“Sounds like an eventful day,” my buddy muttered, taking a swig from his bottle.
I picked at the label on mine, grinning to myself. “Yeah. It made the journey down here more interestin’, that’s for sure.”
“Not like you to go gaga over a woman. Never known you to get so invested in a female before.”
“Don’t often meet anyone who can hold my interest past one night. You know what it’s like. This life ain’t for the faint-hearted. We need special women to put up with it.”
“And us,” he muttered.
I nodded my agreement. “Yeah, and us.”
“You lookin’ to settle down?” Bullseye asked.
“I’ll see how things go. Aislynn could turn out to be a dud. It’s not just me I have to think about; it’s my boys, too. I loved their mom, but she wasn’t strong enough for this life. Cuttin’ her loose wasn’t easy, but I did it, and I can do it again, but this time I need to stay detached. Got a lot goin’ on and I need to put all my energy into makin’ my chapter a success.”
“You’ve given up a lot to hold the gavel,” he acquiesced.
I took a pull from my bottle. “We all have. We’re in the big chair ’cause we put the club above our own wants and needs.”
“Still, I’m shocked you wanna go there again after what happened with the boys’ mom. I remember how cut up you were at the time.”
I let out a snort. “Not lookin’ to fall in love, brother. I’m lookin’ for an ol’ lady and a good woman to help me raise my boys. Need someone I can trust with a good background and decent ethics who can teach Rex and Roman right from wrong. She needs to have ambition and do her own thing so she’s not up my ass twenty-four seven. Aislynn has all that plus a good family and a moral compass, and we get along. I’ll even go as far as to say I like her, but that’s as far as it goes.”
“An ol’ lady and kids is the definition of needy,” he told me. “You can’t expect a decent girl to put up with that bullshit. You may as well just get with a club whore who knows the score. Civilians don’t get the life.”
“Aislynn will,” I argued. “She’s connected to the Irish Mob. She knows how it works. I can’t get invested in a woman; I’ve got a club to run and deals to make. I can give her anything she wants, but she’s gotta keep the home fires burnin’ while I’m out doin’ what I gotta do. I have a lot of responsibility, brother, as you well know. Ain’t got the time or the energy to pander to a woman. We can have a good life, but she’s gotta do her ownthing. It can’t all be about me, the same way my life can’t be all about her.”
“Savage,” he muttered. “You need to lay everythin’ out for her, Pagan.”
“I know, but you’re in the same position as me. You get it.”
He took another pull of beer. “Yeah, I get it. Saint seems to be doing okay with havin’ an ol’ lady though. Makes me wonder if it’s just about meetin’ the right one.”
I chuckled. “Heard he got hooked, and by a Fed no less. How the fuck did that happen?”
“She was Secret Service,” Bullseye explained. “Things were contentious there for a while, but it got worked out. Pippa’s cool, and she’s cool with the club.”
“Thank fuck it all worked out,” I muttered, taking another swig. “Last thing you need is a nark who has access to your inner circle.” I jerked my chin toward the bar where the boys were still gathered. “Bootneck’s got a big ol’ aversion to the authorities, especially ones who can deport him.”
Bullseye’s eyebrows creased. “He’s got a green card, right?”
“Yeah, and he’s also done time. If immigration catches up with him, he’s fucked.”
My bud cursed under his breath. “Shit.”
“Yep.” My gaze slid toward the bar to study my SAA. “He saved my life, and the lives of hundreds of other US Marines when we served together. This country owes my brother a debt, but all they wanna do is kick him out.”
“What did he go away for?” Bullseye asked quietly.
“His wife had an affair when he was in Afghanistan. He beat the snot out of the guy she was fuckin’. You gotta bear in mind that he was riddled with PTSD at the time; hell, we all were. Back then, when the war ended, and we all got shipped home, we couldn’t function like humans.”
Bullseye cocked his head. “He didn’t get deported at the time?”
“Nah. He got court-martialed and did time in a military prison. When he got out, he joined the club, and he’s been layin’ low ever since. Previous administrations didn’t give him a second thought, but this one has, and let’s just say certain government agents wearing masks have been makin’ inquiries locally, and it’s makin’ me nervous.”
Bullseye nodded thoughtfully. “If he needs to get lost, he’s welcome here.”
I leaned back in my chair. “Thanks, brother. If Boot did come for a visit, I hope it would be fleetin’, just while I got him a whole new identity sorted.”
