29. Gauge
GAUGE
It was hard to sleep that night. Even with a belly full of warm comfort food, I tossed and turned. Granted, I wasn’t known for sleeping well. I hadn’t for years. But those particular nights were arduous.
I was glad when the sun came up.
“Hey, Gauge,” Mace said softly through my door as he knocked, “you up?”
I sat up in bed. “Yep, you good?”
Mace cracked my door open. “It’s nine and the sun in the sky looks incredible. Rat and I are gonna start gathering everyone.”
I knew what that meant. “I’ll go find Deac and Char. Where are we meeting?”
“Back porch. Thirty minutes?”
I swung my legs over the edge of my bed. “Yep, we’ll be there.”
“Thanks.”
“Oh, and one last thing.”
I paused. “What’s up?”
“Dallas wanted me to tell you that he put confirmation paperwork on Deac’s bed in his room. Says he just wants to make sure Deac knows.”
I stretched my back and felt it pop in a few places. “Yep, I’ll let him know.”
After a swift change of clothes and splashing some water in my face, I headed to Char’s room.
It didn’t shock me that the door was closed, but I was taken aback by the fact that it was unlocked.
I popped it open and peeked inside, watching as Char’s shoulder rose and fell with her even breaths.
She looked so peaceful laying there with the rays of sun shimmering against her bare skin.
Then she moved and I watched Deac’s burly arm wrap tightly around her waist.
“’Atta boy,” I murmured as I eased the door open.
I almost didn’t want to disturb their moment. The two of them were passed out in bed with her body curled tightly against his. He gripped her, as if to keep her there, but I knew they’d both want to be part of this.
“Guys,” I whispered.
Deac shot up in bed. “What? Who’s there? What the fuck are you?—”
“Deac, it’s me,” I said with a stronger voice.
Char groaned. “Mmmm, Gauge?”
“Morning, Angel.”
Deac peeked an eye open. “The hell’s going on?”
I thumbed over my shoulder. “The guys and I are gathering outside on the back porch to do a little memorial for Bait. We figured you guys would wanna come.”
That pulled Char upright. “What time? I’d love to go.”
Deac tugged at his eyes. “Good idea. I think we could all use a bit of closure, no matter how slim.”
“Just gotta get dressed,” Char said through her yawn.
I pointed at Deac. “Also, Dallas put paperwork on your bed. Confirmation paperwork.”
“For what?” Char asked.
“Vacations,” Deac grumbled as he threw his legs over the bed, “Mace must’ve already gotten things done. Thanks, Gauge.”
“Anytime,” I said.
“Now,” he grunted as he stood, “get out so we can get dressed.”
As the sheet slipped down her body, those toned curves of hers came into view.
The swell of her tits mesmerized me, calling to my palms as they tingled.
Her hips blossomed, hiding a treasure trove I wanted to bury myself in.
I couldn’t help the way my eyes raked down her.
The way I ogled her swaying tits as she stretched her arms above her head.
What I wouldn’t give to have her body back against mine.
Her pussy wrapped around my dick.
Her mouth, teasing my?—.
“Gauge,” Deac warned.
I ripped myself out of my trance and spun around. “Out back in twenty, you guys.”
Char’s giggle followed me all the way out the door.
I barely managed to get it closed before I shoved my hand into my pants and rearranged myself.
Not very honorable going to a memorial service with a raging hard-on.
I raced back to my room to brush my teeth and splash more cold water in my face.
I needed to pull myself together. All of us wanted to fall into a distraction, but not all of us could afford to do it.
My men counted on me. We were all counting on one another.
And with Bait gone, I was the only other line of defense between that woman and my family.
She sure as fuck wasn’t getting past me, either.
“So we all know that Baitfish was a private man,” Mace said as he passed out guns. “But I figured he’d be okay with this, you know, given what it’s for.”
I couldn’t help but smile as he passed out all of the ranged rifle weapons he and Rat found walled up in Bait’s bedroom.
Some of them were scoped, some of them were shoulder mounted, but all of them were tailored to Bait’s body.
He was serious about his guns. Always had the stocks and barrels finely tuned to his liking.
He had a ‘gun guy,’ he always said. Every time he purchased a new gun, he’d take time off and travel to Texas where he’d have the gun fitted for his body and his needs.
It felt so odd to mount that gun on my shoulder, given that my arms were substantially longer than his.
But when I saw Rat hand Char the last rifle, I saw the look that came over her face.
“Here,” I said as I placed my rifle against the building, “let me help.”
“I’m sure you wanna help, don’t you?” Rat mumbled.
I shot him a look while a giggle fell from Char’s pillowy lips. “Using your shoulder as mounted leverage is gonna help. Like this.”
I showed her how to hold the gun, and folded her fingers where they needed to be. I slid my hands along the underside of her arms, drinking in her softness as she lifted the butt of the gun to her shoulder.
“Feel that crook?” I asked as I dug into her shoulder joint a bit. “That’s where you wanna sit that gun. The rifle is gonna have some kickback, so bracing it against your shoulder will be better than taking a butt to the face.”
