Chapter 14
Our night at Punisher’s Eden, despite the run-in with Cherisse, had been a great time.
I enjoyed the experience even more than the night I went there months ago.
Then, I met with an old Navy acquaintance who lived nearby.
We weren’t exactly close, but we’d been in contact, and when he discovered I was going to be in the area, he asked to get together.
We chose to go to Eden after dinner because his wife had been curious about the place.
She was sweet and had enjoyed herself. It was fun to watch her turn red as she watched the women dance and strip.
It seemed surreal that it was the beginning of my fascination with Mayhem. I never thought it would lead to me being claimed as his old lady and in love. Maybe coming here that night was fate rather than a choice made.
We’d spent Saturday around the compound and then went for a ride, just the two of us.
I loved being on his bike. It was as close as I got to the freedom of flying.
I was missing it badly and would have to find a way to get my hands on a plane soon.
There were places where you could rent them.
I might need to travel a bit to find one, but I’d do it after we handled Radley.
I was at peace with what Mayhem was going to do concerning Radley. I prayed a talking to and maybe a beating would make him stop, but I wasn’t confident it would. I felt that if he didn’t take heed, then anything beyond that was on his head.
Today, Sunday, we were hanging out in the clubhouse.
Everyone was there waiting for a handful of the club’s friends to arrive.
At the last minute, Reaper had been contacted and asked if it would be okay if their friends, the Dark Patriots, stopped in for a short visit while they were in the area.
They indicated they had something to discuss.
The Punishers were always open to any of their friends visiting, I was told.
I was excited, because while I attended Haven and Tinker’s wedding, and I’d seen a lot of people, I hadn’t gotten to talk to many of them.
Meeting them now, as Mayhem’s woman, put a bigger importance on it.
I was eager to make a good impression. I’d shared that with Mayhem.
He’d told me not to worry about that. He was convinced they’d adore me, his words. I was hopeful.
I dressed with care before we left the house to go to the clubhouse.
I knew I looked good, not from my mirror but from the expression Mayhem got when he saw me, the way he growled and then tried to carry me back to our bed.
I had threatened him with no kisses for a week to get him to settle.
It was hilarious to watch a grown, alpha man like him pretend to pout all the way to the clubhouse.
We were unsure of the exact time they’d arrive.
They were flying down on a private plane owned by one of the owners, Griffin’s wife, Hadley.
She came from a wealthy background, and upon her father’s death, she inherited his tech company, one of the largest defense contract holders in the US.
I tried to recall if I’d met them at the wedding, but I couldn’t remember.
At quarter after one, after I’d given up chatting and gone to heckle Hail and Diesel at the pool table, Reaper announced they were coming through the gate.
He had one of the prospects manning it. They must have called or texted him about the arrival.
I rejoined Mayhem across the room, where he was talking to Spawn.
As Mayhem hugged me close, I snuggled against him and then asked them what they were talking about. I had noticed they were intently speaking.
“Just updating Mayhem that everything still shows Baker is outside the country. I’m hoping the Patriots might have something, and that’s why they’re here,” Spawn admitted.
“That would be wonderful. I want this whole mess settled for good so I can get on with my life,” I told them.
“Don’t worry, babe, as soon as it is, you’ll be free to leave Mayhem’s ugly ass and claim me,” Crusher teased. He walked up just as Spawn finished speaking.
“You just can’t give up, can you? You wait, Crusher. I want to meet the woman who brings you to heel. I hope she makes you jump through hoops,” I stated.
“Hey, none of that wishing me away. Besides, how could I ever replace you?” Crusher countered.
We were razzing each other when the clubhouse door opened, and in strolled four couples. As they entered, my eyes were drawn to one who made me think of the Punishers. His arms were covered in tats, his eyes were ancient and extremely watchful. He was dressed like a biker.
Standing next to him, with his arm around her, was a gorgeous blonde woman.
She was smiling. The other three couples registered, but not the way he had.
I was sure I had never met them. I would’ve recalled a face like his.
Suddenly, his expression transformed as he smiled at something the woman said.
“Come on, let’s go say hello and introduce you,” Mayhem prompted.
It took a while to get our turn. Everyone was greeting, hugging, and shaking hands with our guests.
Reaper and Cheyenne were the first to do so.
When it was my turn, I found that I was slightly nervous.
