Chapter Eighteen
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Sully
“What the fuck happened?” Fallon asked as soon as Bonnie closed my bedroom door.
“We went to get tacos. Brought Valen. Followed the rules.”
“Yeah, get that. What happened then?”
“Bonnie got a text from her boss that said to come over for a minute. It was kind of on the way home. I figured it was no big deal.”
“I’m not mad at you. You’re not a prisoner here. Neither is Bonnie. But I need details.”
“I was trying to find somewhere to put the tacos. But Bonnie rushed out ahead of me and went inside. I didn’t get a chance to ask her what happened inside, why she suddenly knew something was wrong. All I knew was she came running out with a panicked look on her face, yelling for me to get inside. Then… gunshots.”
“Neither of you saw anything?” Fallon asked, looking between Valen and me.
He shook his head.
“No,” I said. “I was making my way toward the building. The shot came from the woods at the side.”
“Yeah,” Voss said. “There was a stand in the trees.”
“New?” I asked, wondering if this fuck was just an opportunist or if he’d been plotting.
“Seems like it.”
“What kind of bullet was it?” I asked, looking over at Voss.
“Not a rifle,” he said. “Small caliber. Seems like it was just an easy way not to be seen. Found a Ghillie blanket on the ground too. He was well-hidden. Wouldn’t have seen him if you weren’t looking for him. Maybe not even then.”
I felt a little better about that.
No man wanted to think he was being unobservant. Least of all someone with my history. And, of course, when I already knew there were targets on our backs.
“Bonnie didn’t say anything on the ride back here?” Fallon asked.
“She was too busy trying not to have a panic attack. Did Courtney say anything?” I asked, looking at Valen.
“Yeah, she filled in some blanks. She said she was surprised to see Bonnie.”
“But she texted—no?” I asked.
“That’s what Courtney told Bonnie. She hadn’t texted her. She hadn’t texted anyone. Her phone was missing. That was when Court said Bonnie looked like she’d seen a ghost and ran outside.”
She’d put the pieces together.
That was my girl.
So much smarter and braver than she gave herself credit for.
“Any chance there is surveillance footage at the grooming place?” Fallon asked.
“Already asked Courtney about that. There is. Facing down from the door and into the lot. But that’s it. Can’t really blame her for not wasting a feed on the woods,” Valen said with a shrug.
“Still. Go over it. See if there are any reflections or anything. Did you see anyone?”
“I was busy putting the SUV between Sully and Bonnie and the bullets,” Valen said, shrugging.
“You did the right thing,” Fallon said. “This fucking guy really has it out for you,” he said, looking at me.
“Has Hailstorm been working on my list?” I asked, suddenly really fucking over this shit.
It would be one thing if it was just me.
But this was the second time that Bonnie’s life was on the line. I wanted this done. I wanted this guy’s name. Then I wanted to pay him a little visit.
This could be all over after that.
Bonnie wouldn’t have to live in fear.
We could go back to normal lives.
Or, well, a new normal.
Because, suddenly, I didn’t imagine myself entertaining a group of women in the hot tub, doing body shots off of them, taking them to bed.
All I could see in my future nighttime activities was showing Bonnie more fun.
Then taking her to bed and falling into each other until we were both too tired to move.
Maybe I should have been feeling conflicted about that, bothered that the entire trajectory of my life had changed.
All I felt was a certain kind of rightness, though.
I guess that after watching so many of my brothers go through this exact transformation over the years, I kind of knew how it was going to go. And that they were all, invariably, happier with their women than they were before.
Why fight happy?
Especially when that happy came with fun, cozy crafts and that look of wonder every fucking time she looked at me.
“Yeah. But I’m gonna go call Chris now, tell her what’s going on. She’ll light a fire under her peoples’ asses, get some answers for us. Hopefully.”
“Good. I want this over with.”
“You and me both,” Fallon agreed. “Danny doesn’t like being on lockdown. Not with that many kids getting cabin fever. How’s your shoulder?” he asked.
“It’s fine. Known worse,” I said, shrugging.
