“Damn, brother, thank you. Not sure, but since I got back Stateside I’ve had the hardest damn time trying to start and hold a conversation. Not only with Dottie but seems like with anyone, especially folks not military. It’s like I’ve put up a wall to protectmyself from said civilians, which it seems I’ve become one of. Gonna need to be able to blend in with everyone, I guess, and I’m not doing a great job of it from how Dottie just left.”
“Halo, it makes total sense. You were fucked over by the powers that be and held as a POW for quite a long fucking time. Don’t know what ya went through but, unfortunately, I’ve been in a similar situation myself. Make sure you take your therapy sessions seriously because that will save you from yourself. Don’t lie to the counselor and really work hard to try and repair the damage that was done to your body and mind. No, don’t get that pissed-off look, Halo, you ain’t damaged. That’s not what I’m saying. Brother, when you’re held as a prisoner of war those motherfuckers take pride in trying their best to goddamn break us. Don’t think they did that to you, but it was close. I can tell that by the way you react. Nothing wrong with that, but if you want to enjoy your life path, then you’re going to have to put in the work. For now, go clean up and I’ll get the duffel ready for you to deliver. Think about something to talk about on your way over to the ranch. Try to be prepared until it starts to come back naturally. And it will, brother, just give it some time. Thanks, Halo, for doing this favor for me.”
With a hard pat on my shoulder, which actually moves me a bit, Enzo military struts toward the largest barn. When he’s near, his ever-present partner makes it around the corner. His dog, Magnum, runs right up to Enzo, jumping up on his hind legs and then gives his dad a huge kiss. Paisley comes out laughing and I can hear her tinkling voice explain that she let Magnum out. Enzo lets his guard down only around his dog, which I can clearly see as he plays with him. When he snaps his fingers I can see, even from this distance, as Magnum bounces into duty and takes a seat right next to Enzo. Damn, that man can train a canine. I’ve seen, in the limited time I’ve been here, Enzo finish training a dog for a young boy who has severe autism and type1 diabetes. When the kid saw his dog, without thought he ran to him hugging on him tightly. The dog just stood there, letting the boy do it while the kid’s parents cried the entire time. From what I’ve heard, the family is doing so much better since the dog—shit, what was his name? Yeah, the kid named the dog Dragon. Shaking my head, I hightail it to one of the bunkhouses to shower. Since I’m here so much Ollie gave me a locker so I can keep some clothes and shit here, even though I’m staying at Tink’s ranch. Once showered and dressed, I get ready to make my way to Dottie’s house. Can’t forget the bag though because that’s my cover story. That makes me smile that Enzo took the time to help me out. Guess my commander was right when he told me to make my way to the Blue Sky Sanctuary ’cause slowly I’m finally starting to feel like my old self. Only time will tell but I’m thinking the new me will be a mix of my old self and this new more cautious one. Which isn’t a bad thing at all. Better than being cold and six feet under.
Not only did Enzo help me out with a reason to stop by Dottie’s but also let me borrow one of his trucks. As I drive toward the ranch, my mind is going in all directions to find something that will hold Dottie’s attention and let us continue to get to know each other, while holding more than a few short conversations. When I get to the driveway I stop as the guards are approaching. Sometimes I wonder why all this is needed, but Ollie did explain that what these women do is beyond heroic but also very dangerous. He shared a few stories of how the ranch had been terrorized back in the day, so it makes perfect sense to protect it at all costs. I roll my window down as Heartbreaker, along with Malice and Void from the Intruders, make their way to me.
“Hi, I’m here to see Dottie.”
The guys smirk while Heartbreaker leans in a bit.
“She know you’re coming, Halo?”
Shaking my head, I wonder if I made a mistake. That is until Heartbreaker smiles my way, which takes my breath away.Damn, she’s gorgeous,I think as my body doesn’t respond at all. Yeah, guess my gut is tied in knots only for one of the Devil’s Handmaidens…Dottie.
“Hey, Halo, no worries. I’m sure she’ll be fine. What do you want me to say, as I got to call her and let them know you’re here?”
“Um, well, Enzo asked me to drop the welcome duffel bag off since the twins adopted Bowie.”
Her eyes get huge before she runs around the truck, knocking on the passenger window, throwing her arms in the air. I unlock it as she screams to Void and Malice to hold the line and that she’ll be back. Maybe.
“Well, come on, Halo, let’s go. Want to meet Bowie and this way it’ll be a smoother transition for you with your girl.”
She winks my way and I grin. Yeah, it feels really nice to have people—well, civilian folks—who seem to have my back. I’m pretty lucky coming here and being accepted so quickly. I’m not hiding anything, well, except what happened during my time as a prisoner of war. I’ve talked to Avalanche and even Panther about it, as their whole team was captured and held for quite a while as prisoners of war themselves. Avalanche is easier to talk to, as when I’m around Panther it feels like he’s able to get right into my head, which is a bit scary. I jump when Heartbreaker lightly punches my arm.
