Page 9 of Guard Dog

Or I am until Deke offers his hand to help me out of his truck. I’ve seen him all cleaned up too, but it was always in uniform. A freshly scrubbed man in a button-down shirt and khakis does something to me. The way his eyes linger on my legs sets me tingling again. I brush my thighs together as I step down, and the friction is only a tease.

The Lonesome Bar and Grill gives the first impression of a rundown roadhouse. A closer, second look reveals that it’s better lit than it appears with security cameras on the entrance and facing into the parking lot. A fiercely-bearded bouncer in amotorcycle cut is at the door. He gives the two of us an assessing glance and smiles broadly at Deke.

It takes me a minute to realize that Deke is walking us through the bar to the attached dining room, rather than have us use the restaurant doors. Then I understand why. He guides me through the tables, his hand on my ribs, fingers close enough to brush my breast. We pause at the bar.

“Hey, JD,” he says.

“Deke. Violet.” JD gives me what passes for a smile. “Good to see you. Good to see you both. I told Smitty and Joker that I might run into you tonight. They say hello.”

Beside me, Deke exhales at that revelation. “Tell them hi from us the next time you talk to them.”

“Will do.” JD turns back around. It’s more conversation than anyone usually gets, so I’m counting that as my welcome to the family talk.

Bishop is at a table at the other end of the bar. He rises to greet us. He slaps his little brother on the back, then pulls me in for a hug. “You look beautiful,” he whispers before Deacon reclaims me by encircling my waist with both arms and pulling me against his chest. “Make sure he treats you right.”

“There was never a question he wouldn’t,” I say, and Deke squeezes me a little tighter. “But there is a question about whether or not he’s going to feed me tonight.”

“Far be it from me to keep you from a Lonesome B-and-G steak. See you at the office tomorrow,” Bishop says. I’m two-for-two on the acceptance streak.

“You have got to be fucking kidding me! You back-stabbing son of a bitch!” I go flying in one direction, and Deke goes the opposite way after being sucker-punched by Rick.

“Stand down, Russo.”

I’d forgotten that Deke had outranked Rick when he left the SEALs. Rick should outrank him by now, but something had happened at the last promotion board.

“You’re cheating with your squad mate’s wife.”

“I’m in a committed relationship with a woman who used to be married to a squad mate. You don’t get a say in this, Russo,” Deke says, rubbing his jaw. I’m surprised he hasn’t taken a swing in retaliation. He seems to be trying to use his words first.

“And you, you disloyal cunt. You have no idea what kind of man your husband was. I’m not going to let all the time I spent in looking after you and your stupid brat be wasted.”

Half a second after his mouth stops moving, Rick is on the floor. “Never again, Russo. You aren’t speaking for Keith or his memory. You are showing your ass. Keith loved all of us enough to want us to be happy after he died. Violet and Rosemary have been trying to tell me how you were acting but I defended you. Now I wonder if they were understating things. Get gone.”

“He was my brother.”

I feel a body come up behind me, and I glance over my shoulder to see that JD has left his stool. “He meant something to all of us. But he’s gone now. You’ve got to move on, or you might as well have died with him.”

I hear both Deke and Bishop take a breath at their cousin’s observation, but now is not the time to get into it. Rick pushes himself to his feet and if looks could kill, I’d be taking his place on the floor with my throat slit. “I tried to be nice after Keith died. I’m done with that.”

He shakes off Bishop’s arm and pushes past the dark-haired biker who has come out from behind the bar. The patrons part to let him leave. When the door finally slams shut, I breathe a sigh of relief.

“You okay, Vi?” Deke asks.

I nod slowly. “Better than okay, I think. That was the worst it’s going to be, and we’re still standing. Rick was an asshole before he knew about us, so he doesn’t count. The ones who matter don’t object. That’s all I need.” Deke has made me believe it. His blood family has accepted us. His teammates know and, according to JD, are if not supportive then not actively against it. It feels like the final weight has been lifted.

“Are you ready for an evening of good food, friends, and music?”

“And then a very good night? I am.” After waking from a nightmare months ago, I was finally going to get my day in the sun.

Chapter Eight

The bar has a postage-stamp sized dance floor, and after supper Violet insists that we make the most of it. I’ve got her hand pressed against my chest, rubbing it gently as she sways to the music. She looks amazing. I ache to tug on her ponytail. It’s taking all my willpower to stop myself from dragging her out of here to my place and giving her that good night she talked about. But I’ll give her this dance first. We’ve both walked a long, bloody road to get here. We’re going to enjoy the last mile.

The first time my pants vibrate, I think it’s because Violet is patting my ass again. She’s a bit of a flirt; I never knew. Then it happens again, and I know both her hands are linked behind my head. I fish out my phone and see that Romy is calling me. She wouldn’t interrupt our date for anything less than Armageddon.

I can barely hear her over the music, but the words I make out are bad enough. “Need help. Bad shape. Rick took Peony.”

A familiar adrenaline surge hits, and then my emotions turn off. Bad situations are what I was trained for. I want to leave Violet here, in the safety of my family, but I have the feeling I’m going to need her for more information than Romy can provide.

---