“Ass to mouth not good, got it,” she said.
Rat barked with laughter and it trickled down the line of men who turned and gave her every single look from ‘what the hell?’ to ‘did she really just say that?’ I couldn’t help but laugh, though.
She tossed me a playful wink and my heart melted for her all over again, just like it did every time she smiled at me.
She was a ray of sunshine in the darkness of the world that poured over our family.
The only shred of good in a churning sea of terrible.
I hoped she realized how much good she did all of us.
Even Rat.
“There,” I said as I felt the gun slip into the crook of her shoulder, “how’s that?”
“Man, this thing is much heavier than I figured it would be.”
I repositioned her arms as I dipped down into her ear. “How about now?”
I watched goosebumps prickle her neck. “That’s better, yeah.”
“Your lower arm is simply a foundation. Your upper arm will help with the sway of your gun as your arm gets tired. If you need to lower it, do it like this.”
I grabbed her arms and helped drop the gun while not moving it from her shoulder.
“How’s that?” I asked.
She breathed a sigh of relief. “Much better.”
“When your arms get tired, do that to give them a bit of a break,” I murmured.
She turned her face toward me and feathered her lips against my own. “Thanks, Gauge. I appreciate it.”
My God, that woman knew how to test me. “Not a problem at all.”
“Ahem,” Rat said as he cleared his throat loudly.
I grinned as I got up and moved away from her. “Ready when you are, guys.”
“You sure?” he asked, crooking an eyebrow.
I chuckled as I picked up Bait’s rifle, swirling it in the air, and brought it effortlessly to my shoulder. “I’m very sure.”
“Show off!” Char exclaimed.
The guys couldn’t help but laugh, even as Mace raised his hand for some quiet.
Bait would have appreciated the levity she brought to the situation.
“As you all know, Bait was very fond of his rifles. He took good care of them, just like he took care of himself and us. So I believe it’s only fair that we honor him for everything he has given us.”
Rat positioned his rifle against his shoulder and backed up to get in line with all of us.
“Bait was the best of us. He cared in ways not all of us care, and that’s rare to find in our line of work.
He gave a shit, and because he gave a shit, I found a friend where I thought no friends were to be had.
He is the better part of me, and dear fucking hell, I’m gonna miss him. ”
Deacon was next. “Bait was there for me after my father died. He sat with me, even when I didn’t want him to. He trained with me, just to give me something other than a punching bag to hit. He helped me channel my anger when I didn’t know what to do with it. He deserved better than what he got.”
Dallas sighed heavily as he lifted his gun and mounted it. “Bait was?—”
A few sniffles worked their way up from the crowd we all stood in as Dallas gathered his thoughts.
“Bait was… a miracle. Quiet and stoic, yet stronger than any of us. Always willing to look out for us, even when we didn’t want him to.
He was the first to jump if someone got sick.
He was the first to scold if any of us were fucking up.
He was our moral compass when we forgot our own, and I’m just—I’m gonna miss the hell out of him. ”
All eyes were on me since I was next in line.
“Bait was cunning, agile, silent, and stern. He never cracked, he never gave in, and he never gave up a fight. Even at the end, he fed us all he could about what happened to him. Everything that was said. Everything that he saw. Things that he smelled. He knew we’d keep fighting.
He knew we’d keep searching. He gave us what he knew so that we’d keep hunting this bitch down until we got justice for him.
Bait was a true man. A real man. A man all of us could model ourselves after and be just fine with.
And I, for one, can’t wait to rest him in peace after we find this woman. ”
All the way down the line we went, with everyone saying something about Bait.
Even Char piped up with a few words, though they were mostly words of wisdom than anything else.
I wanted to pay attention, but I couldn’t.
The voices droned on in the background as I stared out into the endless desert.
With our guns pointed toward the rising sun and the sky splashed with orange and yellow and blue, I couldn’t help but wonder if Bait was somewhere watching us.
Pissed that we went into his private room to take his private things.
“Three shots for our fallen friend!” Deac exclaimed.
“Ready!” Mace called out.
We all situated our guns against our shoulders, or however necessary in order to obtain control.
“Aim!” Rat called out.
Guns cocked and trigger fingers crooked as we waited for the signal.
“Wait!” Char called out.
Everyone lowered their guns and turned to face her.
“I’m sorry, it’s just?—”
“What is it?” Deac urged.
Char sighed heavily. “If we discharge all of these guns three times, isn’t that going to tell that snot-nosed bitch out there where we are?”
My eyebrows ticked in amusement as Deac grinned down at her.
“Char?” I asked over everyone’s heads.
“What?” she asked as she turned to face me.
“How do you catch a desperate woman?”
She blinked. “How?”
That’s when Deacon raised his gun back to his shoulder. “You make it easy for her to find you, that’s how. Fire!”
And one by one, we mounted our guns, cocked our barrels, and shot three rounds out of each gun out into the nothingness that the desert held. Whipping through the air and piercing the dust that kicked up with each gust of wind.
While being reminded of our dear friend that we’d never see again.
BOOM!
BOOM!
BOOM!