Chapter 14 #3
I’d known Gabriel Santos all my life. He was the kid on my block who I befriended and who taught me to fight back in the day.
He was the youngest of three brothers and as tough as they came, except with the ladies.
For them, he was an advocate, and they loved him—at least during the time he stayed around, which usually wasn’t more than two weeks.
I owed him and his mom, Paola, my life. Growing up, they made sure I was fed and gave me a safe place when I needed one. They even sent me care packages when I was deployed overseas. I was a kid with no family to speak of, but they gave me the lifeline I needed.
It was Gabe who had told me about Breanna and the drugs. I’d tasked him with keeping an eye on her and the boys when I moved to Wyoming. He was one of the few people in my life who I trusted implicitly.
Gabe jerked his chin toward the house. “You takin’ the boys back with you?”
I nodded. “Offered Bree a way out. She turned it down.”
His mouth tightened. “She’s in deep?”
“Seems that way, though I think the fucknut boyfriend has somethin’ to do with it too.”
“Kev’s a dick, and his crew are assholes,” Gabe declared. “They’re in the hole for fifty grand with an organization south of the border that they have no business owin’. It’s only a matter of time before they get hit. Bree’s gonna get caught up in it if she stays.”
“Can’t believe she had my boys around that shit,” I muttered.
“I only found out this mornin’. I planned to call you to let you know I was comin’ over today to get Rome and Rex and take ’em to Mama’s place, but you beat me to it.”
I rested a hand on his shoulder and squeezed. “Thanks, hermano.”
He waved me off. “It’s nothin’. How the little dudes doin’?”
“They’re packin’ their shit as we speak,” I told him. “They like Wyoming, and there’s a lotta pretty girls in town, so they seem okay with movin’.”
“The only thing that’s kept the wolves at bay is those boys. Nobody put a hit on the house while they were in there ’cause everyone knows you’re their papa. Now they’ve gone, Breanna’s gonna be vulnerable.”
“I offered her help, but she won’t take it. If her kids aren’t enough motivation for her to get clean, I don’t know what else I can do. If she were my woman, I’d fling her over my shoulder and force her into rehab, but she’s not.”
“You think the boys will thank you for leavin’ her in danger?” he challenged.
I threw my arms out to my sides. “What the fuck else can I do?”
“Don’t write her off,” he replied gently. “Bree’s not your mother. She’s been good to the boys up to now. They love her.”
“Yeah, they do,” I agreed. “That’s why I wanted her to come with, but you know how I was raised. It taught me that people who can’t look after their kids, don’t deserve to have them.”
Gabe walked to the trunk and popped it open, dragging a couple of suitcases out and placing them on the sidewalk.
“I agree, but you write everyone off too quickly, hermano; you always did. Bree stuck by you when you were in the Marines. She had the boys, and she kept the home fires burnin’ when you were off playin’ soldier.
Then you came home, ended things, and she kept on keepin’ on, even when you went ridin’ around the country to get your head together.
She’s not the fuckin’ enemy here, and she deserves more care. ”
If the pang in my chest was anything to go by, his words had hit home.
Bree was a good woman. She’d always been loyal, and even when we split up, she never gave me shit or tried to fleece me. She understood I needed time, and she understood why I needed to go nomad and visit other chapters.
At the time, I told myself I wanted to see how the clubs were run and what worked best for when I opened my own chapter, but I needed to heal, too. I’d spent so many years taking orders and living a regimented life, I just needed to cut loose for a while and ride free.
Maybe this was Bree’s way of doing the same thing, except she’d fallen too far to find her way out.
Gabe was right. I talked of loyalty and brotherhood, but it couldn’t just be about the club; other things and people had to matter too.
There was nothing between Breanna and me anymore, and we both knew it, but she deserved my support.
I mean, hell, she’d given me enough over the years.
“Jesus, Gabe,” I murmured. “Will you just move to Wyoming already. I need your voice of reason.”
“You know what?” he shot back. “I’ve been thinkin’ about it more lately. Business here ain’t good, and I feel like I need a change. Cali’s great and I’d miss Mama like hell, but she’s busy with my brothers’ kids, and I hardly get to see her these days anyway.”
My heart soared. “Really?”
He shrugged. “I need to work some shit out.”
“Will you prospect for me?” I asked.
“I dunno if I’m the prospectin’ or the biker type, but I can set up shop anywhere.”
Gabe was one of the best auto mechanics I’d ever met. There wasn’t an engine he couldn’t fix. He’d be an asset to the club, especially when we opened our auto shop. His knowledge was second to none.
“Fucking A,” I muttered.
He clasped my shoulder. “Miss you, mano. Things here aren’t the same without you.”
My mind went to my life in Wyoming, along with the club, the brothers, our crooked double-crossing sheriff and his bootlicking posse, and I let out a soft laugh.
“Well, if it’s action you’re lookin’ for, brother, then come to Wyoming. There’s never a dull moment.”