17. Drew

Ilooked around the room as Colt and Sean got the final table in place. We had set up in the interrogation room for guy's night. We brought in a couple of card tables, a bunch of seating, and a fridge to keep the beer cold.

"Before everyone arrives," Sean said, "I just wanted to apologize to you guys for my actions. I know it hasn't felt like I was a team player, and that couldn't be further from the truth. For the past six years, my sole objective has been to keep Layla away from danger. Transitioning to facing the danger head-on with her and figuring out where I fit among you has been difficult. I haven't always made the right decision or shown the proper level of support, and for that, I am sorry. I'm trying. I hope you can see that."

It took him a lot to admit that to us. If I were in his shoes, it would have also been difficult for me. Hearing it went a long way toward soothing my feelings toward Sean. I liked the guy, but it didn't always feel like he had Layla's back the way he should. "Thank you for saying that. Apology accepted," I replied, clapping him on the back.

"It can be difficult to join an existing crew," Tyler said. "Because the one thing we all have in common is our love for Layla, I don't think we allowed you as much grace as we should have. We expected you to fit together with us like a missing puzzle piece, which is impossible since you didn't come from the same box."

"Why the fuck are you talking about puzzles?" Zach asked. The look he gave Tyler was laced with concern. "Are you having a stroke?"

"I understood the analogy," Colton stated, rolling his eyes. "And I agree with him. It wasn't up to you to find your place. We needed to reshape ourselves to make room for you, and we failed to do that. It's just as much our fault as yours."

"I think we've already made strides to do that, and we will continue to do so until it will be like you've always been with us," I assured Sean.

"While I still don't get the puzzle thing," Zach said, "I better understand why you were stuck on Layla running. Hearing you explain it the way that you did helped put it into perspective." We fell into an awkward silence, unsure of how to proceed.

"Ok, enough of all the feelings," Sean said, rubbing the back of his neck.

"You started it," Zach replied.

"And I'm ending it. What time are the others getting here?" Sean asked.

"They should be getting here soon," I replied, checking my watch.

"And how many more are we expecting?" Colton asked.

"Bear plus two and Nate plus three," Tyler replied.

When I initially came up with the idea to have a guy's night, I hadn't anticipated we would have as many people in attendance as we did. "Thank God Kadence doesn't have any boyfriends, or we'd have to find a bigger room," I laughed. We already had enough men to fill a football team.

There was a knock on the door, and Zach went to open it to let Bear and his two friends in. He put the kickstand on the door down to keep it open so that the others could join us without knocking when they arrived.

"What's up, guys?" Bear greeted, setting a case of beer next to the fridge. "You remember Blue and Sledge from the last girl's night. Who else is relieved that we aren't going out in public?"

"Fuck me," Sean replied, laughing. "The idea of trying to keep track of all of them terrifies me."

"Keeping track of Brandi alone can be terrifying," Nate commented as he joined us.

"Is she giving you a run for your money?" Tyler laughed.

"That woman treats my last nerve like a fucking trampoline," Nate replied. Kai, Giovanni, and Luis followed Nate into the room, and I shook their hands as they joined us. I hadn't had the opportunity to spend much time with them, but I knew Nate had been close to all of them before being assigned to Brandi.

A stranger appeared in the doorway after them with a black rolling case. "The door guards told us to bring this guy down with us," Luis said, jerking his thumb toward the man.

"Mike?" Zach asked, lighting up like a puppy.

"That would be me," Mike replied. "Where do you want me to set up?"

"Over here would be good!" Zach replied, leading him over to where he had arranged the interrogation table Sal had died on not long ago.

"What's this, Zach?" Colton asked.

"Well, the girls brought people in, so I thought I'd bring a tattooist for us. I want Layla's handprint tattooed on me," Zach replied. "Do you have the stuff?" he asked Mike.

Mike handed him a pad of paper and a large ink pad. Zach ran from the room while Mike continued to set up. He didn't just have tattooing material and tools; when he opened the bottom case, he had a scanner, laptop, and small printer inside.

"I take it you do mobile tattooing often?" I asked curiously.

"That's all I do," Mike replied. "Saves me on the cost of a brick-and-mortar shop or booth fees."

"I got it!" Zach yelled as he charged back into the room.

