Page 14 of Falcon

Evelyn and Calista were next, each woman greeting me warmly. All the old ladies at Grim were wonderful. They’d all helped me so much. Lemon and her sister, Apple, had helped first. Lemon had been the one to get my story out of me. Then she had started the process of getting rid of my nightmare. As each woman had been claimed by one of Grim Road’s members, they’d all been around regularly. If Lemon or their men had told them what had happened to me, none of them ever said. They never failed to check on me or include me in any family events held in this area of the compound.

“The kids wanted to come too,” Lemon said, “but sometimes bitches need some bitch time with other bitches.” That got a laugh from everyone. Even me.

We all piled into the living room, settling on my mismatched assortment of couches and chairs. Olivia popped open a bag of popcorn while Cecilia began setting up the TV for our baking show marathon. Calista brought in covered trays of snacks. There were cookies, chips, and even some homemade dips. Evelyn found a comfy corner on the sofa with a sizeable glass of punch she balanced on a small table beside her. I assumed this was the punch Cecilia had been talking about, but figured I’d ask before consuming any. I wasn’t averse to getting stoned, I just didn’t want any surprises.

This was the first time I’d really appreciated the friendship and solidarity these women always projected with each other. Even though I rarely let myself be drawn into their circle, this time, there was no doubt I was part of this exclusive sorority. These women were here because I needed them. Lemon had likely put out the call and they’d all answered.

Lemon sat down next to me, handing me a glass filled with ice and Bullet’s notorious fruit punch, along with a big dollop of ice cream. Her eyes met mine, fierce yet kind. “We’ve got your front, side, and back, Gina. We always have. We always will.” It was a soft exchange just between the two of us and I found myself smiling. Lemon gripped my shoulder before sitting back and propping her feet on the coffee table next to mine. “Stop thinking about what might happen when Falcon returns. Focus on now. We’re all here and we care about you. Besides, if Falcon doesn’t realize what a perfect old lady he would have with you, he really does have pigeon nuts.”

I couldn’t help but smile. I’d heard Lemon call Falcon Pigeon Nuts more than once. It always made Falcon scowl, but I thought he didn’t mind it as much as he let on. I got the feeling that was just the way he and Lemon got along.

“You’re right. I really appreciate all you guys have done for me. Both now and since all that shit… you know. Before.” She was right, but I found it hard to shake off the heaviness in my chest. Lemon was good at many things, including reading people. She knew just how to coax someone out of their shell or, when needed, to give them a shove. The latter was never subtle.

It didn’t take long for everyone to have a running, laughing commentary on each challenge in the show. Between bouts of laughter and sips of punch, I began to feel lighter, almost buoyant. Despite my initial reluctance, being surrounded by these wonderful women was slowly peeling away layers of my anxiety. Evelyn passed around a plate of cookies she’d baked herself, insisting they were better than anything on the baking show. “You see, it’s all about adding that extra bit of love,” she said, and winked.

“Christ, Evie.” Apple rolled her eyes. “Can you get any more cheesy?”

We all laughed and Evelyn threw a pillow at Apple, hitting her in the face. Apple laughed until tears rolled down her cheeks, as did Evelyn.

The rest of the night was spent binge watching the rest of the current season. By the time the winner was decided, we were all drooping. And I was more than a little whacked from the fruit punch. Me and Lemon managed to get some blankets and pillows for everyone and we piled up on couch and chair cushions in the middle of the floor like kids at a sleepover.

I suppose that’s what it was. I’d never had one, but it seemed fitting that these women were the ones at my first sleepover.

As I lay next to Cecilia, I looked at the other woman. She was on her side facing me and reached out her hand to grasp mine tightly. “It’s going to be all right, Gina. Lemon won’t let it be anything else.”

“Yeah. I should have realized that. Sooner.” The woman was a force of nature.

“Falcon and Lemon are at each other’s throats most days, but she respects him. He’d have to be a good man to earn Lemon’s respect.”

“I know he’s a good man. I don’t know many men who would ride around on a pink bike just because I enjoy it.”

Cecilia grinned and squeezed my hand again. “See? That’s true love right there.”

We both laughed, but I was ashamed to admit how that simple observation helped me relax. It was either that or the pot in the fruit punch. Could be either, but I thought it was that damned pink bike.

I closed my eyes and drifted for a long time before I finally let sleep drag me under. Then I didn’t move until morning.

Chapter Eight

Falcon

“Hard to believe the one place that gives me fuckin’ nightmares is in fuckin’ Oklahoma.” Rattler muttered his objection as we approached the big ranch house where we thought Joilyn was being held. Crush and Byte had hooked up with ExFil’s intelligence crew and were helping coordinate the rescue. It wasn’t something Cain would normally allow, but the man understood our situation. Besides that, I thought he was trying to recruit some of Grim Road’s members to ExFil.

“We still looking at thirteen people on the grounds?” I peered through my field glasses, trying to spot as many people as I could. The last thing I wanted was to accidentally cut through the path of one guard trying to avoid another.

“Yep. Thirteen plus your girl,” Scout answered from my earpiece. He and another ExFil agent were on one side of the structure while me and Rattler were with three other ExFil team members.

“These guys look like they know what they’re doing.” I thought that was a guy called Goose. He and the team sniper, Deadeye, were positioned on a small hill about three hundred yards away. About the time he commented, someone ran out of the house, stumbling down the stairs, and bent over as he braced himself on the porch. Looked like he was puking. “At least, some of them know what they’re doing.” The last was a dry mutter.

“Data says he’s only found one device on any network in the house or surrounding areas,” Scout muttered. If he was anything like the rest of the team, he had his eyes firmly on the target.

Of our group, two out of the three were studying the house with binoculars. The third guy constantly swept the surrounding area but without the field glasses. His name was Chase. I thought he’d been part of a shady organization before he’d ended up in Bones MC with Cain and most of the ExFil team here currently.

“One?” I couldn’t help the question. “You mean like they truly are off the grid?”

“Seems that way. Cheetah, what are you seeing?” Cheetah was in her forties and one of the most cheerful people I’d ever met. It was almost sickening but the damned woman had me in stitches before we’d left for this operation, laughing at wartime stories of this team and others she’d served with. Goose had told me she had a knack for picking up on people’s emotions and had known I was tense. I liked her immediately. She was completely different once we stepped in the vehicle to start this.

“Female target is in an upstairs room on the south side. I have a partial visual on her and it looks like she’s shackled. I don’t see her being out of line of sight without someone freeing her first.”

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