“Let me get a look,” Nave said, coming in from the backyard, shouldering past Dezi. “Yeah, that’s not bad. You’re gonna leave it open, right?” he asked, looking between my makeshift doctors.
“Yeah,” Callow said. “Don’t wanna trap any possible infection.”
“Yeah, I’ve seen that happen,” Nave said, eyes far away for a second. “You don’t want that,” he added, looking at me.
I was reminded of the bullet wound scar on his stomach. And the fact that we didn’t know how it got there, what he’d been doing all those years away from Navesink Bank.
Clearly, he’d seen some nasty shit.
“It ain’t all bad,” Perish said. “Loved me having nursemaids while I was recovering.”
“Hey, Zima,” I said as the dog made her way over to me, sniffing, likely wondering what all the blood was about. “I’m alright, girl,” I assured her, rubbing her head.
“She calmed your girl down real fast,” Perish said.
“Did you?” I asked Zima, giving her more scratches. “You gonna be her therapy dog, huh? I won’t mind that if you let me in the bed too.”
She sniffed at that.
“So, where are you looking for a house?” Valen asked.
“What?”
“That’s the next step,” he said, giving me a knowing look. “How much room you gonna need? She want a bunch of kids?”
“I don’t know,” I admitted, suddenly realizing that there were a lot of details I didn’t know about Bonnie yet. Hell, I actually didn’t even know her last name. “She would want a craft room. And a nice yard for the dog. Dogs,” I clarified. “You’re definitely going to have siblings eventually,” I told Zima.
“Market is shit right now. But I’ll keep an eye out for signs,” Valen said as Dezi and Callow cleaned up the mess.
“Might be getting ahead of things,” I said.
“Yeah?” Nave asked. “‘Cause the way I see it, you two got a dog. And her place doesn’t allow dogs.”
That was… true.
“Well, we have the clubhouse for the time being.” Even as I said it, though, I knew it couldn’t last long. She wouldn’t want to be without her dog. But she would also have a hard time being away from all her little craft supplies, books, and creature comforts at her place. As big as the clubhouse was, there wasn’t room enough for her to move all that stuff in.
Maybe we were closer to a house than I realized.
“Kinda jarring how fast it happens, right?” Dezi asked, nodding. “Next thing you know, you’ll have two pygmy goats and a mini house cow…”
“That’s just a you thing, man,” Fallon said, shaking his head.
“You want any pain meds?” Dezi asked. “Think I still have some laying around.”
“I’m alright,” I said.
“Drink then,” Nave said, going behind the bar.
“That, I won’t turn down.”
I wondered what the girls were talking about, how Bonnie was handling things. I got the impression that Courtney was a bit of a larger-than-life personality. And it was easy for people like that—people like me—to bulldoze over someone with a more timid disposition. Without meaning to, for sure. But often without even realizing.
That said, I couldn’t step in, even if I wanted to. Bonnie could handle it. She was already coming out of her shell more, getting more comfortable around others.
I had a drink with Nave.
Then a second.
It was Zima’s whining and scratching at my bedroom door that finally had the two women emerging.
“Gird your loins,” Nave whispered as he raised his glass for a drink.
“Alright. I hear I am getting a personal protection detail,” Courtney declared, looking around. “Which one of you is watching my ass?” she said. “Ooh, two for one,” she decided, gaze landing on the twins.
“Courtney,” Bonnie said. “Behave.”
“Behave? In a clubhouse full of hot guys? I think not. Okay. Show me where we’re all sleeping,” she demanded, sliding her arms through Rune’s and Croft’s arms.
“I’m sorry in advance,” Bonnie called to them, but got matching dimpled smiles in response. “Hey,” she said, looking over at me.
“Wanna go talk in the room?” I asked.
“Yes,” she said, looking relieved to get a few minutes alone with me.
“Want to eat cold tacos too?” I asked, lifting one of the bags that Fallon had brought in from the SUV ‘before it becomes a forgotten science experiment.’ Sometimes, the dad in him really shone through.
“Okay,” she agreed, looking suddenly worn out.
Talking.
Food.
Sleep.
But, hey, if she wanted to slip some fucking in there too, I was game. Shoulder be damned.