Grey (Storm's Soldiers MC Book 2) (9 page)

“Morning,” he said, wedging in across from us.

I reached over for his cheek, forgetting my plan altogether. “What happened to you?”

“I won my fight.” He nudged me off and flashed his eyebrows at Tara. “Sup?”

I rolled my eyes. Daryl was always such a grown up around me that I could forget he was still just a guy. Well, I could endure this cheese.

“Not much,” Tara said, arms cross firmly on the table. “My evening doesn’t seem that interesting compared to yours.”

“Oh, pssh. Na. This wasn’t that big a match. I was just clowning around, that’s why I got clocked once. You should see the other guy.”

“I’ll pass.”

The waitress showed up right before the silence had a chance to linger. Me and Tara ordered, but Darryl told us to fill up and that he was paying for all of us. I had a smile, thinking of how that opinion might change once he saw the full guest list, but it quickly broke into butterflies in my stomach.

“So what are your big fights like?” Tara asked as the waitress pulled away.

Darryl was more than eager to share. I’d told him once or twice that my roommate wasn’t into violence and I’d told Tara that Darryl was more than just his body. Both of them knew, and both of them played their game of push and pull anyway.

I was shaking my head as Darryl blathered on about some kidney punch, completely oblivious to Tara’s horror, when I saw a familiar face outside. The door opened and the sleek white Marietta local chugged towards us.

Vaughn held his colors in one hand, and had on just a sleeveless grey tee over his jeans. The get up left his rippling arms bare to see, and his inked up chest sheathed. His body tensed up when he saw that we wouldn’t be eating alone, but I beamed like a runway light and drew him in.

I didn’t know when they were supposed to see each other, but Vaughn dropped into the seat before Darryl turned around. Vaughn jerked straight out of the booth.

“What the fuck?” both muttered at the same time. A couple nearby heads swiveled our way, then turned quickly back.

“Guys, come on,” I said as if I were not trying to push two magnets together the wrong way.

“I’m not sitting back down by him,” Vaughn growled.

“
Him
is my brother,” I said.

“What the fuck are you even doing here?” Darryl asked.

“Good fucking question, you…fucker,” Vaughn said scowling.

Then, the red left Darryl’s eyes enough for him to finally put it together. “Meagan, you invited him? Are you still fucking seeing this guy?”

All the tables around us were glancing nervously at us now. Tara could barely keep herself from grinning. The wait staff were looking at each other as if deciding whose turn it was to call the cops.

“That’s what we’re here to discuss,” I said, though discussion seemed as likely as me going to Mars now. “Just sit down.”

Vaughn paced a bit, glanced at me, then sank onto the edge of the booth. Darryl smoldered into the side of his face.

I placed a hand out before each of them. “Yes, Darryl, to answer your question, I am still seeing Vaughn. That’s his name, by the way.”

“What’s his Klan title?” Darryl asked.

“We’re nationalists. We ain’t with the goddamn Klan,” Vaughn said, snapping to him. “Bunch of dumb hicks.”

“And you’re all fucking Nobel Prize winners, huh?” Darryl shook his head at me. “Meagan, what the hell? What is wrong with your head, girl? You that bad off you wanna take abuse from this piece of shit? Can’t stand up for yourself?”

“I’m standing up for myself right now,” I said, feeling my face rise to a simmer. “I’m choosing to date Vaughn and he’s choosing to be with me.”

Darryl looked even more disbelieving. He glanced to Vaughn. “So what? You’re reformed or something? You sure don’t sound like it. You disavowed yourself of what you painted on you?”

“I’m…I’m with your sister,” Vaughn said. Some of the fire had left his voice. “That’s all that matters.”

“Not to me, it doesn’t,” Darryl said. “I didn’t take care of my girl there all these years just to let some prick abuse her.”

My mind flashed to the memory of Rico. I thought about bursting the truth out, but it wouldn’t help as much as make both of them feel down.

“Listen, man,” Vaughn said. “I don’t know what Meagan had planned for this. I got nothing to say to you, but you better know that I would do nothing that doesn’t bring joy into that woman’s world.”

His hand clapped protectively around mine and I felt his heat burn up into me.

Darryl nodded thoughtfully. “How exactly does that jive with your little jacket there? With your own ideas?”

“I’m still working that out,” Vaughn said, voice almost level now. “I’ll send you a postcard once I know.”

Our scene had settled down enough for our waitress to scuttle on back and take Vaughn’s order for bacon and eggs. The table lay in silence when she left, both men staring past us. I ran circles through my head looking for something to bring conversation back.

“So Vaughn…” Tara said with a voice like daggers. “What do you do anyway?”

Vaughn looked at her blankly. “I’m with the Soldiers.”

Darryl snorted. “That’s it? That’s your whole life?”

“His brother and dad are in there too,” I jumped in. “That’s why he joined.”

“I was encouraged to join,” Vaughn said. “But I still made the choice.”

“Well, ain’t that nice,” Tara said. I threw a look at her, but she just shrugged.

“It’s a life,” Vaughn went on, his head suddenly dipped a bit. “I’ve been with them four years.”

“Ah, so you’re a senior then,” Tara said.

“I’m not leadership or anything, but yeah, I’m pretty high up.” He shrugged. “It’s worth something.”

“Yeah?” Darryl asked. “You guys think you’re an army or something with that name?”

“Yes,” Vaughn said square in his face, but then he added. “Some of us
think
we are.”

Darryl’s brow finally settled, flipped from anger to curiosity. “And you?”

“I know my history,” Vaughn said. “We’re no soldiers.”

Another quiet settled over us, but much calmer. I saw my chance.

“Vaughn’s really into military history,” I said.

Vaughn threw a tired glance at me and shrugged. “Yeah if you want to sell it that way, sure.”

