PROLOGUE

A METHYST

"Seriously, Amy, we've gotta move away from Rojo," Bella said for at least the third time in as many hours. She wasn't even looking at me while she spoke. For that matter, she wasn't looking at any of us who were seated at the table with her. Instead, she was craning her neck around so she could look at the men scattered around the yard. "The men at home don't look like this."

My sister knew how much it upset me to think of not having my friend close by and chided, "There you go, threatening Amethyst again."

I tried to ignore the pang of anxiety the thought of Bella moving away caused and said, "Others might disagree, but we can't see it because we're either related to them or have known them since birth. Although, I must say that there are some very handsome men here. Why haven't we ever seen them when we've come to visit?"

"The groom belongs to an MC near Dallas. I think most of these men do too."

"That explains the biker look," my sister said. She had always been attracted to more refined-looking men, whereas the rest of us seemed to gravitate toward the bad boy because that was the type of men we were raised around. "There are some cuties, though. Did you see that big one over there talking to the birdbrains?"

Wren laughed at her description, considering Diamond was referring to her brothers who were also named after different types of birds, and then asked, "How could anyone miss him? He's huge!"

"Who is that? He doesn't look like a biker," Bella said wistfully. "He looks like Lucifer Morningstar from that television show."

"Oh! Do you mean the guy from the cooking channel?" Gracy asked. "Look at them next to each other. I think they're father and son."

"Looks like they could be," Bella said. "The younger one doesn't need a cooking show to be delicious. Ba-dum-dum."

"Lame," Diamond muttered.

"He might be just the guy to get you out of your love slump," I said hopefully.

"Isn't that a book trope?" In a breathless voice, Cydney said, "They met at a wedding, and it was love at first sight."

"I'm not quite there yet," Bella insisted. She tried again to make a joke and said, "I am hungry, and it looks like his dad cooked up a fine meal."

"Please stop. You're embarrassing yourself," Diamond said with a roll of her eyes. "What is wrong with you people?"

"What's this ‘you people' malarkey?"

"There aren't any children around, and we're four hours from home. Just say the word shit. Just once. Please," Wren begged. "I know you can do it, Amy. Please. For me."

"Shi . . ." I drew the first vowel out for a second or two and then finished with, "Lamalamadingdong!"

Wren's head fell forward in shame, and the rest of the women around the table groaned and scoffed in disapproval, which just made me smile. The man I couldn't keep my eyes off of was staring at me openly now, his expression intense and almost angry, but when I smiled, he smiled back. It was almost as if the clouds had parted to let the sun shine through. It was only for a moment, but it brightened my day even more than the disdain from my friends.

And since irritating them with my refusal to curse fed my soul, that really meant something.

TAMA'I

"It's the original location. You want to be part of that legacy, don't you?"

"How much fucking snow do you get?" the man on the left asked. He looked at me and said, "We get snow, but they get snow. Believe me. I used to live here."

The men continued bickering about whose tattoo shop was better, and I looked at the guy standing next to me and smiled as he shook his head in embarrassment. I knew that he was about my age and one of their relatives, but I wouldn't be able to remember his name if you had put a gun to my head.

When my friend Dub invited me to his wedding, he assured me it would be a casual thing. As a matter of fact, I distinctly remember him saying, "We're going to have a cookout with some family and a few friends. No big deal. Swing by on the way to your sister's."

Because it made complete sense to ride up to Colorado on the way from Las Vegas, Nevada to Texas. But he'd found the woman of his dreams and invited all of his club brothers to witness their faaipoipoga. Even though I'd rather get my teeth pulled than attend a wedding ceremony, I made the drive anyway.

However, his idea of "no big deal" and "casual" were vastly different from mine. There were at least a hundred people here, if not more. Between my brothers from the club and their old ladies along with their children, the "few" in his description was blown out of the water. When you added in all the people I didn't know, who must be his new wife's family and friends, it was a full-fledged party complete with a live band, enough food to feed my old platoon, a dance floor with more square footage than most homes, and enough people to populate a small town.

The people in attendance were all from different walks of life too. Earlier, I was joined at the table by a doctor who asked if he could do a CT scan on my brain to see if it was in proportion to my body. Another doctor sitting at the table was appalled at the first one's question and just sat there shaking his head. I listened to the men bicker, like only family can do, when we were joined by another doctor who just happened to be their sister. Her play-by-play of their argument was hilarious and kept me amused through dinner. The woman was the whole package - gorgeous and funny with razor sharp wit, a sarcastic mouth, and an attitude that was so damn sexy, I nearly proposed to her on the spot.

Everyone at the table was pleasant and personable, even polite and inclusive, which I thought interesting considering that most people avoided me on principle. The fact that I was closer to seven feet tall than six made people look twice, the tattoos that sleeved my arms and came up to my jaw was enough to make people stare, and I'd been told more times than I could count that my face looked menacing even when I was happy. All of those characteristics combined generally made people uncomfortable, but not the ones who I happened to end up eating dinner with. They took it all in stride and involved me in their conversation as if they'd known me for years.

