Chapter 1
GOOSE
“He moves like a fridge with legs.”
“Who?”
“Deen.” I crossed my arms and watched Sergie’s head guard prowl the floor like a pissed-off rhino.
He was a big bastard with a thick neck and a handlebar mustache, and he sported an angry glare that made him look like he was personally offended by everything, including the existence of air.
“He’s just so damn big and mean. Why’s he gotta be so mean? ”
“Don’t know what you’re talking about. He’s been nothing but nice to me,” Memphis goaded. “Must be you.”
“You’re full of shit.”
The casino was finally calming down, and the midnight crowds were tapering down to a few stragglers.
Memphis, Creed, and I were posted at the front entrance like we owned the damn place.
I was more than ready to call it a night and seeing Deen’s smug expression was getting on my last nerve.
“Don’t see why he couldn’t have hired someone with a little personality. ”
“Missing Bog again?” Creed teased.
And yeah, it stung a little.
Not just for me, but for all of us.
Bog had been a beast, too, but he had a way about him. He didn’t have to stomp around like he was waiting for trouble to tap him on the shoulder. He was quiet and loyal, and he was as fierce as they came. You could tell that by the way he carried himself and the way he spoke.
He would’ve given his life for any one of us, and he did.
Sergei had taken in Alina, and he was doing everything he could to protect her from her asshole ex.
It wasn’t easy. She had heavy connections to the Russian mafia.
It was a life Sergei had fought hard to walk away from, but with Bog's help and ours, he’d managed to forge a life of his own.
Alina was a threat to his new life, but the old softy couldn’t turn her away.
In no time, he fell for her, and I’m pretty sure Bog did, too. It would’ve been hard not to. He was with her day in and day out, and when they came for her, he put up a hell of a fight. Unfortunately, they got the best of him, and we lost him.
I’d gone over that night a million times, but there was nothing any of us could’ve done to stop it. Regardless, it was a shame to lose him. “Bog had style. This Deen character is just a dick.”
“Admit it.” Memphis elbowed me. “You’re jealous.”
“Why the hell would I be jealous?”
“He’s prettier.”
Creed choked on his own spit, and Memphis started rolling with laughter. Deen glanced over at us, giving us a scolding look, and I wanted nothing more than to punch the asshole right in the nose. “Prettier, my ass. The man looks like he wrestles grizzly bears for foreplay.”
“Maybe so but look at that jawline.” Memphis cocked his brow. “While you got…”
“Say it.”
“Personality.”
Creed burst out laughing again. I didn’t flinch. I was used to their bullshit. It came with the brotherhood—unprovoked disrespect at all hours of the day. I shook my head and grumbled, “I hate you both.”
“No, you don’t.” Memphis threw his arm over my shoulder, grinning like the Cheshire cat. “You’re just mad that Deen’s out-Goosing you.”
“Not possible.” I brushed him off. “There’s only one Goose around here.”
“Thank God for that,” Creed scoffed.
I flipped them both off, then turned my attention back to the door.
The crowd had trickled down to nothing, and the lights had dimmed.
It was a good feeling. It wouldn’t be long before we’d all head out to the parking lot and make our way home.
I was thinking about how good it would be to have a cold beer and a hot shower when Creed announced, “You know, I think our time here is about done.”
“What the fuck you talking about, brother?”
Creed shrugged like he hadn’t just tossed a bomb on us. “We were brought in to keep the trouble off Sergei’s back and keep the locals from causing bullshit. We’ve done that. Things are smooth now. Have been for months.”
He wasn’t wrong.
Other than the bit with Alina, things had been good. Damn good.
That didn’t mean I liked where this was headed. Memphis didn’t either. His brows furrowed. “So what? Things are going good, so Sergei’s gonna cut us loose?”
“No. We’d be cutting ourselves loose.”
“Prez know about this?”
“Yeah, he’s the one who mentioned it to me.” Creed kept his voice low and steady as he explained, “It’s time we either buy in, and I mean, really buy in. We get a say and a stake, or we walk away and let Sergei and his brothers take back the reins and run the place their way. They’ve earned that.”
I let out a deep breath.
Change and I had a complicated relationship. Mostly because change was never good in my book. It always seemed to come with a swift kick in my ass, and I wasn’t feeling an ass-kicking tonight. “So, that’s it? We just put all this work in and leave?”
“Wouldn’t be as simple as all that, but that’s the gist of it.” Creed’s eyes moved across the room, taking in the guards and the pit bosses still wandering around collecting last-minute slips. “This place isn’t ours. It never has been.”
“That doesn’t feel right.”
“Doesn’t make it any less true.” Creed crossed his arms. “We were never meant to stay forever.”
“Damn.” Memphis leaned back against the bar. “Didn’t think we were there yet.”
“Can’t keep spending our time guarding someone else’s empire. It’s time to think about our own.”
“What’s Sergei gonna say about all this?”
“Not sure. If I had to guess, I’d say he’d be good with it. They’ve got a hell of a crew working for them.”