He handed the paper with Layla's handprint to Mike, who scanned it into his computer to print the stencil. "Anyone else getting one?" Mike asked.

"I will," Sean replied.

"All five of us should," I said.

"Me first, 'cause it was my idea," Zach stated. "You copycats can go after me."

"Will you have enough time to do all of us, Mike?" Colt asked.

"No," he replied, "but we can schedule more time for each of you."

"Then why did he ask?" Sean muttered to me.

"Better question: why the hell did Zach bring him in "for all of us" if he was only going to have time to tattoo Zach?" I replied.

"That is a better question," Sean agreed. "Whatever, let's play some poker. I'm looking forward to taking money from you all."

"You won't be getting a single penny from me," Bear replied as he sat at one of the tables.

I joined him at the table and began to shuffle the cards. "What's the buy-in?"

"Fifty bucks?" Colt asked, sitting across from me.

"Sounds good to me," I replied.

Tyler grabbed the chips and started handing out stacks to everyone. My table included Nate, Colton, Sean, Bear, and his buddy Blue. The others sat at the second table with Tyler. Zach wasn't participating since he was getting a tattoo instead.

"So, Nate, trampolines aside, how are things going with Brandi?" I asked as I dealt our first hand.

Nate sighed and rolled his eyes. "Not as well as I hoped it would be," he replied. "She takes every opportunity she can to undermine us and fights us at every turn right up to the edge of putting herself in danger. There isn't a day that goes by that I don't want to put her over my knee and turn her ass red."

"So why don't you?" Blue asked, as he threw his chips into the center of the table.

"Because I think she'd like it too much," Nate sighed.

"Do it anyway," Zach said over the hum of the tattoo gun.

"I've been tempted to," Nate admitted. "I just don't want to push her if she isn't ready, which she isn't. Brandi's holding back for some reason, keeping us at arm's length, while she blatantly eye fucks us. She thinks she's being subtle about it, but she isn't. It would be cute if it didn't leave me hard as a rock all the fucking time."

"I know how you feel, brother," Bear commiserated. "Monika is the same way. It's fucking infuriating."

"You can say that again," Blue growled. "If you figure out how to get her to cooperate, let us know."

"How did you guys get Layla to be with you?" Nate asked.

I looked at Colton and Sean. "We didn't give her a choice," I laughed. "We knew when we picked her up in Alaska that this was just how it would be. I guess it helped that she was already on the same page as us," I admitted.

"Yeah, that's not helpful," Bear replied. "We're still trying to get them to open the damn book."

I felt for them. I don't know what I would have done if Layla had been resistant to being with us—I would probably have gone crazy. Luckily, we didn't have to go through what they were going through. I made a note to talk to Layla about it and see if she had any insight, though if I knew Layla, she was likely already encouraging her friends to take the plunge. She was the one who insisted on assigning Nate to Brandi's security detail, after all.

We continued playing cards while bullshitting. Eventually, we were down to myself, Sean, Tyler, Bear, and Nate. The others had lost their chips and were now throwing knives at targets while Zach finished his tattoo.

"Anyone hungry?" Colt asked.

"Yes!" Zach replied quickly.

"I'll order some pizzas for us and the girls then," Colt replied as he left the room.

"I fold," Sean said, tossing his cards down. Nate and Bear also folded, leaving Tyler and me still in the hand. I threw a few more chips on the pile. "I raise ten."

Tyler met my eyes and studied me, trying to determine if I was bluffing. I kept my face blank as I returned his gaze. "I see your ten and raise you another," he replied.

I checked my cards again. I had a heart-suited two and seven with two hearts showing after the turn card. The cards were a bit of a mess, and there was no way Tyler could pull out a straight. It might be foolish to chase a flush, but I thought my chances were good, so I called. I didn't react when Nate flipped the river card; it was a seven of clubs. Fuck. I didn't get the straight, but now I have a pair. Unfortunately, it was a weak pair.

I met Tyler's eyes and couldn't tell how he felt about the river card. "Check."

Tyler smirked. "I'll bet twenty."

Asshole. He could be bluffing. I should have bet to throw him off. Now I had to make a decision. Call, raise, or fold. I looked at my chips. I could afford to push this hand a little, and maybe if I went hard, Tyler would back down. "I see your twenty and double it," I replied, tossing the chips into the center of the table.

