by Chelle Bliss
he wasn’t banging my sister anymore.
Her arm snaked around his back before resting her head against his arm. “Sam really looks up to you like a big brother, Joe. He thinks of you as family.”
I grimaced. “I’m sorry to both of you for always being an asshole. Sam and I have a past. We’ve been through a lot of shit together, but when push comes to shove, he’s always been there for me. It’s about time I step up to the plate and do the same.”
“That means a lot, man.”
“Joe!” Suzy yelled from the patio and waved her arms frantically.
“I gotta run. Here—” I handed the tongs to him. “You’re on dog duty now. Welcome to the family.”
I jogged toward her, worried that something was wrong. “What’s up, sugar?”
“There’s a phone call for you.”
“Who is it?” I asked, taking the phone from her hand.
“I don’t know. They wouldn’t give a name.”
My muscles tensed. “Hello,” I said through clenched teeth.
“We’re watching,” the raspy voice on the other end said before hanging up.
Suzy grabbed my arm. “What did they say?”
“Nothing. Wrong number.” I lied through my teeth and scanned the yard for Thomas. “Is the food almost done?” I asked and changed the subject.
She kept trying to make eye contact, but I couldn’t look her in the eyes. “Yeah. Just have to take the last few things out of the fridge. How about the stuff on the grill?”
“It’s ready when you are. Take everything out, and I’ll get everyone to start making their way toward the house.”
“Are you sure everything is okay?”
“I’m sure.” I kissed her on the forehead and quickly headed toward James and Thomas, who were huddled near the pool, discussing something.
“What’s wrong?” James asked, seeing me approaching with clenched fists.
“Someone just called. Said they were watching and hung up.”
Thomas’s eyes darted toward the woods. “I’ll let the guys know. We all need to be on high alert.”
“Should we move the party inside?” I asked, glancing around the yard.
“No. I don’t want to freak everyone out. Just watch your back and keep your eyes open for anything weird.”
“I don’t know about this, man,” James said and rubbed the back of his neck. “I have a bad feeling about this.”
“That makes two of us,” I mumbled, rocking back on my heels.
“Dinner!” Izzy shouted from the patio and banged a giant spoon against an empty metal pot. “Come and get it!”
“We got this.” Thomas slapped me on the back, trying to play it cool, but I knew he was just as freaked out by this as I was, plus he had the biggest bull’s-eye on his back.
Not me.
“Son, everything okay?” my father asked me before my feet touched the patio, stopping me in my tracks.
“I don’t know, Pop.” I pinched the bridge of my nose and stared at the ground. “Only time will tell.”
“I brought my gun.” He patted his shirt, the bulge clearly visible underneath.
“Let the guys handle it,” I told him and moved his hand away from the piece.
“Joe, I may be old, but I can still kick your ass and shoot a straight shot.”
“No doubt,” I laughed.
Fireworks
Suzy
“I’m so full,” I moaned, rubbing my stomach while I lay on the pool lounger.
“I never want to eat another hot dog again,” Race said from beside me, holding her stomach too.
“I don’t know how you eat that shit.” Max wrinkled her nose.
“Max, drop the bullshit,” Mia told her, plopping into a chair next to Max at the table.
“Did you notice the guys seem more tense since the party started?” Angel poured another glass of lemonade and glanced around the yard, zeroing in on the guys huddled in one area. “See?” She pointed toward them.
“Something’s up, but they’re being pretty tight-lipped,” Izzy said, sitting near my feet with her legs dangling in the water.
“Anyone notice anything?” Angel asked.
“Someone called, but Joe said it was the wrong number.”
“Hmm.” Izzy rubbed her chin and stared in James’s direction. “Something’s up and I’m going to figure out what.” She pushed herself up to her feet, jutted out her chest, and strutted in his direction.
“She acts like she’s the boss, but we all know the truth,” Angel said and laughed.
“No matter what, I still think she has James by the balls,” Max said before pushing out her chair, creating the worst sound of the metal scraping against the cement.
I cringed. “Must you?”
