Chapter 49
P hilly stretched his legs and crossed his ankles, the soles of his boots warming in the glow of the fire.
He and Callie had returned from their honeymoon the day before, and they were both back to work.
Or he would be in a few hours when he took a shift at Rita’s.
They’d managed to fit a ten-day trip to Fiji in, filling the time with food, drink, diving, swimming, and, well, all the things couples do on honeymoons.
He was still finding sand in places where nothing other than him or Callie had any right to be. It had been worth it, though.
“You look as if you got lucky,” Marley said, walking into the room with Scipio, Hawkeye, and Dulcie.
“Every day,” Philly said, grinning. Although he didn’t mean it in the same way Marley meant. Although, that interpretation was fairly true, too.
“It’s a waste of breath to ask if you had a good trip, but did you?” Dulcie asked as the four took seats around the fire.
Philly inclined his head. “We did. Aside from the obvious, it was good to have the time together. To just be together.”
His brothers nodded in understanding.
“You’re on at Rita’s tonight, right?” Hawkeye asked.
Philly nodded. Christmas was two weeks away, and school breaks were starting.
Being twenty-one and older only, Rita’s wasn’t a family place.
But lots of those families that came for the holiday had been coming for years, and as the kids came of age, Rita’s was the one place in town they could go that they hadn’t been allowed to when younger.
The place where they could be a part of the adult crowd and play at being grown-up.
As a result, the bar tended to fill with twentysomethings most nights this time of year.
Which, from a purely financial perspective, was good for the club as their usual clientele—motorcyclists—were few and far between in the winter months.
It didn’t hurt that with the rare exception, the young adults were pretty good kids who only wanted to explore the still-novel experience of having a beer or two with their friends.
They all craned their heads when the door opened, and Monk walked in. Philly almost turned back to watch the flames but hesitated.
“Monk?” he asked. His brother looked, not quite lost, but preoccupied.
Monk paused as the door swung shut behind him. He stared at the floor, then his gaze jerked up to the group sitting by the fire.
“My father died a week ago,” he said.
Philly straightened; so did the others. Monk’s father had been a nasty piece of work. Philly might have grown up as his dad’s punching bag, but he’d never done the kind of things Monk’s father had.
“How’d you find out?” Hawkeye asked.
He hesitated again, then shook his head and joined them by the fire. “A friend from back then pulled some army strings to find me.”
Philly didn’t miss the way Monk hesitated on the word friend .
“Some friend of a friend knew a guy I worked with on a couple of ops. He forwarded her email to me. Wasn’t sure if it was legit, but figured if it was, I’d want to know.”
Philly wasn’t so sure Monk did want to know.
“What can we do?” Marley asked.
Several seconds passed before Monk spoke again. “Nothing.” Another several seconds. “There’s a service in a few days.”
“If you go, we go,” Scipio said. Everyone nodded.
“I’m not going to the service,” Monk replied. “But I’m going to have to go over there at some point. According to the lawyer I spoke with an hour ago, he left no will and as his only living relation, everything comes to me. Not that I want anything to do with it,” he added.
Monk’s father was in the wine business in Napa.
A wealthy-as-fuck fucker who managed to run a successful business while partying like a degenerate, entitled asshole.
Monk had grown up in a household regularly filled with drugs and prostitutes.
The place was a castle—Philly had seen photos online—but had been a prison for his brother.
“You’re going now, aren’t you?” Scipio asked.
Monk stared at the flames, then lifted his gaze and nodded. “I need to go before I think about it too much. And before word gets around that the lawyer got a hold of me. I don’t want anyone popping by to offer condolences or bringing fucking casseroles.”
Roger Wilde, Monk’s father, had managed to keep his reputation pristine in the rarefied world of the Napa Valley wine scene. Or maybe everyone pretended he was a pillar of society. Philly didn’t know, and doubted Monk did either.
“You want company?” Dulcie asked.
Monk exhaled and rose. “No, but I appreciate the offer. I need to do this alone.” Turning to Philly, he asked, “Can you find someone to fill in for me tonight?”
“I got it covered,” Scipio said. Monk’s gaze flickered to Scipio, and he nodded his thanks.
“We’re here if you need us,” Marley said.
Once again, Monk nodded. Then, on another exhale, he turned and walked out the door.
“Dulcie?” Scipio said.
“I got him,” their brother replied, rising as well. He’d follow Monk discreetly, staying out of his way unless needed.
When the door closed behind Dulcie, the three remaining Falcons returned their attention to the fire. Or at least their gazes returned to the flames. Philly knew they were each considering their brother and what he’d be dealing with in the hours, days, and months to come.
“Anyone else notice the hitch in his voice when he mentioned a friend reaching out to find him?” Philly finally asked. Marley and Scipio nodded. “Any idea what that’s about?”
Marley shook his head.
“I don’t either,” Scipio said. “But I have a feeling we’re going to find out.”
THE END
Did you enjoy Gabriel “Philly” Walker and Callie Parks' story? The next book in the Falcon’s Rest MC series is Monk . Keep an eye out for it coming soon!
Do you want to learn more about Mystery Lake ? Check out Defenseless , the first book in the series, where bucolic mountain forests are shrouded in deadly secrets. Get to know Chad & Sabina as they navigate betrayal, deadly secrets, and shocking twists. Want a sneak peek? Keep reading!