“Hey, brother, next dirt road take a right and follow it around to the last cabin. You know where they live, right? Thought you’d been there before.”
I explain that yes, I’ve been to the cabin. I follow the road around until we can see the twins outside the cabin running around with Bowie. The smiles on both women’s faces are priceless. I don’t even stop the truck completely before Heartbreaker throws open the door, jumping out, hands swinging and clapping. Bowie turns instantly and goes into protective mode.Shitis my only thought as I jump out of the truck. That’s when I hear Dani, the quieter twin, tell Bowie to“Sitzen,”which is sit in German. Thank God the dog listens instantly. Dottie is laughing as Heartbreaker pulls her in for a hug. Dani’s hand is on Bowie’s head, which she is petting slowly. When Heartbreaker approaches, I can see Dani is talking to the dog, whose ears are perked up. Dani tells Heartbreaker to put her hands to her side and wait, then she tells Bowie to “Ansatz,”which means approach. He moves to Heartbreaker, smells her hand, and sits, his tail wagging. Dottie tells him okay and he shifts his head so Heartbreaker can pet him, which she does. That’s when Dottie must realize I’m here ’cause she turns to me with a huge smile on her face. Damn, she’s fuckin’ gorgeous. Unlike when I look at any of her club sisters, it takes just one glance from her and my body is already reacting, which can be a bit embarrassing. So, I try to think about mucking out the stalls and other stuff, or else I’m gonna have a huge problem in my jeans. Dottie makes her way to me, hands out, so hesitantly, I reach for them. She continues to walk into me until her arms are around my waist.
“Benji, hey. I can’t thank you guys enough. Dani is thrilled to have Bowie here. We briefly talked and all of us are going to the sanctuary to get Bowie’s friend because we think it’s better for him to have a friend, since Dani and I are linked being twins. What do you think?”
I’m tongue-tied because the pure joy and happiness on her face hits me center mass. Fuck, what did she ask me? Oh yeah, about Bowie’s buddy at the sanctuary.
“Yeah, if that’s what you and Dani want to do. Remember though, Bowie’s buddy is a full-blooded Rottweiler, who Paisley rescued from a horrible hoarding situation. Not trying to scare you, but we don’t know much about him other than that.”
She grins then winks my way.
“Well, he should fit right in here, as not many folks know much about Dani and me either, Benji. You know about that, keeping everything close to the chest, right?”
That comment almost knocks me on my ass. So casual but she hit it right on the head. So deep in my own thoughts it takes her poking my arm to catch my attention.
“What’s Bowie’s buddy’s name?”
It takes me a moment to get my brain working again before I’m able to answer.
“Sorry, brain-freeze, nope, fart moment. His name is Moose and, warning you, he is one for damn sure.”
We all smile at my comment while Dani hangs on to Bowie’s leash while talking with Heartbreaker. Dottie moves closer to me without touching me.
“You okay? Was today a rough one or just doing too much? Remember, got to have downtime or else you’ll burn yourself out, Benji.”
“Dottie, are you talking from experience? And yeah, you’re right of course, but lots going on at the sanctuary. The only way I can show my appreciation for all they are doing for me is to work hard on whatever they tell me to. Though since you brought it up, when I have some downtime, how about we hang out? No, wait a minute. Shit, that came out wrong. I know you’re not one of the guys. I meant, we can go into town and grab another meal together or maybe go hiking, if you like that. As you can see, I’mabout as smooth as a horny teenage boy. Why I said that, don’t know, ’cause I’m not excited. Well, I am, but fuck me, I’m totally screwing this up. Bottom line is, I like you, Dottie, and really want to spend time together so we can get to know each other. If that’s something you’d like too.”
I wait impatiently as she stares at me, her mouth slightly open, though I can barely see her breathing. She gets a bit closer, a sexy as fuck smile on her face, while this time her one hand slowly moves to my face to caress my cheek. I lean into her hand and close my eyes. Can’t remember the last time someone touched me with kindness and gentleness.
“Honestly, and this is hard for me, I’d love to hang out and get to know you better. That in itself will take some time as I know how closed up I am, and you are three times worse than me. But it’s a start, right, Benji?”
Then to my shock, she stands on her tippy-toes and presses a very innocent kiss to my cheek before she grabs my hand, taking me with her to talk to her two sisters. Bowie looks to Dani, who gives him the okay, and the beast runs to me, literally knocking me on my ass, right to the ground. As I half sit and lie in the grass, Bowie gives me doggie kisses all over my face as the three women giggle. We’re having a blast until I get that strange feeling again of being watched. When I glance at Dottie, her eyes are shifting across all the land in front and to the side of us. When she meets my gaze, she shifts her shoulders up then down, which tells me she can feel it too. Then Bowie runs back to Dani, immediately sitting down then alerting next to her by letting out two short barks. That tells me everything I need to know.