Max rolled her eyes. “I’m going to check on the kids. Anyone need anything while I’m up?”
“We’re good,” I said, answering for the group. “Let me know if Ma needs help inside with the kids.”
Mrs. G had been inside most of the day, preferring to surround herself with the babies than adults. Fran had joined her too, but she had brought a wine bottle with her before she disappeared inside.
I turned toward Race. “How’s Fran been treating you?”
“She’s been really good. She’s too busy with Johnny to be up in our shit lately, and I’m too busy with the track to care.”
I wasn’t jealous of her. That wouldn’t be the right word. I envied her. For her independence and not being tied down by a gaggle of children. She owned a business and lived out her dreams.
“I told you Fran just needed a man.” I smiled, thinking back to when she blew into town. I thought Mrs. Gallo was involved in her kids’ lives, but I learned what it meant to be a helicopter parent the moment I met Fran.
Morgan wanted to start a new life away from Chicago, taking a job with Thomas at ALFA PI. He hadn’t expected his mother to uproot her life and follow him to Florida. After his stint in the military, she claimed she couldn’t live without him anymore.
“Well, Johnny was a game changer. She actually seems happy.” Race pulled down her sunglasses, blocking the glare from the setting sun.
I sighed, placing my hand over my eyes to get a better view of our guys and noticed Izzy heading back our way. “We all want love. Doesn’t matter how old we are.”
The guys stood near the tree line, talking and scanning the yard every few moments. They looked like a small army of tattooed sexiness. Mike, James, Joe, Anthony, Thomas, Sam, Morgan, Frisco, Bear, and Tank huddled together.
“Maybe they’re talking about where to set up the fireworks,” I told the girls, but I didn’t believe a word. Something was up, but as usual, they weren’t sharing with us.
“They stopped talking when they saw me. Something is definitely up.” Izzy sat back down, her brown hair flowing down her back as she placed her feet back in the pool.
Georgia walked out of the house. “Hey, girls. Sorry. I was inside spending time with Mrs. Gallo and the kids.”
“How are the babies?” I asked, too full to move.
“Having fun with Grandma.” Georgia took a sip from her beer before holding the cold mug up to her forehead. “It’s hotter than Hades out here.”
“Maybe we should take this party inside, girls.” Mia dragged her lemonade across the table and pressed it to her neck. “Between the view of our guys and the sun, I’m overheating.”
I laughed. I knew exactly what she meant. “Drinks inside?” I pushed myself up from the lounger. “I have champagne chilling in the fridge.”
“You better have more than one bottle.” Izzy turned to me. “I could down one myself without sharing.”
“That’s different than any other day, how?” Mia said and shook her head.
I bent down next to Izzy and scooped water in my hands, pouring it over my shoulders before smearing it around my neck. “Let’s go inside until the sun goes down and it cools off a bit. We’ll come back out before fireworks.”<
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I didn’t have to say it twice. Everyone followed me inside, collapsing in the kitchen.
“Why do we live in this hot-ass state, again?” Izzy whined.
“You’d rather make snow angels?” Mia teased her and grabbed the bottles of champagne out of the fridge.
Izzy’s lip curled in disgust. “Hell no.”
“Just open this and be quiet.” Mia shoved the bottle in front of Izzy’s face.
“Your hair looks really cute today, Suzy. Did you do something different to it?” Angel asked as she pulled down the champagne glasses from the cabinet next to the fridge.
“That’s because Daddy took a knot out of her hair,” Gigi said, strolling into the kitchen and overhearing us.
“He did?” Izzy asked and set the bottle down on the table before holding out her arms for Gigi. “Was Daddy doing Mommy’s hair?” Izzy set Gigi on her lap and started to tickle her.
Gigi squealed and squirmed in her arms. “Right here, he helped her, Aunt Iz.” She pointed at the table.
Izzy peered at me over Gigi’s head, and heat crawled up my neck. “Kids.” I grimaced, trying to deflect my embarrassment.
“Mommy was moaning and Daddy was grunting, so I think it was a big knot.”
