21. Found Family
found family
Lash
I nez spends the whole final hour of the flight into Las Vegas on her phone, talking to someone—the Big Boss, most likely. The flight from Manaus took us to a US military AMC terminal in Little Rock, Arkansas, where we transferred again to a private charter that took us to Vegas.
Now, as we land in Vegas, Inez is looking furious, nearly vibrating with rage. Once the flight stops and we deplane, I move up beside her as we make for the line of Mercedes-Benz G-Wagens that belong to the club.
"Something happened," I say. "What?"
She shakes her head. "Nothing."
"Inez." I grab her wrist, but she breaks my hold and yanks her arm away. "What is going on?"
She grits her teeth. "None of your concern."
"Inez, come on. You're not alone anymore. Tell me."
She looks at me, one foot in the footwell as she prepares to slide behind the wheel of one of the sleek black SUVs. "Rafael. He made a move on the safe house Ren is using. He handled it, but he has to move them."
"So what's our next move, then?" I ask.
"Your move is to take Tatiana home and introduce her to the other ladies and help her set up her business here," she says; she and Tatiana spent several hours on the way here talking together privately, and now I know about what. "The situation with Lorenzo and Rafael is mine to handle. You have all been through enough."
"Inez, Rafael is not your problem, he is our problem."
She puts her foot on the ground and turns to face me. “Lash—Nicolae. Listen to me." She grabs my arm and squeezes, shakes gently. "I have to handle this myself. You had to choose how to handle Pugli yourself. I have to handle Rafael myself."
I shake my head. "Not the same."
She frowns. "No, it's not. Rafael is technically still my husband. The marriage was legally binding, even though I didn't consent to it. The legal document will hold up in any court. He hasn't given up trying to make Reninho his heir, either." She shakes her head, sighing. "No. It's my problem and mine alone. I do not need or want help."
"You can barely walk, Inez," I argue.
She waves this off dismissively. "I'm fine. I have been through much worse."
"I can't convince you to bring even one of us with you?" I ask.
She shakes her head. "No. I'll see you all home and settled, and then I’ll gather some supplies and head out."
"You were talking to the Big Boss?"
She nods. "I was."
"About? Anything that concerns us?"
"To a degree. We'll cover that later though, as a team."
I shake my head, sighing in frustration. "Just make me one promise, please."
She tilts her head to one side and lifts that shoulder toward her ear. "If it is a promise I can keep, I'll make it."
"If things go sideways, you bring us in."
She nods. "I can promise that."
I hold out my hand. "Repeat it and shake on it."
"My word isn't enough?"
"I want to hear you say it, and I want to shake on it. That way I’ll know you have really given me your word." I keep my hand extended.
She stares at my hand for a moment, and then grasps it, squeezing firmly. "I swear on the brand and the oath that if I need help, I'll call you in."
I grin. "I'm tempted to question what you consider needing help, but I recognize I may be pushing my luck."
"It's good to see you happy, Nicolae."
I let out a breath. "Honestly, it is good to let myself be happy."
"That's part of why I have to do this, Nicolae. You all have had to deal with your pasts. Now it is my turn. Rafael has been haunting my life for far too long. If I want any chance at happiness with Lorenzo like you all have, then this is the only way forward."
I nod, clasping my other hand around our joined hands. "I understand. Just know that we're here for you. No matter what."
She nods. "I know. You've all more than proven that."
I say nothing to the others as we load up, but I see them all giving her looks, and I know they're all curious—and probably correctly guessing at what's going on with her.
We arrive at Club Sin in the late afternoon, with the hot desert sun blazing huge and bright low on the horizon. I sigh as we reach the door leading from the private employees-only parking lot down to our quarters—it feels like a lifetime has passed since I was last here. I see Solomon looking around and probably feeling similar.
I clap him on the shoulder as we drop what few belongings we have in the common area. “Sort of strange to be back," I say. "Everything about me is totally different since I was last here."
