Chapter Ten
Honor Rising
Hud
I get my ol’ lady’s breakfast on the cookie sheet and wonder about the coffee. Hopefully, I make it without wearing it and put it on the pan, then turn thinking if and when it spills, I’ll deal.
“That’s a good start to my first day as Sophie Girard.”
I freeze before I drop the pan and wear her coffee. “It almost wasn’t a good start for me.”
Those beautiful eyes shine with amusement. I put the pan on the table and pull her over so she’s plastered against me. “Love hearing my name after yours.”
She kisses my chin, then leans back. “Two last names don’t work for me. It’s too long and I don’t know where Michadeau came from.”
I hate reminding her of shit like that. “Sit, you need to eat before your shift.” I pull the chair out noticing her intake of breath as she sits. No one has done anything for her, last night was the same, every little nicety is noticed.
“Yeah. Alder is here for a while today.” She waits for me to move her plate and coffee off the pan.
I sit with a biscuit and coffee. “He’s checking the Blackhawk kids then is on a transport to Elan. Bravo is the transport with Tats on it. They have IT going to Delta first.”
Those stunning eyes swing my way. “Josephine sent a congrats this morning. Did you see the others?”
I point at her phone on the table. “Yeah, while I was making breakfast. The chat is full of them. How’d you get it. I had your phone?”
She smiles and holds her watch up. “You don’t care about the congrats, do you?”
“Yeah, if it makes you happy. You gave the phone so I scrolled the chat.”
“You didn’t look at the direct chats?”
“The one chat you had open. I scrolled up then I had to flip eggs.”
She giggles like a Bit and I smile. “I’m glad you agreed last night.” I’m relieved. She could have said no.
Her intense look has me paying attention. “I agreed at Bravo. If I wasn’t sure, I wouldn’t have agreed with being claimed.” It’s a valid point.
I nod. “I’m just saying I’m happy you did. I told you I’d say when I’m feeling it.” I watch her blue eyes go soft so I pull her head closer so I can kiss it. “I felt it. Loved it and you.”
There’s that intake of breath again. “You shock me with how easily you say what you’re feeling.
I mean it too…shit. I have to go.” She hits her watch to shut the alarm off, gets up and kisses my lips.
“I love you, Hud. Don’t go getting blown up today.
Breakfast was good and appreciated.” She drops her plate in the sink, gulps down coffee and runs out the door.
I sit here smiling. I never took a bite of my biscuit but I said I loved her, talked about feeling shit and she left smiling. Teller said she needs to feel it. She does, I think I just need to keep showing her.
I clean the kitchen and bag the extra biscuits. I can eat at the Club; I wanted a burrito anyway.
Walking out, I see Katie walking this way. She lives closer to the K9’s bunkhouse with Seamus and the boys. “Havoc?”
“No swimming. Seamus said I’m mothering him. I just came over to say he’s released. His headache was just a headache. I’ll watch the stitches and take them out when I need to. He can sleep in his own bed tonight. He said he’s going to work.” She smiles so she’s okay with him working.
“Thanks. I haven’t seen him.” His bed is here now but he hasn’t moved in. Seamus’ boy, Mark, told me he has his own pictures.
She turns around and starts walking back the way she came. “He went for breakfast with Shadow and Bobo.”
I get on the gator and ride over to the Club.
Kristos and Natalia wait for me to pull in. “We have BSC bikes, Hud.”
“Thanks, Pres. I got the brace on. Mucimi said he’d have a foot for me today. The brace doesn’t have the sensors like the robotic, it’s made for the shower so I guess it’s basic.”
He closes his swirling eyes. “I didn’t think, Brother.”
I shake my head. “It’s a foot, Pres. I owned it when it happened. I have different ones to attach but only one with the full band of sensors. No, I have the flipper.” I smile. “It’s a bit too much for breakfast.”
They laugh. “Mucimi is at Alpha with Stella. He said he has a web and the band is printing. Stella did waterproof everything and the web is titanium.” Pres opens his eyes smiling. The swirling settled down.
“Thanks. I don’t mind the brace, it’s more comfortable than the c-spring, but I’ll be glad to get back to work. Cort said I need the robotic off this Club grounds.”
“I still can’t believe Mucimi got the warning for you to move. That was insane. He was at the Guardian gate. Citiali was shielding me on the mountain road, no one told me what Club he was at.”
I stop walking. “It was same time?”
“Close enough. Mase made it but he said Citiali had a shield on me and Asa. None of us were hurt but Asa’s arm from the pipe.” He stops and looks back at me. “I’ll call Cort but he probably knows. Coincidences don’t sit well in Badass.” He pauses then smiles. “He knows.”
