Chapter Nine

Gina

Falcon texted me to let me know he was good and on a plane heading home. I wanted to call him but figured he’d reach out to me if he could. Since I had no idea what was involved with calling home when he was on an assignment, I didn’t know the protocol. I couldn’t help but constantly look out the window, hoping to see him coming home. True to her word, Lemon didn’t leave my side for the entire three days since Falcon had left.

It had now been several hours since I’d gotten that text and no word. I was starting to get worried. What if something had happened to him?

“Rocket says everything’s fine.” Lemon read the message from her phone. “He said they were meeting at Salvation’s Bane and he’ll be by to get us in a bit.”

“You mean, leave the compound?” My heart rate sped up. I wasn’t sure I was ready for that. I heard the women talk. Falcon was pretty popular. Seeing one of them touch him, or having them compete for his attention might break me at this point. I’d latched on to him, even believing he would eventually break my heart.

“No one’s gonna hurt you, you know.” Lemon spoke gently, covering my hand with hers and squeezing lightly. Lemon wasn’t overly demonstrative toward others, but she did offer affection when she considered it necessary. “I won’t let them.”

“You’re not much older than me, Lemon. How do you wield so much power so effortlessly?”

She gave me an almost evil smile. “I sacrifice the genitals of all the men whose balls I’ve busted. Highly recommend it. Keeps a happy home.” I couldn’t help but laugh. Whatever happened after all this, I would always be grateful for Lemon’s friendship.

There was a rumbling of a vehicle outside the house and Lemon stood, tugging me to my feet. “That’s Rocket. He’s takin’ us to the Bane compound. Knox and Bear are following us so we’ll have room to bring home Falcon and Rattler.”

I glanced around the room. Cecilia and Olivia were here now. The others had been rotating sitting with me and Lemon. Also, the kids had been over during the day. We’d made and eaten so many cookies I was afraid they might turn into one. Lemon had told me numerous times she wanted Grim Road to be a home. Well, as far as I was concerned, she’d succeeded in spades.

We rode in silence. I was too nervous to carry on a conversation, but it only took us twenty minutes to get there anyway. By the time we rolled inside the chain-link fence I really thought I was going to throw up.

There were several people outside, talking, drinking beer, smoking. They appeared somber, but friendly.

“Give them a minute.” A man with the title “President” and the name “Thorn” approached us. He’d just come from inside.

“Everything OK?” Lemon asked softly.

“I think so.” Thorn shrugged. “Suffice it to say, they all have things to work out.”

“Fuck you, Jacob!” An irate-looking woman stomped out of the building. “I didn’t do anything the two of you didn’t do! I just had to disappear for a little while! Tell me you didn’t do the same thing, then come talk to me about the future.” She stabbed a finger in the direction of the door just as Falcon and Rattler followed her out.

“Look, I’m sorry,” Falcon called after her. “I’ll help you with whatever you need.”

“I need my fiancé and my brother to support me in my career!” As Falcon got close, she lunged into him and shoved his chest hard. Falcon didn’t budge, but he didn’t reach for her like I thought he might. “I did what I did because the Marines and the CIA told me I had exceptional talent. If you can’t deal with that, maybe I don’t need you in my life, even if I still want you!”

“Joilyn, you left us.” Rattler reached for his sister but she batted at his hands, stepping further away from him. “We both thought you were dead. Why didn’t you at least tell us what was going on?” Rattler still held out his hand, pleading with his sister. “It’s been three years. How were we supposed to know you were undercover?” Both men were focused squarely on Joilyn. I doubt they even realized they had an audience.

I winced. “This was a bad idea. Maybe I should go.” My voice was tight as my throat closed up. I’d expected this, but it still hurt. Someone put a hand on my shoulder and turned me around, pulling me into their arms for a tight hug. It took a moment to realize it was Lemon.

“I-I sh-shouldn’t be h-here. I w-want to g-go h-home.” The next thing I knew, I was surrounded by the men from Grim Road and Venus. She and Piston were regulars in the Grim Road compound, though Venus was actually a member of Salvation’s Bane. I’d heard they’d been given memberships into several clubs and now acted kind of like ambassadors or mediators or something for all the clubs Grim was active with.

“Come on, little one,” Venus murmured to me. Lemon passed me off to the other woman. Venus and Piston urged me away from the clubhouse. I hadn’t even gone inside. “It will be all right.”

“I d-don’t know why I c-came.” I tried to keep my voice steady, but wasn’t sure how well I managed it. “This was a s-stupid idea.”

“Was not,” Piston said gruffly. “Seems to me someone is regretting her life choices and taking it out on the people who love her. Don’t worry. Your man’s not letting her manipulate him.”

“I can’t --” I sucked in a breath. “I can’t w-watch this.”

Venus wrapped an arm around me while Piston led the way back to the garage. When I stumbled, Piston grunted, but scooped me up into his arms and strode into the building. Venus said something and Piston grunted again.

“I’ll sit with her. You go make sure Falcon doesn’t have his head up his ass.” Piston had set me on a bench and Venus sat beside me, her arm going around me and pulling me to her.

“He’s good. I’m more worried about Joilyn. I don’t think she’s mentally stable.”

Piston turned and jogged out of the garage and I was left with Venus. She still had her arms around me, patting me like a mother might an upset child.

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry.”

