Page 7 of Kilo's Edge

Leaning on the case, I watched as she glanced back then flushed when I caught her looking. I chuckled and went back to work. I pulled out the rifle I’d taken with me up to the White Mountains. Breaking it down, I started giving it a thorough cleaning.

Ever since we’d met the Viking’s Rampage and the Berserker’s Rage MCs I’d been thinking about our own club and where we were going with it. I had a feeling Ruck had been having the same thoughts because he’d called for church Thursday morning. I was really hoping he was going to start taking us in a different direction.

For a while, after a lot of us had gotten out of the military, we just needed quiet. And peace. And we had a few members whowere still actively in the military, one was even deployed right now, but the rest of us were getting antsy.

We were men created for war. For hard times. And while it’d been nice to take a break from all that, there was a burning in our blood that needed to be slaked. And the flames were starting to build.

None of this was on Ruck. We’d voted to take it easy so we could all start figuring out how to live after leaving the military. Most of us bought, or started, businesses. And building those kept us busy and contained. Add in partying and fucking and life had been good. But more and more we were chomping at the bit to get into some shit.

The incident up in the mountains had fueled me and now I was feeling that old need surging back up inside me once more. The need that drove me into the military to begin with.

The hours passed quietly, with a couple of regulars coming in to use the shooting range, then heading home. The sun was starting to set. It was only about an hour from closing time when the door opened again.

“Hey Kilo.”

“Jess. How’s it going?” I asked.

We’d gotten to know the woman whose building was next to ours pretty well over the last few years. She was a good lady. In her fifties and sweet as could be. She often brought us cookies. There wasn’t much I wouldn’t do for a homemade chocolate chip cookie. She’d found my weak spot. My stomach.

“So that asshole across from me parked in one of our spots again. Sandy ended up having to park way out in the lot. I was wondering…”

“I’ll walk her to her car,” I offered before she even had the chance to ask.

Her face broke out into a grin. “Thank you, Kilo. I just-” She broke off and shook her head.

“He still giving her trouble?”

“I don’t know,” she sighed. “He keeps parking in our spots no matter how many times I ask him to knock it off. He hasn’t asked her out again, but I just get the feeling she’s not telling me everything. You know?”

“Yeah.” I grabbed my Glock and shoved it in the holster I had clipped to my belt. Arizona was an open carry state. I also had a concealed carry permit, but for dickheads like Shawn from across the way, it was better to let him see what you were packing. He was too much of a coward to confront a man though. No. He liked to harass young women. Youngmarriedwomen.

Sandy was his target right now and it didn’t matter that she’d told him she had a husband. He was one of those guys who didn’t think no meant no. Jess had told me what he’d said about her husband not needing to know about them and I’d nearly lost my shit. It was assholes like that who ripped families apart while military members were deployed.

I’d been single for all of my deployments, but I’d seen it happen often enough. Sandy was a sweet girl. Twenty years old. One kid. Just trying to survive while her husband was gone, and this creep was trying to intimidate her into making a stupid decision. She didn’t want to worry her husband, give him stress that could cause him to get distracted and hurt while deployed. Admirable, but that didn’t mean she needed to endure harassment.

Not on my watch.

“I’ll look after your store while you walk her.”

“What about your studio?”

“I’m done for the night.”

“Then I’ll just lock up for a few minutes and walk both of you,” I told her.

She crossed her arms over her chest. “Your mama sure taught you right, Kilo.”

“Thanks,” I replied with a chuckle, holding the door open for her. I locked it behind me. When I turned, I found both women standing there waiting for me.

Sandy gave a sheepish smile. “Thanks for this, Kilo. Jess worries too much.”

“I’d say she worries just the right amount,” I told her as we stopped at Jess’s car. It was parked right in front of her studio, which was where Sandy’s little Honda should be as well. Instead, a BMW sat there. “You want me to talk to him?” I asked Jess.

She sighed. “No, thank you. I’ll go have a word with him again tomorrow.”

Shrugging, I lifted my hand in a wave as she slipped into her car and drove away. “Lead the way,” I told Sandy, motioning to the lot. I fell into step beside her.

“How’s Matt doing?” I asked as we walked.

---