Tyler didn't react this time. "Call and raise," he trailed off as he fiddled with his chips, "fifty."

I had no choice but to follow through or fold and admit I didn't have shit. "Call."

"Let's see those cards," Nate said.

I flipped my cards over. "Pair of sevens."

"Chasing that flush, huh?" Tyler laughed.

"Yeah, it didn't work out," I replied. "What do you have?"

"Pocket aces," he replied, flipping the cards over so I could see the ace of spades and diamonds.

"Son of a bitch," I growled.

"Thanks for the chips," Tyler laughed as he dragged the pot toward him and began stacking his chips. We played a few more hands, Sean going all in and losing. Bear and Nate were dangerously close to losing it all as well.

"Pizza's here," Colton announced as he reentered the room. Dash and Dire trailed behind him, noses in the air.

"Good timing," Mike said. "I'm finished."

Zach sat up so we could see Layla's handprint tattooed over his heart. I felt a little envious of him, but knew I'd get mine eventually. Not that the tattoo was the only mark of Layla's on him. When they emerged from the basement with Zach bleeding from the cuts Layla had given him, I thought for sure the two of them were certifiable. Now that they had scabbed over and weren't actively bleeding, I understood it more. Or at least better understood his reasoning for having it done. As much as I loved Layla, I didn't want to go under her knife so I could have matching scars. I might be better with blood, but I had zero interest in intentionally losing any of mine.

We finished the card game after we ate. Tyler won and was rather smug about it. Once the game was finished, we all kicked back and traded war stories while working our way through the beer in the fridge. I kept my eye on the clock as the hours passed until we were into the evening hours.

"I have a surprise for everyone," I announced. I went over to the box I had placed against the wall earlier and opened it. I pulled out the Nerf guns I had purchased and started handing them out. "Anyone interested in crashing girl's night?"

"Hell, yeah," Blue laughed. "Let's do it."

"Do they have their own weapons?" Nate asked.

"Nope," I replied. "I was careful to keep my plans from Layla."

We crept upstairs and through the house to the living room. The living room was dark as they watched some chick flick. I could make out their shadowy forms on the couches as we snuck into the room. I waited until we had spread out some before flipping the lights on and signaling the attack. The girls shrieked as we pelted them with Nerf bullets. They scrambled for cover, and I grinned as we moved in on them.

Then, the tables turned. Suddenly, the girls jumped up with their own guns, but they weren't Nerf guns; they were super soakers. The girls charged, and we had no choice but to run for it.

"You thought you were slick, didn't you?" Layla laughed. "You can't pull anything over on me, suckers!"

A jet of cold water hit me in the ass and made me yelp as I ran out of the room. The next problem arrived as we hit the tile floor and started sliding across it as they continued to attack and soak it. I crashed into Zach, and we fell to the floor. Layla and her friends stopped at the doorway and posed with their guns as they laughed at us. Autumn was giggling non stop as she targeted Sean. We outnumbered them, but Nerf bullets didn't stand a chance against water.

"I hope you learned your lesson," Layla said.

I struggled to get to my feet, but after they slid out from beneath me a few times, I gave in and stayed on my ass. "How did you know?" I asked.

"I have eyes and ears everywhere," Layla replied.

"So one of our men ratted us out," I huffed. "Traitors!" I yelled to no one in particular.

"My men are loyal to me, not you," Layla chuckled.

Keith came running from the foyer, stopped when he saw us and started laughing.

"Was it you, Keith?" I asked. "Did you rat us out?"

"I'm sure I don't know what you're talking about," he chuckled, "but if I did, I would have to remind you that my job is to protect the Boss from all threats, foreign and domestic."

"Asshole," I laughed. I couldn't really argue with that. I'll be even more stealthy next time in my preparations. "This isn't over," I warned Layla.

"Bring it on, baby," she replied. "You're no match for The Renegades and company."

"Yeah!" Cordy shouted. I looked at her in shock. It was evident she had too much champagne, and I didn't know how I felt about that. I don't think I've ever seen her inebriated.

"If you boys are interested," Monika said, "why don't you get cleaned up and join us for movies?"

Bear, Blue, and Sledge froze as they looked at her. "You mean it?" Bear asked.

Monika blushed. "It's a movie, not a proposal," she responded.

