”

“And this is who he grew up to be?”

“Yep.”

“Nothing like that hodenkobold, John.”

“What the hell is a hodenkobold?”

“It’s my favorite German saying. Basically it means testicle goblin. And it suits your ex to a T.”

I laughed so hard, I nearly peed. “Oh my god, Dot, you’re on fire today.”

She chuckled. “I just speak the truth, sweet pea.”

“That you do.”

She looked back at my phone. “Girly, you leveled up.”

I chuckled. “I sure did.”

“Don’t get me wrong, he did too, but most men peak in high school, then lose their hair, get fat, and become assholes. Looks like you’re both aging like wine, rather than milk.”

I reached over and squeezed her hand. “And this is why you’re my favorite.”

“As long as he treats you right, sweet pea, he and I are gonna be good friends.”

“He treats me like a queen, Dot. You’ll see it for yourself when you meet him.”

“Can’t wait.”

The timer buzzed indicating it was time to take the roast out of the oven, so I helped with the heavy lifting, then the rest of the evening was spent laughing and enjoying the beauty that was Dot.

By ten o’clock, Dot could barely keep her eyes open, so I helped her get ready for bed, then once I’d checked all the doors and windows, I set her alarm, locked up and started my walk home. I was a little startled when a giant of a man met me at the end of her driveway. Even Pickles let out a little growl.

“Sorry, sweetheart, didn’t mean to scare you.” He patted his chest. “Train. Met you earlier.”

“I remember. Sorry. I just wasn’t expecting you to still be here.”

“We’re not leaving until your man is back.”

I shivered. My man. I loved that.

“Surely not.”

“What do you mean?” he asked.

“You’re not really sticking around until Cade gets back, are you? He’s not due until tomorrow.”

“Then we’re here until tomorrow,” he confirmed.

“Where are you sleeping?”

“In the van.”

“The panel van? All night?”

“Yeah,” he said.

“Have you eaten?”

“Flea grabbed takeout a few hours ago.”

“Oh my god, no. That’s not okay. Come in. Is Flea here too?”

“Yes, ma’am. He’s in the van.”

“Both of you, please come in. I’ll make you something to eat.”

Train shook his head. “Ah, no, we can’t impose on you, Navy.”

“You sure can.”

“We really can’t.”

I let out a huff and shifted Pickles so I could dig my phone out of my purse. “Give me a second. I’m going to call Cade.”

“Do you mind if I check your house while you do that?”

“Sure.” I handed him my keys and he walked me up to my front porch.

“Stay put, okay?” he ordered, once we were inside and I’d disarmed the alarm. I set Pickles down so she could roam, and closed the front door, scrolling to Cade’s number and calling it.

“Hey, baby, you okay?”

“Hi, Lumpy, I’m great. How’s family night?” I asked.

“It’s good. How’s Dot?”

“She’s fantastic. She can’t wait to meet you.”

He chuckled. “We’ll make that happen soon.”

“Okay.”

“Are Hatch’s guys still there?”

“Um, about that...”

“They are still there, right?” he demanded.

“Yes, they’re here, but they’re not really staying until tomorrow are they?”

“Yeah.”

“Oh my god, Lumpy, why?”

“Because I can’t be.”

“Don’t you think this is a little overkill? I have an alarm, I have a fierce attack dog, I think I’m good.”

He laughed. “Fierce attack dog might be a stretch, honey. And, no, it’s not overkill.”

“Well, they’re not staying in a van all night. That’s beyond cruel.”

“Baby, they’re guys, they don’t give a shit.”

“I give a shit. They’ve been here all day and only eaten crap food while stuck in a panel van.”

He let out a dramatic gasp. “The horror.”

“Well, I have a guest room and a comfy couch, do you think I could let them stay here? Eventually, I’ll renovate my basement, but for now, I just have my guest room. Anyway, not the point of this conversation,” I mused. “I can make them something to eat, and they can maybe crash here?”