I died a little bit inside.
“Oh, it sounds like it was hard.” Izzy giggled and winked at me, which earned her a middle finger since Gigi wasn’t looking at me.
Gigi put her hands on Izzy’s cheeks and brought her face closer. “Does Uncle Jimmy help you with your hair too?” The innocent look on her face made my heart melt.
“He does sometimes, baby girl.” Izzy kissed Gigi’s nose. If I didn’t know better, I’d think Gigi was a clone of Izzy. They were two peas in a pod. Not only did Gigi have the Gallo traits, the two of them had the same spitfire personality.
“Naked? Daddy’s butt was hanging out.” Gigi wrinkled her nose.
“Sometimes.”
Gigi’s eyes grew wider and she brought her face closer to Izzy’s, smashing her cheeks more. “Why?”
“Because that’s what couples do. You’ll understand when you’re older,” Izzy told her and rubbed her back.
“I don’t ever want a boyfriend. They’re gross, Aunt Iz.”
Izzy pulled her closer, cradling Gigi in her arms. “They are, Gigi. Don’t ever have a boyfriend.”
“Mommy and Daddy boss me around enough, I don’t need a man to boss me around like Uncle Jimmy does you.”
I bit my lip to hold in my laughter as my eyes met Izzy’s. We often think our kids don’t really see what’s going on—that they’re too young to understand. Even with their innocence, they see everything that happens around them.
“Uncle Jimmy doesn’t boss me around.” Izzy stroked Gigi’s hair and started to rock back and forth in the chair.
Gigi twirled a strand of Izzy’s hair, the same shade of brown as her own, around her finger. “Does he spank you? Daddy spanks Mommy when she’s bad.”
Izzy dragged her eyes to mine. “Sometimes I get a spanking when I’m bad too. Just like when you’re a bad girl, Gigi.”
“But Mommy seems to like it when Daddy spanks her, Aunt Izzy. When I’m a bad girl, I get a time-out, not a spanking. So why does Mommy get spanked?”
I pinched the bridge of my nose and wished for a quick escape. Not this again.
“You’d have to ask her, Gigi.”
“Mommy?” Gigi said, turning her face toward me.
I stood quickly because I couldn’t answer her with a straight face, and I didn’t want to have to explain my sex life to my child. “I think I hear Joe calling for me. I’m sure Aunt Izzy can explain it to you.”
I walked out of the kitchen before anyone could stop me, especially Gigi. I dreaded the day I’d have to explain the birds and the bees. The day she realized Daddy wasn’t punishing me for being bad would be the day I’d want to crawl into a hole and hide. Above all, hopefully, she’ll realize how much her father and I loved each other.
Bang Bang
Joe
“I’ll shoot off the fireworks. The rest of you keep your eyes on the perimeter.” Morgan bent down and grabbed the grill lighter.
“You know what you’re doing, man?” Frisco asked, dragging his fingers through his hair.
“I was shooting off fireworks when you were still jackin’ off to tittie magazines.” Morgan smirked before letting out a booming laugh. “I got this.”
“Let’s spread out.” Thomas pointed around the yard where our friends and family sat on their blankets, waiting for the fireworks display to start.
“I have a bad feeling about this.” Mike shifted from foot to foot before stalking off to the right corner of the woods.
“It’ll be fine,” Sam said before jogging off in the opposite direction.
I smoothed my hands down my pants, wiping off the sweat that had started to coat my palms. For once, I agreed with Mike. I had a shitty feeling. Just days ago, someone had been sitting in the woods, watching me, and now everyone I cared about sat on the lawn in plain view.
“Joe, come with me,” Thomas said, yanking on the sleeve of my shirt to get my attention.
“Right,” I muttered and looked over my shoulder at Suzy, Gigi, and the babies, spread out on a blanket near the door to the patio. My heart ached at the thought of anything happening to them.
There wasn’t one person sitting in the yard that I could handle losing. Even Sam. No one deserved to lose their life to the shitheads from the Sun Devils MC. The government was supposed to protect Thomas’s and James’s identities, but just like everything else, it could be bought for a price.
