Danaë Chapter 8
Danae:
We’d arrived at the Dark Patriots headquarters well before the employees and their families were due to get there.
The reason was so that we could help set up, and Heath wanted to give me a tour of HQ.
I was excited to see what it was like. What he said about it, and some of the wives’ comments, made me impatient to see it.
I admit I was moving a tad slower today due to the wild night of sex we had last night. I’d been exhausted by the final round.
Arriving, I saw that tents, tables, chairs, and grills had been set up all over the lawn surrounding the building, and even part of the parking lot had already been commandeered.
We were greeted by the Patriot bosses, their wives, and kids.
The guys shook hands, gave chin lifts, or patted each other on the back. We, ladies, hugged each other.
“We’ll take the food and put it away for now. Wow, you didn’t need to cook this much, Danae. You should be resting. But I’ve got to say, it smells delicious. I’ll hide it from these thieves,” Cassidy said.
“It was my pleasure, and I had help. Heath and Johann both helped me,” I admitted.
I smiled at the two men. I was so glad that Johann was home, not off on another dangerous mission.
He got back late Thursday night. He’d called and let me know that night since I was staying at Heath’s house.
Of course, he’d been invited to join the fun.
At first, he was reluctant, but Heath insisted he had to come.
The only acceptable excuse not to was if he had plans with his Navy friends.
Johann admitted a few had extended invitations, but he’d told them he had plans with me.
Heath led us on a tour after confirming that everything needed for setup was in place.
We were waved off. The entire building belonged to the Patriots, we discovered.
There were six floors. We started on the ground floor and worked our way up.
Heath explained what each department did, any unique setups, and so on.
When we reached the top floor, I wondered what else we would find.
It revealed a large open area with two desks and various office equipment.
Along the perimeter, there were multiple doors.
“Welcome to the Lair of the Dragons,” Heath announced, grinning.
“The Lair of the Dragons?” I asked.
“Yes, this is where Sean, Undertaker, Gabe, and Griff have their individual offices. Oh, and Sloan and Cassidy as well, though it started with only the four bosses. They have a couple of conference rooms up here as well. You’ll appreciate this, Johann.
The largest conference room can be designated as a SCIF, a Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility.
Babe, that is a room sealed to prevent outside access, unauthorized recording, and so on, due to the sensitive materials being discussed. ”
Johann whistled and muttered, “Nice.” Heath continued to point out other aspects.
“Those desks belong to Margie and Abigail. You’ll meet them soon.
They guard access to the dragons to ensure they’re not disturbed unless they want to be.
Margie and her husband, Chuck, our armorer, have worked here since the beginning.
Chuck served as an armorer in the Army before the bosses snatched him up.
“Most of the people who work here served in one branch or another, or their loved ones did. It’s not a requirement that you were in the military, but it seems to work out that most have been.”
I saw the Patriots logo was painted on the walls on every floor, visible as soon as you stepped on or off the elevators. I asked a lot of questions, but nothing like Johann did. I saw his expression. He was impressed and intrigued.
After we’d had our tour, it was back outside to join the others.
In the time we’d been gone, a crowd had formed.
There were men and women all over. And no lack of children and babies either.
It seemed everyone was in a great mood. There was laughter and joking.
In addition to food, I noted on the backside of the building that there were two huge inflatable jumping houses for the bigger kids and a small one for the crawlers and toddlers.
Heath explained that several men would oversee the grills and that there would be a variety of items to choose from.
Hamburgers, steaks, and hot dogs, alongside rotisserie chicken prepared for the event by an outside company, would be offered.
Beer and wine coolers were available, though monitored by assigned adults.
No one was risking a teenager or young kid getting their hands on any.
While the meat was cooking, Heath ambled through the vast crowd, introducing Johann and me.
He stopped at the first group. It consisted of an older man and woman, and a woman a little bit older than me.
He said hello, shook hands with the man, and kissed the older woman's cheek.
The younger woman, he winked at, making her shake her head.
She appeared very serious, but I saw her mouth twitch.
“It’s good to see you, Heath. I haven’t seen you at the office lately. Who are your friends?” The man asked.
“I’m glad you asked. And I haven’t been around much because of this lady right here.
This is Danae Seong, my girlfriend, and in here is baby Rugger, our daughter.
The guy with us is her brotherly friend, Johann Kern.
Danae, Johann, this is Chuck and Margie McCoy, and Abigail Willis, whom I mentioned earlier.
These ladies guard the dragons, and Chuck arms all of us. ”
To say his introduction of me surprised them was an understatement. As we all said hello and shook hands, I watched Margie glare at Heath. When we were finished saying hello, she spoke up.
“Since when do you have a girlfriend and no one knows? Not only that, but you have a baby on the way. Why have you kept her hidden, young man? That’s no way to treat your girlfriend and the mother of your child,” Margie chastised him.
“Mrs. McCoy, I have to say it isn’t Heath’s fault, not entirely. We had a bit of a misunderstanding and had to work it out. Wires got crossed,” I defended him.