He nods, slinging an arm around my shoulders. "For fucking real, man. Last time I was in this building, I'd just found out my mother had murdered my father and killed herself. I was single, assumed Scarlett was probably dead or at the very least hated me, and figured I'd spend the rest of my life alone." He watches Scarlett enter the common room and look around, taking it all in. "Now look."
Tatiana is doing the same, and for a moment I see the common room with new eyes.
A long, narrow, high-ceilinged hallway runs from the exit to the parking lot on one side of the common room, with five doors evenly spaced on each side—our bedrooms. Pale gray epoxy floors sprinkled with blue flecks carry through the entire space—hallways, bedrooms, common room, everywhere. Stairs at the end of the hall lead up to the parking lot. Opposite the exit, the hall opens to the common room.
As you stand with your back to the hall, facing the common room, the kitchen is on your left—it's industrial, and huge. Two long cafeteria-style tables with built-in benches frame the space, running end to end parallel with the hall. Beyond that is a mammoth island with white cutting boards and roll-top chilled containers. Along the far wall is an eight-burner range, two matching glass-front, industrial-sized refrigerators, one for food and the other for beverages. There's a floor-to-ceiling rack stuffed with pots and pans and baking trays and cooking utensils and everything else you could possibly need, with a magnetic knife holder on one side cluttered with high-end culinary knives.
On the right side is the den. A U-shaped black leather sectional big enough for fifteen people to sit on without crowding each other frames the space, the open part of the U facing the wall and the professional cinema-grade projector and screen, with floor-to-ceiling speakers facing the couch, a subwoofer on the floor behind the couch, and more speakers in the ceiling hanging behind the couch facing the wall. A glass-fronted cabinet next to the TV screen contains all the requisite electronics, and a smoky, black glass coffee table fills the opening of the sectional.
The hallway continues past the common area, this one short and dead ending—closed doors on the left and right lead to, respectively, the Club Sin floor and the offices for the administrative portion of the Club; a third open doorless entryway in the center leads to a professional-grade gym filled with squat racks, machines, racks of free weight, racks of kettlebells ranging from dinky five-pounders to a cluster of monsters on the floor weighing upward of 200 pounds, and a cardio section with treadmills, assault bikes, rowing machines, and battle ropes, while another area features several heavy bags, a sparring ring, and speed bags.
Before Rev started this whole process, the common room was usually pretty messy. We're good about keeping our personal areas tidy, but the common room was often a bit of a mess. Now that there are women living here, all that has changed.
It's not just clean and tidy—it has personality. There are brightly colored throw pillows on the couch, wicker baskets piled high with fuzzy black fleece blankets sit on either end of the sectional, and framed movie posters fill the empty spaces of the wall near the TV— Apocalypse Now, Platoon, Jarhead, Saving Private Ryan , and other military-themed movies, as well as lighter fare posters like When Harry Met Sally, Sleepless in Seattle, and The Princess Bride , with a few comedy posters thrown in for fun— The Three Amigos, Blues Brothers, and Stepbrothers .
There are vases of fresh flowers on the tables in the kitchen, bowls of fresh fruit on the island, and a giant three-wick candle burns on the coffee table, giving off a scent redolent of fresh cookies.
"Damn," I hear Rev say. "Girls've been busy."
"Gotta say, I fuckin' love it," Saxon says. "Feels homier."
Scarlett nods. "I was expecting barracks or a man cave, but this is nice."
One of the bedroom doors opens, emitting a sudden shriek of laughter and thudding music. Anjalee pokes her head out, sees us, and sprints toward Kane, holding her hands out strangely—she has fresh paint on her nails, I think. She slams into him full force, leaping up to wrap her legs around his waist. She holds her hands out to the sides, trusting him to support her as she bends down to kiss him so hard some of the guys wolf-whistle teasingly.
"Girls!" I hear Myka shout. "They’re back!"
