Until July
Page 30
“Told you.” He smiles, squeezing my thigh.
“Do you want to stay at my house tonight?” I ask, not knowing why I even bother asking, ’cause he has stayed with me every night since the first time he crawled into my bed.
“Babe,” he starts, and I can tell he’s trying not to laugh, “I haven’t even been to my place in three days.”
“It’s weird how this thing has been happening between us,” I say quietly.
“What do you mean?”
“Everything has been at warp speed since our first date, or what would have been our first date, if you hadn’t ruined it.”
“Thought you forgot about that,” he mumbles, but I can hear the smile in his voice.
“Nope, I still remember, and will probably use it as leverage for the rest of your life.”
“You plan on knowing me that long?”
“I hope so,” I reply, wondering why the hell I just said that.
“Glad to know even in warp speed we’re on the same page,” he says, and I pull my eyes away from him and look out the window.
I don’t know if it’s possible to fall in love in such a short time, but if it is, I’m in love with Wes Silver. Now I just had to figure out how to tell my dad about him.
*
Wes
“Silver,” Jax calls, walking into the shop through the open bay’s door. I lift my chin and step away from the bike I’m working on while wiping my hands on a greasy rag. “I have some news about Snake,” he says, and my jaw grinds at the mention of his name. As much as I don’t want to be involved with this shit, I know I have to be. It’s not in me to sit by while good, innocent people are hurt. “He was seen leaving a meeting in downtown Nashville this afternoon.”
“And?”
“And the meeting was with Franco Demitrez.”
“Is that supposed to mean something to me?”
“He controls one of the largest sex trafficking and prostitution rings this side of the Mississippi,” he says, and my gut twists. I had known for a while that what was happening with Snake and his boys was bad, but this takes this shit to a whole different level.
“You know I hate asking you for any favors,” he starts, and my eyes narrow. Since the first moment we met he has been asking my crew to help him with shit. “I need you and your boys to help me secure some girls their moving soon.”
“Then what? Do you even know the level of fucked-up you’re dealing with right now? You can’t just sweep in and you sure as fuck need to have a plan in place for when it’s all over.”
“I understand that, I also understand that Landon came to talk to me.” He says pulling his hat off and running a hand over his head.
“What did he want?” I ask, Landon’s dad owns Mamma’s Country; he’s the kid that was dropping off dogs to July, the same kid July asked me to help.
“Did you know Landon has a sister?”
“No.” Ronnie never mentioned having another kid, not to me and I never saw a girl around.
“He does but Snakes boys took her and that’s the leverage they have been holding over Ronnie that’s why things went to shit at Mamma’s Country.
“Christ.”
“Landon heard one of Snake’s boys talking about some girls that they were holding and Landon thinks his sister will be with them.
“Jesus,” I grunt, disgusted. “Let me talk to the guys. I’ll call you so we can meet up and figure out what we’re going to do.” The boys and I have never made a move without each of us agreeing, and I’m not going to start doing that shit now.
“I’m in,” Z says, coming to my side.
“Me too,” Mic chimes in.
“I’m down,” Harlen mutters.
“I was getting bored anyways.” Everret shrugs, walking up to the group.
“Looks like we’re in,” I sigh. “We’ll meet tonight and go over the details.
“Until tonight,” Jax says, heading out.
“We’re going to need to get some weapons,” Z says.
“I know a place,” Harlen tells us. “If I head out now, I should still be able to make the connect.”
“Mic, you go with Everret. Harlen, you find out everything you can about this situation.”
“On it,” Mic says, walking away, followed by Everret and Harlen.
“We’re going to need someone to watch the girls when we can’t,” Z states, and I run a hand over my head then look at him.
“Jax and the boys will help.”
“Would they kill to protect them? Die to protect them?” he asks, and I think about Jax, Talon and Sage and I know they would. “They would do whatever is necessary,” I assure him.
“I wasn’t going to tell anyone, not yet, ’cause it’s so early, but Kayan’s pregnant,” he confides, and all I can do is stare at him. “We weren’t planning on this happening. Hell, I wasn’t even planning on her.” He scrubs his hand down his face, and when his eyes meet mine, I notice for the first time in years that he looks happy.
“Jesus, you move fast,” I mutter, smiling.
“When she told me she was pregnant, I thought I was going to fucking pass out. I have never been so scared in my life.” He shakes his head and looks out the bay door then back at me. “I never put much thought into the future until her,” he says, and I get that. Even when I was married, I didn’t think about the future or having children. I didn’t think about anything but my next mission. Seeing July changed all of that. I want tomorrow and seventy years from now with her.
“I’m happy for you, brother.” I pull him in for a one-arm hug then lean back just enough to see his face and wrap my hand around the side of his neck, smiling. “You ever think two years ago this would have happened?”
“Fuck no.” He shakes his head and I let him go.
“Me, neither.” I didn’t expect to find a woman who fits me perfectly, a woman who makes me want to slide a ring on her finger just so I can show everyone she’s mine, a woman who brings out every possessive and protective instinct I didn’t even know I had. But that’s what I found the day I met July Mayson. “You okay?” I ask Z, who suddenly looks worried.
“Never been in love. You know my family’s fucked up,” he says, and I nod. “I don’t even know what love feels like.”
