Page 47 of Stone

“Lucky,” I muttered. “My girl’s only eighteen. I don’t wanna wed her and then leave. I’m gonna wait until I’ve done my three years, and she’s twenty-one. I don’t wanna make my wife live at a biker club when she’s not even legal to drink without me even being there to support her. It doesn’t sit well with me.”

“You’re right,” my bud agreed. “Bianca’s on her own. She’s got no family left, just me. If we were married and something happened to me, at least she’d get my pension. It puts my mind at ease to know she’ll be looked after if I don’t make it home.”

I reached out and clapped Isaiah’s shoulder. “It's a good thing we’re signing up in peacetime, then, right?”

“There’s always a war going on somewhere in the world, Stone,” he retorted. “Don’t jinx yourself. Things are looking dire in the Middle East. I wouldn’t be shocked if we were eventually sent in—”

“It’s very chatty in here!” a voice bellowed from the door.

I looked up to see Sergeant Mendez glaring around the dorm. He had his hat pulled forward and his cane pointing at us from under his arm. “You’re in phase three of your training now, Marines. We should be way past the point where I have to come in here to shut you up!”

Sarge marched down the dorm, and we all jumped up, standing to attention. “This is a time for you to reflect on the day and what you’ve learned, write to your loved ones, and ensure your uniform is clean and polished. What it’s not is a time for gossip!” He eyeballed me as he walked past, his stern stare lingering on my face for a moment longer than the others before he walked to the exit and disappeared from the dorm.

We breathed a collective sigh of relief and went back to what we were doing before the sarge interrupted. Mendez wasn’t stupid. He knew me and Isaiah were chatting when we shouldn’t have been, but he’d relaxed a little lately, probably because we were just a week away from graduation.

My eyes stayed glued to the empty doorway as a wave of nostalgia washed over me. The dimly lit room seemed to echo with the creaking of beds and the shuffling of boots—sounds that were alien to me a couple of months ago but now were as familiar as breathing.

Morley stomped into the room, clutching a wedge of envelopes. “Letters from home, Marines,” he bellowed. “Who’s going to get lucky today?”

A small smile played around my mouth when I thought back to the beginning of training when a letter from home represented a lifeline to the world outside the barracks.

I sat down on my mattress and shuffled up the bed until my back hit the hard, worn wood of the headboard and reached for a sheet of blank paper. Memories flooded my mind—Elise’s smile. The way she looked up at me wide-eyed and bursting with love. I could almost smell the sweet scent of jasmine that clung to me when she hugged me goodbye, and my heart ached from missing her so much.

With a hand trembling with emotion, I grabbed my pen and began to write. I poured my innermost thoughts and feelings onto the page, baring my soul to the girl I loved with everything I had.

My sweet Leesy, I began…

Chapter Eleven

Elise

My sweet Leesy,

Guess what I did this week? I climbed a bitch of a mountain, and I admit, it almost sent me doolally. It was the hardest thing I’ve ever done, baby, but also the most meaningful because it showed me what I’m capable of, and I think, before I climbed that thing, I didn’t believe I was capable of much.

It’s crazy. I love my dad, and I love the club, but it’s always held me back. I’ve been trying to prove myself to people since I was five years old, but they just see the biker kid, Bandit’s son. It was only you who ever looked deeper. I never realized how much I craved the town’s acceptance and how deeply I needed people’s respect. Here, I get respect on merit; being myself is enough. Nobody turns their nose up at me for being a biker or crazy Don Stone’s boy.

Maybe at the club, I’m too wrapped up in shit that, at the time, I think means everything, but outside that world, it really means nothing. Don’t get me wrong, my plans haven’t changed. I still want to run the club one day with you by my side, but being here and discovering what I’m capable of has made me see things a little differently. Now, rather than just being a biker club, I see the Demons could one day be a force to be reckoned with.

I punched the air and heehawed when I read you were coming here with Mom. DI Morley walked past the dorm as I did it, and it got me a night watch duty. I didn’t care, though. I took all your letters with me and read them over and over, thinking about seeing you again and holding you in my arms. Being without you feels like shit, Leesy. I’m sorry for putting you and us through this, but I needed to do it for myself. It’s selfish, I know, but when I put a ring on your finger, it’ll all be out of my system, and I’ll have become the man you deserve.

I need a favor, baby. Isaiah’s woman’s coming to see him graduate. She’s a tall, pretty Latina, and she’ll be alone. Isaiah’s worried she’ll feel out of place. Would you look out for her and say hi? Let her sit with you and talk to her. I know you’re shy around new people, but I also know you’d hate anyone feeling alone. That’s why I love you so much; you’ve got a big, beautiful heart.

Can’t wait to see you. Days, baby, not months. We’re nearly past the first hurdle. It’ll get easier from here on out, I promise.

Love you, always,

Your Stone.

Blinking back my tears, I carefully folded the letter, put it back inside the envelope, and slipped it into my purse. My gaze went to Constance, who stared out of the window of the plane that was due to land in San Diego in about fifteen minutes.

I couldn’t believe we were finally here. It had been twelve weeks and two days since I’d seen or spoken to John. My heart raced at the thought of the following day when I could finally run into his arms and breathe him in deep.

Stealing another glance at Constance, I noticed how the bright, midday sun seemed to bring her to life, though her expression remained distant. She was a million miles away, lost inside her thoughts, no doubt desperate to see her son again.

Settling back into my chair, my gaze went to the window, my thoughts returning to the day of my sixteenth birthday when John had first noticed me down by the creek. I smiled when I remembered how, back then, nobody thought we’d make it. He was a biker kid, handsome, mysterious, and a little rough around the edges. I was the princess, shy and scared of most things, until John made me realize there was nothing to be afraid of anymore.

A loud ping and the pilot’s voice asking us to fasten our seat belts jolted me back to the present. I clicked my safety belt together and reached instinctively for Connie’s hand, seeking solace in her warmth.

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