Naomi, Terra, and Annika file out behind Myka, and the women all hurry to greet their men—Naomi runs to Silas, Terra to Saxon, and Annika to Chance. The greetings are all unique to the couple. Naomi is reserved, gliding to her man and nestling in his arms, resting her cheek on his chest—I see her lips moving as she whispers something meant only for him. Terra is bold and enthusiastic, much like Anjalee, leaping into Saxon's arms and devouring his mouth with hers, her hands on his jaw. Annika, with her bad leg, limps and leans heavily on her cane—her limp is better now after months of rehabbing it in the gym, and she can even walk without it for short periods, but she'll always have a limp. When she reaches Chance, she slings her arms around his neck, cane clutched behind her neck in one hand, and kisses him—soft and gentle but passionate.
For a long moment, the room is silent but for the wet sounds of kisses.
Scarlett breaks the silence with a laugh. "All right, ya'll. Do Sol and I need to start making out? Jesus. Can I get some introductions?"
They all break apart then, and the men bring their women over to where Scarlett and Tatiana stand together between Sol and me.
Chance takes the lead on the introduction. "Scarlett Gutierrez, this is Myka, Anjalee, Terra, Naomi, and Annika." He points to each person as he names them. "Tatiana Juric, well…same."
Rev laughs. "Smooth, buddy."
Chance shuffles his feet. "Shut the fuck up."
Anjalee approaches Tatiana and Scarlett with a warm, welcoming smile. "Once the men have shown you to your rooms, please come to join us. We are doing the pedicures." Her lilting accent makes her voice musical.
Scarlett snorts. "Ain't had a pedicure in…well, fuck. Ever?"
Annika—once a professional athlete, laughs. "Girl, I get it. But it's fun. Around here, you're gonna have to learn to have an open mind."
Scarlett scans the group of women, then looks at Tatiana. "Bet you've had plenty of pedicures."
Tatiana just laughs. "Yes, I have. I used to get manicures and pedicures every week. I must admit, I should like to have a pedicure. My poor feet have been through hell."
"Just your feet, huh?" Scarlett asks with a laugh.
Tatiana shrugs. "Not just my feet, no."
Terra strides forward and grabs both Scarlett's and Tatiana's arms and drags them toward the room from which music still noisily thumps. "Forget the tour—you can see it all from here and the rooms are all the same. C'mon. It's time to get to know our new sisters."
Scarlett blows a kiss at Solomon as Terra drags her away, and Tatiana looks back at me, somewhere between concerned and excited.
I wink at her. "Have fun, Lovely One. They are wonderful people."
And just like that, it's just us men again.
Kane looks around. "What happened to Inez?"
"She…" I sigh. “Rafael made a play for Lorenzo. She's gathering her stuff and going after him."
"Alone?" Chance asks, sounding pissed.
"The fuck?" Saxon growls. "After all that, she's just cutting us out?"
"No, it is not like that," I start, but I'm saved from having to explain by Inez's voice.
"I'm not cutting you out, I'm dealing with my issue myself. I made a promise on our brand that I would call you if I need you. But this is something I need to do myself, for a lot of reasons. And I’m sure you all understand."
Solomon nods, sighing. "Yeah, we get it."
Chance frowns. "Brand? You have the brand?"
Inez nods, tugging down the neck of her T-shirt to reveal the same brand we all wear on our arms, only hers is on the upper slope of her left breast. "I was the first to receive it."
Silas grunts something unintelligible and then shakes his head. "Inez, Boss, I don't like it."
She shrugs. “You don't have to like it, Silas. I'm not asking your permission. I'm still your direct superior. You answer to me, and I answer to J—to the Big Boss." That's the first time she's ever slipped, ever revealed even the idea that our nameless, faceless patron, employer, and savior has a name. She winces, annoyed at herself. "I appreciate the concern, and I understand you want to help take him down. But I must do this myself."
"You're in no shape to go anywhere," Rev says.
Inez glares at him, her stare full of the vicious, venomous ice we all know so well. "That is for me to decide, Rev."
He growls. "Fuck. Fine, then. Suit yourself.”
She softens, just a little bit. "I appreciate the concern. I…." she tilts her head back. "When I return, things are going to be different. Change is on the horizon. That's all I'll say for now. Just be ready."
