Chapter 11
Chapter
Eleven
War sat in the garage, Quinn’s big Harley in front of him. It needed a few repairs but he was also going to do a few customizations today to give it a little added speed and stability.
It felt good to be back at work, and it felt great to know Milo was safe sitting in the house in the kitchen having coffee with his brothers.
He heard footsteps, and he wondered if Quinn had come back for something, but it was Ryder who plopped down on a wooden crate across from him. “Milo looks good.”
He grinned because it was true. “Yes, he does. Did I tell you about him shifting again?”
Ryder’s eyebrows flew up. “He shifted? What’s he like in bear form?”
That had the smile fading from his lips. “Too skinny, a little scarred, but he’s perfect.”
Ryder nodded. “I know. I understand exactly how you feel. I think Nolan’s the most perfect example of a black bear I’ve ever seen and he always worried that he was too chunky.”
“And Race was worried that he was too much of a loner for Connal.”
“They’ve all been through a lot. I can’t believe they’re as well-adjusted as they are now, really.”
“Yeah.” He tried really hard not to dwell on what Milo had endured. To be honest it just made him ragey. He was proud of Milo, and he was pleased that he was healing enough to let his bear come to the fore. And he was eating again, heartily, and that was amazing.
“So do we think we’ve closed down the trafficking ring, at least in our area?”
Warrick’s lips tightened. He shook his head. “I don’t know. I hope so. It seems like every time we get something done it springs back up, but this was a big capture and a big incarceration. I don’t think he’ll end up going to trial, do you?”
Ryder snorted out a hard laugh, the sound very bear-like. “No, I don’t think so. He’s got a lot of powerful enemies now who will pay a lot of money to make sure he disappears.”
“That would be a damn satisfying outcome.”
“It’s my thought too.” Ryder handed him a wrench when he reached for it. “Nolan was talking about us setting up some kind of a foundation, something for victims of trafficking and omega abuse.”
“Okay.” That was kind of a surprise, but it was actually a great idea.
He knew Quinn’s brothers, the lawyer and the tech guy, both had financial charities that they had established, but he and his brothers had plenty of cash to do the same kind of thing and focus on a different set of folks.
“Should we talk to all three of them about it?”
“And Con, too.”
“Duh.” As if he would leave Connal out. Their brother might have ADHD, but he was a good guy, and he had lots of interesting ideas.
“Okay well, I’m just checking. Sometimes he feels a little self-conscious.”
“God save me from brothers who have no self-confidence.”
“Shut up. Anyway let’s set a meeting for later in the week. That way we all have time to decompress from what happened and then we can get together and talk about it.”
“Sounds good. I’ll look forward to it. Hand me that driver, will you?”
It was good to sit with his brother and work on the bike.
It was really their first love, and they hadn’t indulged themselves in it enough lately.
Maybe they should all go for a ride. Milo wasn’t much for taking out a bike of his own, but he would ride on Warrick’s just fine.
Nolan and Race both loved to take their own out.
They could ride out to one of the state parks and have a picnic or something.
The more he thought about that, the more he liked it and when he mentioned it to Ryder, he got a huge grin. “How about this weekend?”
“Yeah, let’s see what the guys say, but I think it’s a great idea.”
If they got far enough back in the woods, they could bear out and explore territory that wasn’t just their own, find new sights and smells, and Milo could practice shifting back and forth. It sounded like an ideal day.
Ryder finally stood about an hour later, wiping his hands on a rag. “I probably need to get back up there. My belly is rumbling and you know the mates will have cooked by now.”
“Yum.” He rose as well, making sure the bike was stable and ready for him to lock it up for the day. “Let’s go wash up and eat.” That statement felt incredibly domestic, but he was ready. He wanted to settle down with Milo and really enjoy their life together.
He just hoped Milo felt the same way. “I love you” during sex, and “let’s stay together for the rest of our lives” were two different things.