“Except for Deen,” I grumbled. “Dude’s an asshole.”
“So damn jealous,” Memphis teased.
“Eat shit.”
Creed looked between us, then added, “Might be time for us to think about adding onto the Vault or opening up another across town.”
“Why don’t we put up a bar next door?” I suggested. “We can get folks feeling good on gin and send them over for a couple of rounds of blackjack.”
“Definitely something to consider. But for now, we hold down the fort and consider all options.”
“I’m up for anything, as long as Deen isn’t involved.”
“You’re gonna have to get a grip, brother.”
“Yeah, whatever.”
Deen glanced over in our direction, and it took everything I had not to tell him to fuck off.
Thankfully, our shift came to an end, and we were cut loose for the night.
As we started for the parking lot, I zipped up my coat and pulled my gloves from my pocket.
When Memphis spotted me putting them on, he shook his head and said, “Can’t believe you rode tonight. It’s cold as hell.”
“What can I say?” I kicked my leg over the seat as I shrugged and said, “I’m a glutton for punishment.”
Before he could respond, I slipped on my helmet and turned on the engine, revving it to tune out anything either of them might have to say. I knew they would give me shit, and I couldn’t exactly blame them. It was cold as hell, too cold for the bike, but I wanted the cold.
I needed it to freeze out whatever had been clawing up my spine for the past few days and settle it back down where it belonged.
I pulled out of the parking lot and eased the throttle back as I made my way out to the main road.
It wasn’t long before my fingers started to sting through my gloves.
My nose burned, but the tightness in my chest eased a little the faster I pushed.
I told myself it was enough, but the memories never played fair.
All it took was a glimpse of an old barn, half-rotted and barely standing, for thoughts of my father to start creeping in.
His face was stern and hard. It had that permanent coldness he always wore after Mom died.
It was like her death had frozen him solid, and he never thawed out.
If he wasn’t working at the post office sorting the day’s mail, he was holed up in his shop. The door was always cracked, and the TV would be blaring some game he wasn’t really watching. He’d have a beer on the counter, and he’d sip on it as he pretended to be working on some big project.
Only there was never any project. He was just hiding.
From life.
From Davis.
From me.
From everything. Those days didn’t haunt me. I’d managed to push them out of my mind and put them behind me. But the good old days were a different matter.
I couldn’t seem to let go of the times when he’d woken me and Davis up early on a school day and announced that we were taking the day off.
We’d spend all afternoon out on his boat fishing, and when we got back, he’d cook up a hell of a meal.
Then, there were the days he’d play catch with us in the backyard and slow his throw just enough where Davis and I could actually catch it.
He’d jump and cheer like we’d won the World Series.
Those were the memories that gutted me and made me wonder if we ever really knew him at all or if that version of him died right alongside Mom. I needed to let that shit go. I wasn’t a damn kid anymore. I was done waiting on a man who gave up on life, and even worse, gave up on himself.
I gunned the engine, and gravel spit under my tires as I took my turn. I glanced back, and the barn was now nothing more than a dark blur. By the time I pulled into my driveway, the cold had settled into my bones. My face was numb, my fingers were stiff, and I was looking forward to a hot shower.
I parked by the garage, and as I removed my helmet, I looked up at my house and sighed. I loved the place. I really did, but on nights like this, I wished I’d bought a place that didn’t need so much work. I told myself it had good bones. That’s what sold me on it.
It was weathered, but solid. It felt familiar in some way, and I knew it had to be mine. I’d managed to get the outside painted before the weather turned, but the inside was a different matter altogether. I pushed through the front door, and the hinges gave me their usual welcoming moan.
The entryway still looked like a construction zone. There were drywall mud buckets and flooring stacked high, and they taunted me as I tossed my keys on the counter and headed toward the fridge. I would get to them. I’d get to the new flooring and paint, too. I just hadn’t gotten around to it.
It seemed like every time I made plans to work on the house, something would come up. It could be anything. Club business, helping one of the brothers, or a shift at the Vault. It didn’t take much to deter me. I was beginning to think it was time to call in reinforcements, but this was my place.
I wanted to be the one who brought her back to life, even if it meant doing it day by day, piece by piece. It wasn’t like it was going anywhere, and neither was I.
I took my shower, and when I got out, my old man was still weighing on my mind. So, after I threw on some clothes, I grabbed my phone and sent him a message:
Me:
Hey, Pop.
Just checking in. You doing okay? Need anything?
Doubting he’d answer, I tossed my phone on the counter and started for the kitchen to grab something to eat. I’d only taken a few steps when I heard my phone chime with a text. I turned back and picked up my phone, and to my surprise, he’d actually replied.
I opened it and got a hell of a shock when I read:
Pop:
Making it. Don’t need anything.
Don’t know if you know, but your brother’s back in town.
He asked about you.
Me:
What did he want to know?
How long’s he staying?
Is he there with you?
I stood there waiting for answers, but none came. Just like that, Dad had gone off the radar, leaving me wondering what the hell Davis was doing back in town. I knew one thing for certain. It couldn’t be good.