"We'll all sleep with go bags packed, Boss," Saxon says.
We all chime in our agreement, and then Inez claps her hands for silence. "I appreciate all of you. I appreciate more than I can ever say what you all did for me—that you came for me. We're all bonded by more than just the brand, now—we're bonded by this experience. I ask you to trust me. If I need help, I will ask for it—I have sworn this to Nicolae, and I will swear it again to each of you right now."
Chance rumbles. "Good enough for me."
Inez has a hard-sided, carry-on size rolling suitcase beside her, and she lifts the handle, looking around at each of us. Nods once. "Time to hunt down Rafael Sousa."
We all call goodbyes as she strides confidently down the hallway toward the exit, barely allowing any hint of the injuries she bears to show in her gait or posture. She pauses at the doorway where the women are cackling and shrieking and chatting, pokes her head in, says her goodbyes, and then makes her exit.
“Think she'll call?" Kane asks.
Solomon stares after her. “Yeah, I do. I got a feeling our part in this ain’t over, boys."
No one replies to that, because there's nothing to say.
With nothing to unpack and the women occupied, we all grab a drink and a snack and Rev turns on an old Sons Of Anarchy series DVD, and we kick back, relax, and listen to the joyful sounds of female laughter.
It may not be over, but this is pretty damned nice.
Especially when Tatiana floats out an hour or so later, her toes bright pink and her fingernails neatly trimmed and shaped and painted a vibrant purple. She curls up on my lap on the couch, steals a sip of my whisky on the rocks, and half-watches, half-dozes.
One by one, the women all filter out of the room and find their men, and at some point, someone turns on a rom-com from the early 2000s, and popcorn is popped, and drinks are mixed.
Tatiana puts her lips to my ear. "Is it always like this?"
I nod. "It wasn’t always, but now, yes. We work on the floor at night and hang out during the day. But we do tend to spend a lot of time together."
She sighs happily. "Good. I am glad. I was nervous that I would not fit in, but they are all so kind and warm and friendly. I feel like I have known them all forever."
"You seem close with Scarlett," I note.
She nods. "I am. We bonded through that whole…adventure, I suppose you could call it."
I look down at her. "You are going to be happy here?"
She nods again. "I will be. I have a lot of work to do ahead of me to set up my business here, but it is work I look forward to. I have you. I have friends." She smiles up at me. "How could I not be happy?"
"I agree. I am glad. I don't want you to feel like you're leaving anything important behind, That you're missing something or stuck here."
She shakes her head. "I have never been to America, so it will be a change, and I will get homesick for Zagreb, but you will distract me."
I laugh. "I certainly will. At every possible opportunity."
She huffs a laugh, her breath hot on my ear. "Perhaps you can show me our room."
“It's not much," I warn.
She shrugs. "I will adjust. As long as you are here, I don't care. Truly."
I stand up and scoop her into my arms. "We are going to turn in."
"Great to meet you, Tat!" Terra calls, and the sentiment is echoed by everyone else.
I glance at her as I carry her to my—our—room. "Tat?" I question.
She grins. "Scarlett's name for me. I guess I am Tati to you and Tat to the women."
The room is small and I have almost no personal possessions—everything was burned in the fire, and I didn't bother accumulating things after that.
"I would welcome it if you put your touch on this room," I tell her. "I know nothing of such things.”
She grins, looking around. "I can tell. Trust me, my love, I'll have it fixed up in no time." She shoves me backward onto the bed. "But that's not my concern at the moment.”
"Oh no?" I ask, shimmying backward on the bed.
"Oh no."
She shows me what her concern is—several times. We fall asleep together, her head on my chest, sated and exhausted and travel-weary.
Before I fall asleep, I find myself almost wanting to thank Rafael for having my flight hijacked.
It led me to Tatiana, and Tatiana set me free, helped me lay to rest the ghosts that have haunted me for so long.
Yes, I am grateful.
Tatiana snuffles softly in her sleep, rolls to snuggle more fully on top of me, and her quiet breaths lull me to a deep, restful sleep.