Fuck…
“Do you want to stay at my house tonight?” I ask, not knowing why I even bother asking, ’cause he has stayed with me every night since the first time he crawled into my bed.
“Babe,” he starts, and I can tell he’s trying not to laugh, “I haven’t even been to my place in three days.”
“It’s weird how this thing has been happening between us,” I say quietly.
“What do you mean?”
“Everything has been at warp speed since our first date, or what would have been our first date, if you hadn’t ruined it.”
“Thought you forgot about that,” he mumbles, but I can hear the smile in his voice.
“Nope, I still remember, and will probably use it as leverage for the rest of your life.”
“You plan on knowing me that long?”
“I hope so,” I reply, wondering why the hell I just said that.
“Glad to know even in warp speed we’re on the same page,” he says, and I pull my eyes away from him and look out the window.
I don’t know if it’s possible to fall in love in such a short time, but if it is, I’m in love with Wes Silver. Now I just had to figure out how to tell my dad about him.
*
Wes
“Silver,” Jax calls, walking into the shop through the open bay’s door. I lift my chin and step away from the bike I’m working on while wiping my hands on a greasy rag. “I have some news about Snake,” he says, and my jaw grinds at the mention of his name. As much as I don’t want to be involved with this shit, I know I have to be. It’s not in me to sit by while good, innocent people are hurt. “He was seen leaving a meeting in downtown Nashville this afternoon.”
“And?”
“And the meeting was with Franco Demitrez.”
“Is that supposed to mean something to me?”
“He controls one of the largest sex trafficking and prostitution rings this side of the Mississippi,” he says, and my gut twists. I had known for a while that what was happening with Snake and his boys was bad, but this takes this shit to a whole different level.
“You know I hate asking you for any favors,” he starts, and my eyes narrow. Since the first moment we met he has been asking my crew to help him with shit. “I need you and your boys to help me secure some girls their moving soon.”
“Then what? Do you even know the level of fucked-up you’re dealing with right now? You can’t just sweep in and you sure as fuck need to have a plan in place for when it’s all over.”
“I understand that, I also understand that Landon came to talk to me.” He says pulling his hat off and running a hand over his head.
“What did he want?” I ask, Landon’s dad owns Mamma’s Country; he’s the kid that was dropping off dogs to July, the same kid July asked me to help.
“Did you know Landon has a sister?”
“No.” Ronnie never mentioned having another kid, not to me and I never saw a girl around.
“He does but Snakes boys took her and that’s the leverage they have been holding over Ronnie that’s why things went to shit at Mamma’s Country.
“Christ.”
“Landon heard one of Snake’s boys talking about some girls that they were holding and Landon thinks his sister will be with them.
“Jesus,” I grunt, disgusted. “Let me talk to the guys. I’ll call you so we can meet up and figure out what we’re going to do.” The boys and I have never made a move without each of us agreeing, and I’m not going to start doing that shit now.
“I’m in,” Z says, coming to my side.
“Me too,” Mic chimes in.
“I’m down,” Harlen mutters.
“I was getting bored anyways.” Everret shrugs, walking up to the group.
“Looks like we’re in,” I sigh. “We’ll meet tonight and go over the details.
“Until tonight,” Jax says, heading out.
“We’re going to need to get some weapons,” Z says.
“I know a place,” Harlen tells us. “If I head out now, I should still be able to make the connect.”
“Mic, you go with Everret. Harlen, you find out everything you can about this situation.”
“On it,” Mic says, walking away, followed by Everret and Harlen.
“We’re going to need someone to watch the girls when we can’t,” Z states, and I run a hand over my head then look at him.
“Jax and the boys will help.”
“Would they kill to protect them? Die to protect them?” he asks, and I think about Jax, Talon and Sage and I know they would. “They would do whatever is necessary,” I assure him.
“I wasn’t going to tell anyone, not yet, ’cause it’s so early, but Kayan’s pregnant,” he confides, and all I can do is stare at him. “We weren’t planning on this happening. Hell, I wasn’t even planning on her.” He scrubs his hand down his face, and when his eyes meet mine, I notice for the first time in years that he looks happy.
“Jesus, you move fast,” I mutter, smiling.
“When she told me she was pregnant, I thought I was going to fucking pass out. I have never been so scared in my life.” He shakes his head and looks out the bay door then back at me. “I never put much thought into the future until her,” he says, and I get that. Even when I was married, I didn’t think about the future or having children. I didn’t think about anything but my next mission. Seeing July changed all of that. I want tomorrow and seventy years from now with her.
“I’m happy for you, brother.” I pull him in for a one-arm hug then lean back just enough to see his face and wrap my hand around the side of his neck, smiling. “You ever think two years ago this would have happened?”
“Fuck no.” He shakes his head and I let him go.
“Me, neither.” I didn’t expect to find a woman who fits me perfectly, a woman who makes me want to slide a ring on her finger just so I can show everyone she’s mine, a woman who brings out every possessive and protective instinct I didn’t even know I had. But that’s what I found the day I met July Mayson. “You okay?” I ask Z, who suddenly looks worried.
“Never been in love. You know my family’s fucked up,” he says, and I nod. “I don’t even know what love feels like.”
Fuck…