“I’m saying cause Darryl’s ex-army.”

Vaughn’s eyes lit up. “Oh yeah?”

Darryl nodded. “I used to be an MP.”

“Military police.” Vaughn rolled his eyes. “Come on, man, that ain’t the real shit.”

That stoked Darryl’s fire. “You wanna know real shit? Tell me, what’s harder. Shooting at some camel herder in a desert or trying to take down a 300lb private who’s hopped up on drugs without doing lethal damage.”

They launched into an argument. The two were squared off against each other, but the anger had been converted into some other energy. It was their mouths at war; their bodies were easier than I had ever seen.

Vaughn had a surprisingly detailed knowledge of the history of policing in the armed forces and I could see Darryl become more and more thoughtful as they whacked each other’s words around. I could barely follow the lingo, but once Vaughn broke off in a laugh and Darryl smiled and shook his head.

I squeezed my hands and looked over at Tara in glee. She rolled her eyes, but her smile said something more.

The food arrived and we all tucked in. In the middle of the meal, Vaughn suddenly looked at Darryl and said. “So was that what happened to your face? Some soldier clocked you?”

“Maybe he was a soldier, I dunno. I’m out of the army. This was just a match.”

“Huh?”

“I fight in the ring once in a while.”

“Underground?”

“Yeah.”

Vaughn’s eyes lit up again, and before long the two were talking UFC. I hadn’t heard this side of him, and after hearing about some of the bone breaks, I was glad. But heck, I could not be happier. Them talking about anything was like a dream come to life.

I was pretty high sipping on my apple juice and content to watch my two guys, but then my phone buzzed. I recognized the number from before: Rico, again.

In my bliss, I flipped it open just to see what that bastard could possibly want. He had a simple message.

I’m tired of saying I’m sorry. Let me make it up. I can get you back into Emory.

I snapped the phone shut, but even as the meal went on like a charm, even as Vaughn and Darryl tossed a stern nod at each other while we left the diner, my mind had been taken over by a new desire.

Maybe it was because things had gone so well, that I thought that they could go higher yet. Here was something to take my life from great, to absolutely perfect.

I can get you back in Emory
.

CHAPTER TEN

Vaughn

The sun blared down on the quarry, lighting up the white stone slopes penning me until they were blinding. Even with my shades on I had to keep my eyes on the ground.

My gaze drifted naturally to my chrome watch. Two thirty. The little hand raced around the edge faster that seemed possible.

“Where the fuck are these guys?” I asked. The newest additions to the Soldiers, Leonidas, was my backup today. He shrugged his big shaggy head from in front of his bike.

Fuck, why had Thurge picked today to be busy? He couldn’t peer into the future and see when we might be done, but he might just work up an excuse to have Calix let me go, maybe send me on an errand. My brother stood propped against the car a few feet up, smoking out into the wind. It would be too obvious to ask him direct, and besides, without Thurge, he needed me here.

Thing was, Meagan needed me around at four to keep an eye out for her too. She was meeting with some ex about some college thing. In her words, she didn’t need me, but she just wanted me to see she was on the level about the whole thing.

As if I didn’t trust her intentions. As if I didn’t know her enough by now to look into those dark eyes and see them tight with sadness. I didn’t know exactly what had passed between the two, but it wasn’t good.

My blood boiled at the idea of her alone with him, even in a public place. I needed to be there.

A whistle rang out in the air above - Asher letting us know the payload was here. I should have been pissed that he gave away a tactical position, but I was too relieved to give a shit.

The faded sedan rumbled down the winding roads into the pit from another side, kicking up dirt and gravel. It dropped to our level and drove up to us before turning and stopping. The head honcho climbed out from the passenger side and stretched his flabby body. His driver popped out, tense and fixed on us.

Then, two more guys popped out of the backseats. They had dark oiled skin, tattooed and scarred - real fighters.

My thoughts scattered. This hadn’t happen before. I landed on my piece but didn’t pull it out. I signaled to Leonidas to hold back. We had Asher. No need to cause incident yet.

Calix crushed out his cigarette and met the Cartel boss as he strode out in shorts and sandals. He pursed his lips and took a long gander at my brother.

“We have considered your proposal,” he said finally.

Calix had shared what this meant. That’s what his little mission had been about – requesting a bigger payout from the Cartel for the increased risk we were taking.

“Good,” Calix said and nothing more. He knew just how to play this.

“You are right,” the Mexican said. “You do deserve more money.”

He ticked his head to the side, and the three aides went around to the trunk and came back with a satchel each. It was three times our usual payment.

“Fuck yeah,” Leonidas grunted.

My eyes were on Calix though and he seemed puzzled. A tripling in our pay didn’t seem right to me. I kept my grip tight on my piece as he looked through a bag. His face seized with anger.

“The fuck is this?” he asked, pulling out a stack of paper that was distinctly blue.

“Pesos,” the Cartel man said calmly.

“We can’t use these in America.”

The man shrugged. “You said you wanted more money, so here you are. More money.”

Calix looked from bag to bag, but I knew exactly what that shithead Cartel guy had done.

“This is your usual payment,” the cartel boss said, spreading his arms out, “But now there is more of it.”

Calix marched up to him, but there were metal clicks and the three lackeys had guns in their hands.

I pulled out my piece, my heart pounding. I hoped to god that Asher could read the situation right over the radio. Too early and my brother would be the first in line to get shot. Too late, and he’d already be dead.

“What the fuck is this?” Calix asked, stabbing a finger at the guy’s face.

“It is what we are offering you.” The Cartel man said, his face losing warmth word by word. “Who do you think has the power here, gringo?”

“You’re in America, senor. You’d do best to remember that.”