Hogan nodded.“Yeah.Did you see Dev, Bateman, and Surge sitting down, bottle ofOkolehaobetween them when we left?”
Kai frowned.“Okolehao?Hawaiian moonshine?You leave three egos with a bottle of that, and nothing good comes out of it.What were they talking about?”
“My guess?The future.”Hogan’s mouth twitched.“After a similar initiation of fire between Bravo and the Pathfinders a few years back, Dev and Bateman sat down with a bottle of whiskey to talk about the future.Bateman had seen what Bravo had built at Cottonwood Farm, and he wanted something similar for us.I reckon Surge is looking for advice for what Black Tide needs to decide what they want for the future.”
Kai scowled.“Shouldn’t I be in that conversation?”
“No,” Hogan said firmly, tipping Kai’s chin up until their eyes met.“You’re a Pathfinder now.”
Kai blinked, startled.“That so?”
“Yeah.”Hogan smirked.“Means forever with me.You got a problem with that?”
Kai’s scowl softened into something warmer.“Nope.Guess not.”
Hogan tightened his arm around him, voice low.“I love the way you never back down, even when you should.I love the way you look at me like I’m worth saving.I love the way you laugh, the way you fight, the way you push every button I’ve got until I’m half-mad.I love every part of you, Rip.”
Kai’s eyes glistened as he pressed closer.“I love the way you make me feel safe when the world’s burning, Ace.I love your stubbornness, your loyalty, the way you’d burn the world to ash just to find me.I love your sarcasm, even when it drives me nuts.And I love that when you call me Rip, I remember exactly why I stayed alive.”
The van was quiet except for them, their breath mingling, the weight of everything they had survived settling between them.Hogan kissed him slowly, tender, reverent.
When they broke apart, Hogan whispered, “Dead reckoning.”
Kai tilted his head.“What?”
“Think about it ...it’s like I told you.It’s a way to navigate when you can’t see the stars, when you’ve got no map.You plot where you’ve been, track your speed, your heading, and you trust it to take you home.”He cupped Kai’s face, thumb brushing his cheek.“That’s us, Rip.I’ve been lost for a long damn time.But you—you’re my dead reckoning.You’re how I find my way back.”
Kai’s chest rose on a shaky breath, eyes locking on his.“Then let’s never lose course again.”
“Never,” Hogan promised.And with the rain falling, the waterfall singing, and the future waiting, he knew it wasn’t just a vow.It was truth.
Chapter Fourteen
The bottle ofOkolehaosat between them, half-empty already, the harsh sweetness of Hawaiian moonshine burning its way down Surge’s throat.It was the kind of drink that either changed your world or ended it, depending on how many glasses you had the guts to lift.Around him, the warehouse had gone quiet.The others had either turned in, licking wounds and exhaustion, or headed into town in search of a little nightlife before their flight back to Wyoming.But Surge had asked Bateman and Dev to stay.He didn’t need the noise of a bar.He needed this table, this bottle, and these two men who understood the crossroads on which he stood.
At first, the talk stayed sharp and easy.The Bratya.The other heads of Kavaci who still needed to fall.They agreed the victory tonight was only the beginning.Surge leaned forward, pouring another round, his voice flat.“Leave it to me and mine.Black Tide will hunt the other four heads of the Bratya.We’ll do the wet work.We always do.If we need you, I’ll reach out.Until then—keep your families safe.”