“No reason for you to apologize,” Venus reassured me in her soft Russian accent. “Falcon messaged Lemon to bring you to Salvation’s Bane. He wanted you here, Gina. Don’t give up on him.”

“H-He did?” I hated that I looked up at Venus with the hope that suddenly blossomed in me, but I couldn’t help it. I wanted Falcon. I wanted him to be my own. I… I loved him.

“He did. He knew Joilyn was coming home and he still chose you.”

“He d-didn’t even l-look at me.”

“He will.” Venus continued with the comforting arm around me, while she stroked my hair with the other. I was ashamed to admit how hard I clung to her.

“I never used to be this clingy,” I admitted to Venus as I desperately tried to get myself under control. “Never had anyone to cling to.”

“And that’s shame, little sister.” Venus didn’t let me go, but continued to comfort me when I felt like I was going to shatter. “You should have always have had someone to cling to when you hurt.”

I’d just started to calm down when I heard raised voices outside and getting closer. I cringed, shrinking back. Venus let me go, but didn’t move away completely.

“You’re being unreasonable, Joilyn. You can’t expect Falcon to just pick up where you two left off. He’s not the same person he was and neither are you.” Falcon and Rattler entered the garage with Joilyn, who bristled with anger, her back ramrod straight.

“It hasn’t been that long!” Joilyn argued back.

“Three. Three years , Joi. Three years where he went through just as much hell as you did. We both did. Not just from the night that fuckin’ mission went to shit, but from your death .” Rattler crossed his arms over his chest and stood between Joilyn and the exit. Though the smaller door where Rattler stood was open, the larger bays were closed.

“I was in a military compound, Ruben! Doing my part to stop domestic terrorism. I was cut off from everyone and everything!”

“You got word to your handler. He could have gotten word to me. Or Falcon?”

She shrugged. “I was on a mission. One that went to shit and back. I didn’t have time to give him a list of people to contact.”

“You were told when you entered the program you’d be severing ties with everyone, Joilyn.” Another man entered the garage, but from inside the main clubhouse. “You knew there was no going back.”

“I can’t believe you let her do this, Scout,” Rattler snapped. “How the fuck did you end up being her handler, huh? You recruited her, didn’t you?” Rattler was furious. He was up in Scout’s face, yelling at the other man.

Scout raised his hands and took a step back. “Hey, Rattler. Ease up, man. I inherited Joilyn from the woman who recruited her.” Scout tilted his head. “No, actually, that’s not true. I found out Joilyn was your sister and I bullied my way into being her handler. It’s part of the reason she didn’t fully trust me. She and I hadn’t been working together that long before they imbedded her.”

“Why didn’t you pull her the fuck out?” Rattler stepped even closer to Scout and I knew the two were likely going to come to blows.

“You think I didn’t want to? She was perfect for what they needed. They shaped her specifically for these kinds of infiltrations. They weren’t letting her go for any reason. They needed her right where she was.”

“They same as got her killed, Scout. If you’re not lying, they think she’s dead.”

Scout’s mien hardened. “You don’t believe me? Talk to Cain. I don’t keep secrets from Cain, especially if they affect ExFil.”

“Ease up, man.” Falcon had come up behind Rattler and gripped his shoulder. “He did what he could to help Joilyn. Ultimately, he’s responsible for getting her out. Killin’ him would be a shit way to say thanks.”

I trembled where I stood. Venus was still with me. I had no idea when I’d moved closer to the small group and I knew it was rude to eavesdrop, but all I could see was Falcon. I needed to touch him. To have him hold me. I knew I couldn’t interrupt, but I needed to know he was really OK.

He glanced over, his gaze capturing mine in an instant as though he could feel my desperate need for reassurance. Our eyes met across the tension-filled room, and something in his expression softened. He excused himself from the heated discussion and walked toward me, his steps determined yet gentle.

As Falcon approached, Venus subtly shifted aside, giving us space. My heart raced as he stopped in front of me, his large hands reaching out to gently cup my face. “Gina,” he murmured, voice thick with emotion. “I’m so sorry. I should never have left you for this. Scout and ExFil had it covered.”

I couldn’t speak. The words were lodged somewhere deep within my throat, choked by tears and relief. Instead, I leaned into him, closing the gap between us. His arms enveloped me in a protective embrace, a haven from the storm swirling around us. The warmth of his body was a solid reminder that he was real, alive, and here with me.

“I was so scared,” I admitted into Falcon’s chest, my voice muffled by his leather jacket. “Were you hurt?”

“No, baby. Not a scratch. I swear.”

I wasn’t sure how to ask the next question, but I figured it was better to just get it out as quickly as I could. I took a breath. “Are you going back to her? I mean, I understand. You were supposed to get married.”

“Gina, no. We’ll talk about it all later, but no. Even if you weren’t my woman, I wouldn’t go back to Joilyn. She made her choices and they didn’t include being my wife.”

“I’m so sorry, Falcon.”

“Don’t be, honey. Joilyn and I would never have worked together. Not in the long run. Besides, I much prefer the woman I have now.”

“I’m broken.” I shook my head as I looked up at him. I felt so helpless. The only time in my life I hadn’t felt helpless was when I was in his arms. “I’m not sure I’ll ever be whole.”

“That’s a good thing. Because I’m broken too. Maybe if we stick together, we can complete each other.”