When the first firework exploded above, I jumped. “Fuck.” My heart started to race and I shook my hands out, rolling my head on my shoulders to let go of some of my anxiety. I caught a glimpse of the red embers as they cascaded toward the ground.
Thomas turned to face me, placing his hands on my shoulders. “Relax, Joe. Nothing will happen to anyone.”
“I wish I had your confidence, brother.”
“Just breathe. This will all be over soon.”
“How do you know?” I don’t know if I’d ever been as fearful as I was in that moment. Not for myself, but for my family.
“They won’t stay hidden for long. They can smell the blood.”
For fuck’s sake—his words didn’t bring me solace.
I stood next to Thomas, trying to keep an eye on the woods and not get distracted by the sound of the fireworks. Every time one exploded, my eyes would dart around the yard to make sure it was only the fireworks and nothing else.
The hair on the back of my neck stood at full attention. Movement in the woods caught my eye. “Thomas.” I narrowed my eyes, honing on the same familiar red glow in the distance. “Over there.”
He turned slowly. “Act normal. Don’t give it away that we’ve spotted him. Walk with me.” He motioned with his chin toward the woods in the direction of the glow.
Slowly, we made our way into the woods, pulling our guns out of the back of our pants as we walked. The guy got away last time, but there was no way in hell it would happen again.
Less than a hundred feet into the woods and the light disappeared. Thomas motioned to head to my right while he headed to the left. Hopefully, we’d come up behind him without him knowing we were heading in his direction.
I listened for the sounds of branches breaking under the feet of whoever was watching us from the woods, but I heard nothing.
All that mattered was making him run in the opposite direction of the family.
My feet moved faster, matching my heartbeat as I pushed aside the twigs. The sound of a breaking branch in the distance made my breathing falter.
I took off running, heading straight toward the noise, seeing Thomas doing the same out of the corner of my eye.
A loud bang rang out, and I thought it was firework until Thomas fell to the ground. Oh God! Thomas’s body crumpled and I ducked, trying to find out where the shot
came from.
Every muscle in my body tightened and the adrenaline kicked in, pushing me forward after the intruder when I heard another branch crack.
I didn’t have time to stop.
I needed to get the man who had just shot my brother in order to keep everyone else safe. My hands shook, gripping the gun tighter than I should have as I ran in the direction of the gunshot. Tree branches smacked me in the face, blocking my way as I got closer.
The distance between us shortened, but before I could get to him, another gunshot rang out. I didn’t stop running, picking up the pace and heading straight into danger. If it took my life to keep everyone else safe, it was worth it. No one would hurt what was mine. No one could take them away from me. Holding the gun in front of me, I cleared the brush and saw James standing above something on the ground.
“Joe! It’s me. Don’t shoot,” he said, hunching over and resting his hands on his knees with the gun still in one hand. “I got him.” He sucked in a breath.
I turned to where Thomas had gone down and saw lights in the distance. “He shot Thomas,” I told him, running up to the body and looking down, clutching my chest.
“Fucking Cowboy.” James spit on him and he moaned, gurgling up blood as it started to ooze from his mouth. “Piece of shit.”
“What the fuck, man? How did you get here so fast?”
“I came around from the back before Morgan started shooting off the fireworks. I just didn’t get here quick enough.” He straightened and wiped his forehead with the back of his hand, still clutching the gun.
“He’s not dead.” I pointed toward the piece of shit and stood with my feet wide apart, lifting my gun and pointing it at him.
“He will be.” James wrapped his hand around my wrist. “He won’t last long. Don’t shoot him, man.”
My hand shook and my finger started to squeeze the trigger.
“Don’t do it, Joe. I know you want to, but you’ll go to jail. Think of your family.” He pushed my hand down, slowly removing the gun from my hand.
My arm was still extended with trembling hands. “I should’ve been the one to shoot him, James.”
“Killing someone, no matter whom, is a guilt you don’t want on your