But then, a man I thought I'd never see again walked up and said hello, which led me to this moment right now which wasn't quite uncomfortable but not exactly pleasant either. There was no way having two grown men arguing over who could ‘have me' wouldn't be awkward, especially when they didn't feel I need to be included in the decision-making process.

Finally, Hawk, a man I'd taken a few college courses with in prison, walked over and handed me a beer. "So, how's the argument going? Do we have a pool started yet?"

"Let's start one. I've got some cash," I offered.

"You can't go in on it. You've got to make the final decision," the other man scoffed.

"When I introduced you, I had no idea they'd know your name," Hawk said with a laugh. "Look at the shit you've stirred up, man. You'd fit right in at either Tempest Tattoo shop."

"Speaking of introductions, can you go over all that again? I've met so many new people today that all of their names are just one big jumble," I admitted.

The other man laughed before he said, "I'm Crow, this guy's brother."

"And who are these men again?"

"The one on the right is Wrath. He owns the Colorado Springs shop. The man on the left is his brother Fain, and he owns the shop in Rojo."

"And why are they arguing about where I'm going to live when I've already said I'm going to Texas?"

"They're not really arguing," Hawk said confidently. "They're just discussing things vigorously."

"What's the point? I'm not moving to Colorado, I'm moving to Rojo."

"Yeah, but that's not going to stop them from arguing about it. They might even come to blows," Crow said hopefully. "Who are you taking?"

"You want me to bet on two brothers throwing down over something they have no control over?"

"Absolutely," Hawk said cheerfully. "I think I'll take Fain. He's scrappier, probably from his time in prison."

"I think Wrath can take him. He's older and meaner."

"What are we betting on?" another man asked as he walked up beside Crow.

"If Wrath or Fain would win in a fight," Crow replied.

"That's a hard one. Who are you taking?" the man asked me.

"Oh, Nix, this is Tiny," Hawk said. "Tiny, this is my youngest brother, Phoenix."

I shook his hand before I said, "I've got no skin in this game, but I'm going with the older brother."

"Why?"

"He looks devious. The younger one is probably tougher, but I'd guess the older one is meaner."

"I think you should hit him," Hawk encouraged the men.

"Which one are you talking to?" When Hawk shrugged, I shook my head. He just laughed, so I said, "You guys are nuts. You know that, right?"

"It's a family thing."

"How are you related to them?" I asked, watching the two men who were walking away - still arguing over me even though they'd left me here.

"Fain is married to our aunt."

"Okay," I said as I nodded. "What about that table of doctors?"

"Not blood, but still family," Crow explained.

"And that table of women over there? None of them are related to you, are they?" I asked as I nodded toward a group of beautiful women, one of which had been watching me for at least ten minutes. "How do you know them?"

"Let's see. Starting with the one in purple and going clockwise, you have Bella Conner, Cydney Stoffer, her sister Gracy, our sister Wren, and then Diamond and Amethyst Hamilton."

"Diamond and Amethyst? Sisters?" I asked. The women looked close in age, and even though their skin tone looked more like mine than most of the people here, there was enough difference in their features that I wasn't sure if they were related.

"Yeah. Their other sister is named Emerald. She's the pregnant one at the table you were sitting at earlier."

"How do you guys know Dub?" I asked.

"We're friends with Elizabeth. We've known her for ages. As a matter of fact, she used to work at the bar our cousin runs," Hawk explained.

"She seems really nice."

"She's good people," Nix said with a smile. "We've missed her since she moved to Colorado, but we come up here a lot to visit family, so we'll see her often."

"How did you meet Dub?" Hawk asked.

"We belong to the same MC. I joined when I got out, but then became a Nomad when I moved to Vegas."

"Time Served MC? They're from Tenillo, right?" Phoenix asked. When I nodded, he said, "I've met a few of them before and even more since we got here yesterday."

"Most of the men in our club are spread out all over the place, but we couldn't miss this."

"When are you coming to Rojo?" Hawk asked. "I guess you've got a job if you want one."

"I'm going to take it too," I said with a laugh. "Talk about luck. What are the odds that I'd meet a shop owner here when I figured I'd have to pound the pavement looking for a booth?"

"From the way they were arguing, it looks like you wouldn't have had to do that for long with your reputation," Crow pointed out.

"My work has been in a few magazines," I said vaguely.

"You were on that tattoo show, weren't you?" Phoenix asked. When I nodded, he said, "I knew I recognized you from somewhere."

"I did, too, but I thought you just looked like that player from the 49ers. Forest? DeForest? Something like that," Crow said thoughtfully. "I can't remember what his name is because that's not my team."

"I've heard that before too," I admitted.

"Tiny. That's a helluva name for a man your size," Phoenix said as he exaggeratedly leaned back so he could look at my face. "Not sure Rojo is big enough for you, man."

"I'll find a way to fit in. I always do."