“Call me Margie, honey, and it’s sweet of you to stand up for him. Well, it looks like you’ve gotten those misunderstandings out of the way. Congratulations on the baby. You said it’s a girl. When are you due? If you don’t mind me asking,” Margie finished off.
That was the first of many lively conversations as I answered and got to know them.
It was, to a degree, a replay of that same portion of the conversation in our subsequent discussions.
Heath exclaimed to anyone who would listen that I was his and that we were having a baby. There was zero hesitation on his side.
Eventually, we made it to a small group. Seated in a chair, looking drawn and pale, with a cane propped up against his chair, was a guy around the same age as Heath. When he saw Heath, he smiled.
“About time you got here,” the man said.
Heath leaned down, and they gave each other a man hug. When Heath stepped back, his arm went around my waist. The man’s eyes took that move in. He studied me.
“I’m glad you came. Before we go further, let me make introductions. Baby, this is Justin, a friend and former Patriot. Justin, this is Danae, my girlfriend and the mother of my unborn daughter. And this is her friend Johann,” he announced proudly as he placed a hand on my stomach.
I held out my hand to Justin. He smiled as he shook it.
“It’s very nice to meet you, Justin.”
“It’s great to meet both of you, too. I heard a lot about you from Heath on our last assignment, Danae,” he said, offering his hand to Johann.
I was startled to hear that. “He did? When was your last assignment?”
Heath answered. “Danae, Justin is the one I went to find and help. It was the two months I was away,” he said softly.
“Oh,” I said.
“I heard that mission caused an issue for my boy, Heath, here. I’m truly sorry for that. We had no idea shit would go sideways the way it did. If it weren’t for him, I wouldn’t be here,” Justin told me.
“I’m glad that he was there to help you. Yes, there was a hiccup with us due to it, but we’ve gotten past it. How are you doing? Healing?” I asked, smiling so he wouldn’t feel awkward.
“I appreciate the second chance you bestowed on him. As for me, I’m getting there. I still have to use this damn cane, but it’s better than the wheelchair and then crutches I had at first. I’m still getting physical therapy.” Justin explained.
“I thought you were still with your family down in Dublin Falls. Did you get tired of them babying you? Or were they kicking your ass and you didn’t want to work that hard?” Heath asked, smirking.
“Screw you, man. I’ll have you know, I’ve been working like a machine.
I’m not a pansy like you. As for the Warriors, it was great to see Voodoo, Nevaeh, Blade, Cassia, and the kids.
But they have their lives, and I didn’t want to encroach too long.
Besides, with the kids wanting to play, it’s tough for them and me not to be able to do it.
I told them, once I’m fully healed, I’ll be back. ”
“I can’t imagine having so many kids around, even if they’re not related,” Heath agreed.
“Are there a bunch of children in Dublin Falls? You told me about it being a larger club. That’s the one run by Terror, right?” I verified.
“Yeah, Terror is their president. They keep their membership around thirty. As for the number of kids, there are a bunch. They live like the other clubs we know. The club has enclosed the property, making it a compound. Within it is the clubhouse, a few other buildings, and individual homes for all members. So, it’s a large neighborhood with over fifty kids running around.
That was the number at least the last time I was there,” Heath explained.
I knew he saw the astonishment on my face. “Over fifty! Wow, that would be chaotic, but at the same time fun. You could Trick-or-Treat, go Christmas caroling, have other large celebrations, and never have to leave the property.”
“Exactly. They want their families to be safe. Even though the clubs aren’t outlaw clubs anymore, they were many years ago. And with some of the work they do, they still have enemies at times,” my man explained.
Justin listened. His face was calm, but I thought I detected a flicker of uneasiness when Heath was so upfront about the Warriors doing work that would endanger them and their families.
“Justin, Heath hasn’t gone into specifics with me. However, I do know the gist of what the clubs help with and how the Dark Patriots are involved. All I care about is making those who deserve to pay for their deeds actually pay.”
Justin smiled, then glanced over at Heath. “Damn, she’s too good for you. And I have no doubt she’s smart. She’s clearly beautiful. What the hell does she see in your ass?” he asked.
That statement was a challenge Heath took up. I laughed myself silly at the back-and-forth banter between them. At times, I joined in, siding with one against the other for fun. Johann enjoyed himself stirring them up.
As the day wore on, my head was spinning with the names and faces of so many.
Johann appeared slightly overwhelmed, too.
What struck me was how welcoming, genuinely lovely, and open they were.
I stood watching others after the introductions were done.
They were an extensive, rowdy family. It was clear that the Dark Patriot owners valued their employees and considered some as close family, yet all were friends.
However, I got the impression that the friendship-and-family vibe didn’t stop them from disciplining people when necessary.
They had high expectations, and if someone couldn’t meet those with mentoring, they were out.
I ended up being taken away from Heath for a while.
I was asked to join the Patriot wives and a few other women to talk.
I had a fantastic time. And later, when the food was ready, I ate way more than I should have, but I refused to care.
When it was dark, the sky lit up with fireworks they put on themselves.
I thought they were spectacular. Heath held me as the sky lit up and the booms went off.