“Why did you bring me here?I thought we were going to stay Montana, where you’ll be working now.”
“I had a couple of things to take care of first.You know, pack my apartment and forward my mail.And I wanted you to meet my family—the brothers who’ve meant the most to me for the past few years.They’ve been my unit, my team and my family.Despite how bad they smell, I’m going to miss the bastards.Besides, I wanted to see their faces when they hear what we’ve done.They aren’t going to believe it when I tell them.”He turned her toward the group of men gathered around a large table.
“This is your family?”Alana held back a frown pulling at her forehead.“You didn’t tell me we were meeting a big group of people.”
“I didn’t want this motley crew to scare you away before you got to know them.”Chase gave a sharp whistle to get their attention.“Hey, you bunch of dirtbags, I want you to meet Alana.”
“Alana!”As one, all of the men lifted their drinks and shouted her name.
“Because you’re all family to me, I wanted you to be here to get to know someone I care a great deal about.This is Mrs.Alana Neal Flannigan, my wife.”
“What?You’re kidding!”one yelled.
“Well, I’ll be damned,” said another.
Yet a third man slapped his leg and laughed.“The most confirmed bachelor took the plunge.That doesn’t bode well for the rest of us.”
“Let me introduce you to them by their favorite drinks—which we use as our ‘handles’ on the team.”He pointed to the first man to his right, a dark-haired man with soulful brown eyes.“This is Dirty Martini, or Dirtman for short.He doesn't talk much, well, except to cuss.You'll get used to him.”
Dirty Martini shot Chase his middle finger and gave Alana a chin lift of recognition.
Chase pointed to a man with a high-and-tight haircut, wearing a crisp white button-down shirt and a navy-blue blazer.“That’s Bourbon Neat.He likes the expensive stuff.”
Alana smiled at the man and shook his hand.He dressed like a man on his way to a business meeting, except relaxed like being so cool was as natural as breathing.
Pointing to a man sipping from a wine goblet, Chase said, “This is Red Wine.He likes to think he’s sophisticated.”
The man in question tossed a pretzel at Chase.“Nah, I just never developed a taste for beer.Why suffer drinking piss water, when I can have a smooth, red wine?”He lifted his glass to Alana.“Welcome to the family, sister.”
“Cold Beer likes his beer cold and his women hot.”Chase tipped his head toward a man holding a frosty beer mug.“He can flip a beer cap into any can.He’s won money from that particular skill.”
“Damn right.”The man with the neatly trimmed beard lifted his mug in salute.“Still can’t believe Salty Dog got hitched.You must be some special kind of woman.Congrats.”
“She is the best kind of woman,” Chase said and pointed to a man with a glass containing a dark liquid.“Single Malt’s not as pretentious as his choice of liquor would lead you to believe.He just doesn’t drink if single malt isn’t available.He’s acquired a taste for the good shit.”
Single Malt nodded.“I don’t settle for less than what I want.”
“Stick with your standards, man,” Chase said and turned to a man with a mixed drink.“Rusty Nail likes the hard stuff because he’s a hard case.”
Rusty Nail lifted his glass.“Don’t listen to him.I like my liquor hard, and my women soft.I’m a teddy bear at heart.”
“Last but not least is our permanent designated driver, Black Coffee.”Chase indicated a man with dark hair, sipping a steaming mug of java.“We’re fortunate to have him stone sober, for the most part.Although on occasion, he likes to mix a little Irish cream in his mug.”
Black Coffee nodded his head.“Glad to oblige.Nice to meet you, Alana.”
Chase continued.“And you know Sex on the Beach, who earned his moniker by being the biggest womanizer of the lot.”
Carson, wearing a shirt with palm trees and hula girls, grinned.“That’s right.Two of my favorite things.Sex and beaches.”
Alana laughed.“Thank goodness, some people can be reformed.”
“Some of these guys need it,” Chase said.
The men threw cardboard coasters at him.
“Some of us don’t want to be reformed,” said the one Chase had called Dirty Martini.
“By the way, what did you do with Delgado?”she asked Carson.
