Page 35 of Trident: Mayhem Makers

By the time I got out to my bike, my cell was pinging with messages but I was waiting until after I’d reattached my saddle bag and started my bike before I checked them.

I was happy to see one was from Keys. I found myself actually holding my damn breath, hoping Jacie hadn’t been flown too far away, as I opened it up.

Private plane, flight path to Lihue, Kaua’i. Private unavailable for us. Fastest commercial flight leaves in an hour. American Airlines. Have told Viper.

He must have texted Viper before me, because the next message was from my president.

Go to usual meet point near airport. Crew will meet you there. Tickets being sent to phones.

Sure enough, the next message was my airfare.

Fuck, it was going to be tough to get through to the gate in time with only an hour. Roaring away from the hotel, I weaved between traffic to get out to the industrial zone near the airport in record time, pulling into the parking lot of a SCMC owned factory moments before Maverick rolled in with a club cagefollowing behind him. Viper must have sent them out the door the moment I’d texted him earlier.

Grabbing my saddle bag, I headed over to the vehicle. Maverick joined me as I popped the trunk and we both put our helmets and bags in. I also stripped off all my weapons and anything else I thought the TSA might take objection to.

“Me and Grinder will be joining you, Rubble’s gonna drop us off to make shit faster.”

We’d both rushed to disarm, and didn’t slow until we were both sitting in the rear seat. Almost before we’d shut the doors, Rubble was pulling out and racing toward the airport. Maverick handed me one of the two backpacks that were on the seat between us. “For your cut, and the girls also packed some snacks and other shit for our trip in them.”

Following Maverick and Grinder’s lead, I shrugged out of my cut as we drove. After folding it carefully, I put it in the bag and zipped it up. I hated having to go without wearing my club colors, but there were times it was necessary.

“Maverick, you heard anything about Animal’s condition?”

Our club VP looked over at me with a grim look. “He’s still in surgery. Stone’s staying close. Once he gets out, and wakes the fuck up, he’ll have to answer for his actions this morning.”

I grunted in response, because what else was there to say? Animal had fucked up royally, and there would be a price he’d need to pay for that. The most likely outcome was death, which meant those surgeons were wasting their fucking time fixing him up, but we could hardly go in there and tell them that.

Rubble parked right in front of the entrance we needed and in seconds all three of us were out and rushing toward the automatic doors. Felt strange as fuck without my colors on my back, but TSA would be a bitch if we went in wearing them, not to mention we weren’t going into Hawai’i with permission from any of the local clubs, so it was safer to go in as civilians.

Thankfully the security line was short and we got through to our gate in time to board. It was only once we were seated on the plane that I got a good look at our tickets. Fuck, ten hours and twenty minutes until we’d get there, with half hour layover in Phoenix. Scrubbing a hand over my face I mumbled a curse.

“What’s wrong, brother?”

I looked at Grinder, who sat on my right. Maverick was on my left, in the window seat.

“I hate how long it’s gonna take us to get there. She’s on a private fucking jet that’ll be flying straight there.”

He nodded, his expression grim. “I hear ya, but it is what it is. We were lucky to get on this flight. Viper checked other choices before going with Keys’ recommendation. Every other option had much longer layovers.”

“Yeah, I know, brother. I just want her fucking back and safe already.”

Staring out the window as we took off, I couldn’t avoid thinking about the fact I was going home for the first time in over two decades.

“You messaged Toa yet? Think he’ll be able to help at all?”

I shook my head at Maverick’s question. “Didn’t have time. I’ll give him a call while we’re in Phoenix.”

I’d barely spoken to my childhood friend since we’d left the USMC. While I’d stayed on the mainland, he’d gone back to home to Kaua’i. The few texts we’d send each other on holidays or birthdays each year had never included much about our lives. So, I had no fucking clue if he was going to be able to help us beyond a pick up from the airport. Although, I’d already planned on checking in with him, figuring it was worth asking.

Trying to get comfortable, I stretched my legs out as much as I could and after resting my head against the seat. Closing my eyes, I was swamped with thoughts of the past, my parents.Which in turn brought on the usual guilt that always came whenever I went down memory lane.

I’d been two months off turning eighteen when my class had gone on a field trip to O’ahu, to tour Pearl Harbor. About ten minutes in, I knew what I wanted to do with my life. Working for a bigger purpose than myself, helping to keep innocents safe, America safe, seemed like a noble quest to spend my life on. Having spent my entire childhood and teen years on or around the ocean, I’d figured the Navy was the way to go, but Toa, who’d been my best friend since we were toddlers, was hellbent on going into the USMC. He’d been so adamant that the Marines was where we needed to be, I’d been happy to follow his lead.

We’d both come home from that trip and told our parents, with paperwork in hand together with all the enthusiasm a teenager could have for a new idea. While Toa’s parents voiced their worry for his safety, they were supportive and proud of their youngest son’s decision. Mine, unfortunately, did not follow their example. As an only child, my mother turned the drama on. Throwing her hands into the air and looking to the sky while questioning why the Gods would want to take her only son from her to die fighting some other man’s war on the other side of the world.

I hadn’t let her theatrics deter me. She’d always been an extremely passionate woman who’d often reacted to the smallest of things with way more emotion than they warranted. Once I turned eighteen, I could sign all the paperwork and forms myself so it wasn’t like I had to waste time changing her mind.

What I hadn’t expected was my father backing my mother to the point he threatened to cut me from the family if I went through with enlisting. That had thrown me for a six. While my father would often give into my mother’s whims in the moment, he would coax her into being realistic about it later.

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