TRITON
We’d just finished gettingeveryone caught up on the recent events involving the Vasquez cartel when Aldis’s phone rang. He was president of the Rebel Hearts and usually the first person someone in town reached out to when trouble ended up on their doorstep. Aldis told us all to take five while he handled whoever was on the line. I got up to stretch my legs and grab a bottle of water from the fridge. I’d been spending too much time on my bike and not enough time at the gym lately. My muscles were tight.
“Triton, got a sec?” Aldis summoned me over. “The new preacher had a visit from someone the cartel sent. Sounds like they threatened him and he’s pretty shaken. Do you have time to head over and see if you can give him any suggestions?”
“Yeah, sure. Any idea what kind of threat we’re looking at?” I hadn’t been in a church in years though my foster mother had expected all of us boys to go every Sunday while I was growing up. I could still remember filing into one of the pews in front and feeling like everyone in the building was staring at us. Depending on who Mama Mae was looking after, sometimes we filled two or three pews.
Aldis shook his head. “I didn’t get specifics. Why don’t you take Chance or Drak with you when you go?”
“Will do.” I’d trust either one of those guys with my life. We’d met shortly after each of us joined the Navy. If I had to pick someone to have my back, they’d both be at the top of the list.
I walked through the maze of couches and chairs and found the two of them sitting next to each other arguing about whether the Astros might make it to the series this year. “Aldis wants us to head over to the new preacher’s place. Someone from the cartel paid him a visit this afternoon.”
They didn’t need more info than that to get up and follow me outside. The day was too pretty not to ride over on our bikes, but I didn’t know what to expect, so I opted to take my truck instead. I led the way with Chance right behind me and Drak bringing up the back.
We passed the spot where I’d picked up Bess earlier in the day. I could picture the way her hair had sparkled in the sun and the faint flush that swept over her cheeks the first time she looked at me. I’d never mixed club business with my personal life, but something told me Bess was going to push those boundaries.
Too soon, I pulled into a long drive shaded on each side by tall pecan trees. I’d heard rumors the cartel had run the last preacher out of town, but official word was that he wanted to find a posting closer to his wife’s side of the family. They new guy had only been in town for about a month, and I hadn’t had a chance to meet him yet.
“Any idea what this is about?” Drak asked as he punched the doorbell.
I cracked my knuckles while we stood on the stoop. “You know as much as I do.”
The door opened and she stood behind the screen, still wearing the hot pink t-shirt she’d had on earlier.
“Bess? What are you doing here?” My pulse jacked up while my mouth went dry. Seeing her again had me just as tongue tied as I was that morning.
“Shh.” She put a finger to her full lips. “My dad can’t know that we’ve already met.”
“Wait. Your dad…” My brain figured it out faster than my mouth. “Your dad is the new preacher?”
Nodding, she opened the screen door. “Please come in. My parents are in the kitchen. Can I get you something to drink?”
“We’re fine for now,” I answered for all of us.
“What the fuck?” Chance whispered. “When did you hook up with the preacher’s daughter?”
“We didn’t hook up.” Didn’t mean I hadn’t stopped thinking about the possibility.
“So, this little birdie is available?” Drak asked.
The glare I gave him was enough to put an end to that line of questioning. Bess was mine. It would have sounded childish to tell them I’d seen her first so I should get first dibs. What I felt for her went way beyond a crush. I couldn’t explain it and they’d probably call me pussy whipped if I even tried.
“Dad, the men from the Rebel Hearts are here.” Bess side eyed me as we entered the kitchen.
Her dad got up from the vintage Formica table and held out his hand to shake each one of ours in turn. “I’m Pastor Trammer and this is my wife, Angela, and my daughter, Bess. Thank you for coming. Celia—she manages the office—is the one who reached out.”
I couldn’t keep my eyes from drifting back to Bess. Was it the soft light from the overhead fixture or did she look even more stunning than she had earlier in the day?
Chance elbowed me in the gut, pulling my attention back to the preacher.
“I’m Triton and this is Chance and Drak.” Standing in the kitchen of the man whose daughter I’d been fantasizing about all day was a new experience for me, but setting my personal shit aside to get the job done was one of my strengths. “Do you want to talk in here?”
Pastor Trammer nodded and looked from his wife to his daughter. “Can you two give us a few minutes?”
“Will someone please tell me what’s going on?” Bess shook her mother’s hand off her arm. “You’re worrying me.”
Her dad let out a long sigh and gestured for us to all take a seat. “I suppose you’re going to find out soon enough.”