It would seem Layla managed to work on her after all. "We'd love to join you pretty ladies," I replied, "just give us a few minutes." We grabbed towels, cleaned up the water on the floor, and then grabbed enough dry clothes for our guests to change into. Once we were all in dry clothes, we joined the girls in the living room. Snuggling in around the girls was easier said than done, but somehow, each relationship clump managed to get the job done. I could see how pleased the others were that Monika and Brandi weren't pushing them away.

We would have to get new furniture if this would become a regular occurrence.

After everyone ate breakfast the next day, we met in Layla's office, with Monika and Brandi's men standing along the walls. We'd need a bigger office space as well. Too bad we couldn't add on to the house. Though, if we bought out a neighbor or two, we could. I'll mention the idea to Tyler later and see what he thinks. The reality was that we would need more space, especially if The Renegades and their harems planned to have regular meetings in the future. If Kadence ever forms her own relationship group, we'd be violating fire codes.

"Ok, Kadence," Layla said when everyone was settled, "the floor is yours. How is ACPD's case against Anton going?"

"It isn't," Kadence admitted. "My captain refuses to entertain anything related to Anton. My partner and I have tried to talk to him about it several times to no avail."

"Name?" Tyler asked.

"Captain Henry Bosland," Kadence replied. "His refusal to hear anything about Anton leads me to believe that he must be in Anton's pocket or afraid of him. Those are the only two explanations that make sense."

"We will chat with him and find out which," Layla assured her. "I'll make sure he falls in line."

"Have you made any headway on the photos we gave you?" I asked.

"I have!" Kadence replied. She took a memory stick from her purse and slid it down the table to Tyler. "I only have information on them that is on the record. They're powerful enough in some way that they can keep their transgressions off the record, but between you guys and Monika, I figure that you can find out their secrets and act accordingly. If I can ever get the Captain to let us investigate, I can lean on them and turn up the heat on Anton that way."

Depending on their actions, they may not be around to be questioned. Zach met my eyes and smirked. Not that either of us would mention that to Kadence. She may be a Renegade, but she was also a cop, and until we knew for sure that she was willing to look the other way on certain things, we wouldn't be taking any chances. I knew Layla, Monika, and Brandi trusted her beyond a doubt, but it would take more than a couple of meetings with her for the rest of us to feel the same. By the incredulous look on Bear's face, I could tell he felt the same way.

"I'll be honest, Kadence, you haven't progressed nearly as far as I expected you to," Colton said.

"Colton!" Layla scolded.

"I'm only speaking the truth," he replied.

"It's fine," Kadence assured Layla. "He's right. I don't have much progress to share unless you consider that I was able to identify every person in the photos you gave me progress. It takes longer if you want to take him down using the law. Unfortunately, we can't just burn down a couple of warehouses and call it justice."

"Besides talking to your captain, is there any way we can help speed the process up?" I asked.

"Not at the moment," she replied. "I'll let you guys know when there is. For now, if you hear anything about Anton and his movements, let me know. The more we know, the easier it will be to nail him."

"What's going on with the shelters?" Brandi asked when Kadence had finished speaking.

"Anton has the building inspector on his payroll, so he's citing us for not being up to code," Tyler replied, "Sean and I are meeting with the inspector and our contractor tomorrow to go over each citation point by point to get it cleared up. He can't hold us up forever, and if this meeting doesn't fix the issue, I will request another inspector. If the guy isn't a complete idiot, he will stop jerking us around and pass us."

"If you need any legal power to back you up, let me know," Brandi replied. "Actually, I'd like to join you for your meeting."

"I don't know if that's a good idea, Brandi," Nate replied.

Brandi turned around to look at him. "I don't need your permission."

Nate's jaw clenched, and his eyes darkened as he returned her stare. "I'm just saying that I don't think you should be doing things that might paint a larger target on your back," he replied evenly.

"I understood what you were saying," Brandi replied. "I'm telling you that I don't give a fuck, and I'm not going to stop doing my job because Anton wants me dead. If you're worried for your safety, Tyler and Sean would gladly pick me up and bring me to the meeting with them."

My eyes widened at the clear challenge in her voice. Layla and Monika smothered their laughter behind their hands as Brandi and Nate stared each other down.