Usually, stuff like this didn’t bother me.
However, my mouth was dry. Maybe it was due to the towering beast with the intense eyes capturing my gaze. His dark green eyes bored into mine.
“It’s good to see you guys. Ladies, you’re beautiful as always. Welcome. I’d like to introduce you to someone special, my old lady, Astrid Tuttle. Astrid, these are the founding members of the Dark Patriots. They’re all Navy veterans as well, and all served as SEALs with Reaper.”
There was pride and love in Mayhem’s tone as he made the introduction.
“Hello, it’s a pleasure to meet you. If I did meet you at Tinker and Haven’s wedding, please forgive me for not remembering.
There were so many people there, I swear, I thought I had a wonderful memory until that one.
Military events rival that wedding in size,” I said, trying to make myself appear unaffected.
“Hi, Astrid. It’s great to meet you. When we heard Mayhem had found himself a woman, we had to see for ourselves. I thought that was impossible, like it was for Undertaker, but they both proved me wrong,” a man with dark auburn hair said, winking before he continued.
“My name is Sean, and this is my wife, Cassidy. She’s Undertaker’s sister.”
Smiling, I was shaking their hands when Undertaker, who, as expected, was the intense one, replied to his brother-in-law’s remark.
“Keep it up, buddy, and you can disappear. I’m not sure yet if I like the idea of you with my sister.” Undertaker’s voice was a deep baritone.
“Oh, hush, you know no one would love her the way he does. Stop being growly, or you’ll scare poor Astrid. Hello, I’m Sloan, this one’s better half, and he’s Undertaker. Ignore his gruffness. He thinks it makes him look sexy if he acts this way,” the blond said.
I liked her right away. As we shook hands, I wondered if Undertaker would shake or not. I was surprised when he did and then bowed.
“It’s always a pleasure to meet a fellow squid. Sloan tries to understand, but she was a jarhead.”
As she gasped in pretend outrage, I laughed. “Well, how can she understand? All she did was work for us and hitch rides,” I teased, winking at her as I said it.
I was playing off the usual Marine and Navy rivalry. The joke sailors told was that the Marines worked for us, which was sorta true. And they only ever made us haul them on our ships, which was done, too. The way she laughed told me she wasn’t upset a bit.
From there, I was introduced to Gabriel and his wife, Gemma. The last couple was Griffin and Hadley. With those out of the way, we moved aside to let others say hello. I breathed a sigh of relief. Mayhem walked me over to an empty table and yanked out a chair. He pressed me down onto it.
“You can relax. Can I get you anything to drink?”
I thought for a moment, then nodded. “Cold water would be good. I feel parched.”
“I’ll be right back,” Mayhem promised before he moved away.
I wasn’t alone for long. Reaper and Cheyenne joined me.
“So what do you think of them? A bunch of characters, aren’t they?” Reaper asked after they were seated.
“They are, and now that I survived Undertaker, I can breathe easier. God, I can see where he got his name.”
Reaper chuckled. “Yeah, and after five years in an outlaw motorcycle club to bring it down, he’s more like his call sign. Would it surprise you to know that Sean is called Fiend, Gabriel is Midas, and Griffin is called Wraith?”
This bombshell shocked me. I was still recovering when Mayhem came back. While he was sitting, Reaper raised his brow to me. “Wanna tell us what your call sign was?”
As I was opening my mouth to tell him, I was stopped by Undertaker’s rough voice. “I know what it was. You’re looking at Fury’s Queen, Queenie for short. It’s what her squadron called her.”
“Babe, how did I not know that? I guess calling you Fury was more apropos than I knew,” Mayhem said.
“I loved when you began calling me your Fury, and I didn’t want you to think you had to change it. Yes, I was Queenie. I assume you have obtained my military record. I thought that would be redacted,” I directed at Undertaker.
“It was redacted in the first copy. However, we got the unedited version two days ago. You’re an incredible woman, for so many reasons,” Sean replied.
As he confirmed they had my complete records, I knew that meant they had read about what had happened to me.
Suddenly, I was less happy with being here.
“Astrid, you’re an incredibly strong woman. I don’t believe I would’ve handled things nearly as well as you did,” Sloan slid in.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you feel uncomfortable, Astrid. That wasn’t my intention at all. Forgive me,” Sean added.