I walk. I don’t ask because I don’t want to know. “The threat on them is always like this?”
He opens the door guiding Natalia in. “Ebbs and flows like the tide, Brother. We go months with nothing, then we’re slammed. It never ends, if it’s not the Bits, it’s the ol’ ladies, kids, or Protectors.”
It’s the job I was told it is. “Brothers in Virginia said New England is like here with threats.”
He nods. “Justice’s crew is here but New England is in a constant battle. He said that Cort usually finds those battles or they find him and they’re used to it. Mase said it’s been like this since he was a kid. His dad said it’s been since the original Club quit transporting drugs.”
I read that. Badass was a gang no one crossed. They muled drugs from supplier to gangs all over the east coast.
Turning down the hall, I smile seeing my girl at the door with a K9 and Picard. She said they watch the doors at the Club dining rooms. The K9 do walk throughs. At Rescue, I stand at the wall in the elder building because it doesn’t come with eight layers of Security.
I reach for and give her hand a squeeze as I go by. I got the jewelry run tomorrow. I can’t wait for her to see it because I got her CJIRU on it. That’s the job she loved.
I stop short and almost tip. “Mario, what are you doing here?” He’s from my group. He showed from a white walled room last week. I didn’t ask but thought he painted.
He laughs. The guy loves surprising me. “Heard you got hitched and didn’t invite me. I’m crashing.”
I smile and sit. “Glad you made it. I need to run for jewelry tomorrow. You in?”
He moves fast to stand while looking past me. “Pres, ma’am.”
Kristos tells him to sit. “You don’t start until Monday.” Pres turns toward me. “He’s our new Flight Control for Ops. He worked two shifts at SOAR and Vapor signed off on him. Mario did some work with them before, so she knows his qualifications but said it’s classified.”
I nod. It’s why I was surprised SOAR was here. They do special Ops like DEVGRU. “Congratulations, Brother. I can help with the ride time when you need it. Sentinel isn’t far and Sophia is based out of here so we’ll be bouncing back and forth regularly.”
“I’ll need it. What happened to you?” He’s beaming then serious a second later. He said his hand works great but seeing him eat with it amazes me.
I shrug. “Bomb at a dam. We got it out but took it out of the jammed area. Magics yelled in my head and I listened.”
The table laughs. I shrug again. It’s what happened.
§*§*§
Honor Rising
Sophie
I got Asa to the dining room but I don’t see him when I scan. I pull tracking and find him in the kitchen with Alder and Natalia.
“Picard, stay alert and watch the kitchen door. He’s back there with Natalia and Alder.”
“Roger, Boss. I saw Alder go but not Asa.” He's got a straight line to Asa’s chair; I had the room.
I give him the got it sign and jog the wall side to the kitchen door. They got the robots doing shit jobs. I smile and stand at the wall watching.
Alder is talking about some factory with Natalia. I keep my eyes on Asa. He’s explaining maintenance to the Prospect. When the Prospect realizes he’s not washing floors anymore, he asks Asa to show him again. I hold my laugh in.
“Boss Sophie. You tell. I come for breakfast. Pres Alder crazy, breakfast meet mean I eat.”
“Yeah, tell cook what you want and eat in here. I’ll get the virtual up for him so he sees the rest. Alexia did all the work bots for you.”
He runs. “I show appreciation to Boss Alexia tomorrow I see her.”
I smile at the cute in him and turn the Prospect so I can keep eyes on the little VP.
“Get your phone out. I’ll send the virtual link Stella gave me.
It’s all the work bots’ maintenance tutorials.
Follow them when you’re doing the maintenance so each step gets done.
You have to give comments for the steps but the AI will build your report and you leave a thumbprint for it to send.
If the reports don’t get done, Alder said you get to sweep and mop your next shifts.
In other words, the bots don’t run for you.
It’s automated now, so do the maintenance and they’ll make your job easier. ”
“No report at all?” He’s shocked.
I take his phone and get his chat open, then send the link to the virtual work bot tutorial at Honor.
“The virtual tutorial is the report. You use it and comment; the comment is spoken and you thumb print it as a signature. You can only open the ones you work with here. I don’t know what happens if you’re at a different Club. Ask your Prospect head Brother.”
He laughs. “Got it. Thanks. I’m going to do this one now so I can ask Asa if I have questions. He’s been everywhere lately.”
I let him do his thing and stand at the wall watching Asa eat from a prep table. Someone must have lifted him up there. Alder and Natalia are still talking about a factory but they’re hooking up the dish bot. This is a huge Club so bot help has got to be big here.