"You're on thin ice, Princess," Nate said softly. "Keep pushing me, and I'll put you over my knee in front of everyone and spank you until you are crying and begging for me to stop," he paused a moment to let his words sink in before continuing even more softly with, "or to fuck you."

"Damn," Layla whispered as she fanned herself with her hand.

"Girl, you better keep pushing," Monika blurted, "or I'll do it for you."

"Is that a fact?" Bear drawled. He bent down to whisper in Monika's ear, and whatever he said had her turning bright red and shifting in her seat.

"Right," Sean laughed, "Brandi, you're more than welcome to join us tomorrow, but I'm afraid we'll have to insist that your security detail join you."

Nate looked smug as Brandi turned back toward the table. "I never had an issue with that," Brandi replied.

"If that is settled, does anyone else have anything that needs to be discussed?" Colton asked. When nobody responded, the meeting ended, and everyone who didn't live here went home.

I hung back with Layla as the others dispersed. "Well, that was a fun night," I commented.

"It was," she agreed. "Sorry for ruining your ambush with my own." Her words sounded sincere, but she couldn't keep the grin from her face.

"No, you aren't," I replied.

"You're right, I'm not," Layla laughed.

"Hey, I have somewhere I need to go today. Do you think you could come with me?" I asked.

"Am I allowed to?" she teased.

"I'll protect you, baby," I promised.

"Then I'm in. Get me the hell out of this house," Layla said, jumping to her feet and grabbing my hand to pull me behind her. "Keith, we're going on a trip. Follow us," she ordered as we passed him.

"We aren't taking your car?" I asked. I was the one who invited her to come with me, but she was the one making the plans.

"Nope!" she replied as she dragged me into the garage. "We're taking your bike. I haven't been on the back of a bike in ages."

"I don't know if that's safe, Layla," I replied. "Actually, I know it isn't safe. We're taking your car."

She stopped beside my motorcycle and crossed her arms defiantly.

"As adorable as you look, I'm not budging on this," I told her. "We take your car, or you don't go." I held her stare, unwilling to back down from this. We'd have plenty of time once Anton wasn't trying to kill her to go for bike rides. Now wasn't the time.

"Fine," she growled as she stomped over to her car, where Ryan and Keith were waiting and got in.

I shook my head as I texted the group to let them know where we were going. I grabbed a small bouquet of white roses from my saddle bags, quietly told Ryan where to take us, and joined Layla in the car.

Layla looked at me questioningly when I got in. "Today is the anniversary of Naomi's death," I explained.

Layla's mood dissipated instantly. "Why didn't you say something sooner?" she asked.

I shrugged. "It's just another day, but I always lay flowers on her grave every year. I thought it would be nice not to go alone this year."

"You'll never have to go alone again," Layla assured me as we pulled through the gates. Two more SUVs pulled out with us, and Ryan took a more circuitous route to make sure we weren't followed. We couldn't be too careful. When we got to the cemetery, our protection detail got out first before we joined them. As we walked to Naomi's grave, I linked my fingers through Layla's. Uncle Joe had taken care of the funeral expenses for Naomi, including her headstone, and he hadn't spared any expense. The white marble angel he had commissioned to watch over her body stood tall and proud as we approached.

I kneeled and brushed a few stray leaves off the base before setting the roses on the ground at the angel's feet. I stepped back and pulled Layla in front of me so that I could hold her in my arms as we stood silently. Naomi had been so young when she died, and I tried to imagine her now as an adult. Often, through the years, I had imagined an entire life for her that she never got to live. This year, I imagined she had fallen in love and had her first child. A tiny, perfect little baby who had Naomi's eyes and laugh. She'd be living somewhere warm, far from Atlantic City and the dangerous life I lived. She would be happy and always smiling. That was how I chose to remember her, even if it could never be true.

"Thank you for coming with me," I said on our way home.

"I was happy to come," Layla replied as she crawled into my lap.

"Hey, you wanna play hooky a little longer?" I asked.

"What did you have in mind?"

"Hey Ryan, can you take us to the aquarium?"

"Ohhh, Zach's going to kill us," Layla giggled.

"Want to swing by and grab him?" I asked. I didn't want to share my time with her, but if she wanted Zach to come with us, then that's what we would do.

"No," Layla replied, kissing me. "He can come next time. Today is just about us."

I smiled at her words. It was nice to know that she wanted to spend alone time with us just as much as we did with her.