“Like hell they can.”

“Cade—”

“No way in hell are two men I don’t fuckin’ know going to sleep in a house with you when I’m not there.”

I rolled my eyes. “Your brother knows and trusts them, right?”

“My brother is not me. It’s a hard no, Navy.”

“Do you really think they’d do anything?”

“Do you think they wouldn’t?”

“No. Well, probably not.” I sighed. “I don’t know.”

“Hard fuckin’ no. They can sleep in the van.”

“I don’t like forcing people who are doing something nice for me to sleep in shitty conditions, Cade, when I have really nice conditions ten feet from them.”

“Don’t give one shit, Navy, they’re not sleeping in your house.”

“Fine,” I conceded. “I’m still going to feed them.”

“You feed a stray, they come back for more, baby.”

“They’re sweet, Cade. I don’t mind if they come back.”

“I love your heart, beautiful, and I never want to quash your generosity, but I’m always gonna do everything in my power to keep you safe. And I’m sure Train and Flea are good guys, but until I know them better, I’m not taking any chances.”

“I appreciate that.” I bit my lip. “I just hate that I have to look for monsters around corners.”

“I know. It sucks. But I’m gonna make it so you don’t have to because you won’t need to ever again.”

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. “I can’t even begin to imagine what that would feel like.”

“You will.”

I glanced up to see Train walking toward me. “Train’s done checking the house, so I’m going to go and make them something to eat.”

“Okay, baby. Call me before you go to bed.”

“I will.”

“Love you, beautiful.”

I blushed. “Love you, too, Lumpy.”

We rang off and I focused on Train.

He smiled, handing me his phone. “House is secure. Hatch wants to talk to you.”

“Um, okay. Thanks.” I frowned, taking the phone. “Hello.”

“Hey, Navy.”

“Hi. Ah, do I call you Hatch or Connor?” I asked as Train stepped outside.

He chuckled. “Hatch. Only Cade calls me Connor. Or my other siblings when they’re pissed at me.”

I smiled. “Oh, okay. Hi, Hatch.”

“Hi, sweetheart. I just wanted to check in and make sure you felt comfortable with Train and Flea. ’Cause I can send more guys out if you need. I can come myself as well.”

“No, they’re good. I honestly don’t need anyone. I told Cade I think this is all overkill.”

“Let me assure you it’s not overkill.”

“I don’t think I like that, Hatch.”

“Don’t much like it myself, Navy, but it is what it is.”

I sighed. “Well, I’m planning on feeding your guys. Cade’s put the kibosh on them sleeping over—”

“I’m sorry, what? You were going to have them sleep over?”

“You have them sleeping in a van, Hatch. That’s kind of cruel.”

“They’re guys, sweetheart. They don’t give a shit.”

I rolled my eyes. “Did you ask them if they gave a shit?”

“I don’t give a shit if they give a shit.”

“Anyhoo, Cade won’t let them stay over but if this goes on for longer and we get to know them better, in the future they will be welcome to stay in my comfy guest room or on my sofa.”

“Noted.”

“So, please don’t give them grief when I feed them, okay?”

“What makes you think I’d give them grief?”

“Oh, geez, I don’t know, Hatch. Bikers and Kiwis, big man. We tend to take the piss out of our own. It’s a sign of respect, but it can also get a little out of control.”

He bellowed with laughter before saying, “Fuck me, sweetheart, no wonder my brother’s been hung up on you for twenty years. He done found his soulmate and no one believed him.”

I bit my lip, forcing back tears. “I done found mine, too, Hatch. No one believed me either.”

I heard a quiet hiss through the phone. “Jesus, sweetheart, I didn’t think about that. I apologize. You’re right. I won’t give the guys grief. Feed away.”

“Thanks, Hatch.”

“Have a good night.”

He hung up and I opened my door and told Train to get Flea and come inside while I made them something to eat.