Chapter Eighteen

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

Harris

“ That’s twice now I almost lost you. First, when you were shot, and second, when Soloman almost blew you up. Being back at the rental and watching that shit go down was a living hell,” Harris said as he pulled Woodley close. “You’ve got to stop doing that to me.”

“ Trust me, it’s not intentional. If it hadn’t been for Darren, we’d be part of the New Orleans waterfront.”

“ Don’t say shit like that,” Harris said, not completely over the recent events.

“ Sorry,” Woodley said. “How’s Soloman’s son doing? Do you think he’s the Xavier from the notes?”

“ We won’t know until he wakes up. He’s still in a coma. Whatever Soloman dosed him with that last time has had some serious side effects.”

“ I can’t believe a father would do that to his son. I hope the asshole’s rotting in hell.”

“ Hell might be too good for Soloman.”

They’d returned to Fire Lake late last night and were back in their room at the ranch. It felt good to be away from New Orleans.

“ Have they been able to round all the other members up?” Woodley asked.

“ Yeah, everyone but Jaws. The crazy bastard drove himself off the Maestri Bridge and straight into Lake Pontchartrain when the state troopers tried to arrest him.”

“ That makes two fewer psychos in the world. Sounds like a good result to me,” Woodley said.

“ I’ll tell you what an even better result would be,” Harris said.

“ What’s that?”

“ If you told me where you wanted to live permanently. The ranch or the lake house? I want to make this official and break ground.” Harris was ready to make some solid changes in his life.

Before Woodley could answer, there was a knock on their bedroom door.

“ Get dressed, you guys, or you’re going to miss it,” Jennifer said from the other side of the door.

“ Miss what?” Harris asked, but Jennifer was already gone.

“ Come on, let’s see what the excitement is all about,” Woodley said with a chuckle.

They dressed and walked through the ranch house to find everyone on the back deck.

“ What’s going on?” Harris asked.

“ Wait and see,” Jennifer said as three trucks approached the ranch house. One of the trucks was towing something big on a trailer, but it was covered.

It was the Fire Lake team, and as they parked, Brian and Kyle came out of the barn, leading a blindfolded Shaw. They led Shaw to whatever was under the tarps and removed his blindfold.

“ What’s going on?” Shaw asked, looking around.

Brick walked over to the trailer and pulled on a rope hanging down from the top of the tarp. As the fabric gave way, a cheer rose up.

“ Happy birthday.”

“ Holy shit. Is that what I think it is?” Shaw yelled.

“ It is,” Brick confirmed.

“ A BearCat Assault vehicle.”

Harris watched as Shaw hugged and kissed his lovers, shook hands, and hugged his teammates as the beast of a vehicle was rolled off the trailer. He couldn’t help but feel at home with these people. They were as crazy as he was, but in all the right ways.

“ You see that old shed over there?” Bryan asked Shaw, pointing toward what looked to be a thirty-foot single-story shed that used to hold those huge round bales of hay.

“ Yeah,” Shaw said.

“ Have at it.”

“ Really? Really, really. Oh shit, yesss,” Shaw hooted and hollered as he got in the driver’s seat and took off across the pasture.

He didn’t even slow down as he drove the BearCat through one side of the shed and out the other to the cheers of all. Harris pulled Woodley into his arms. He’d never felt complete happiness before now, and it was thanks to his tenacious detective.

“ I love you, Liam.”

“ I love you too, and as for breaking ground on our place, is that broken enough for you?” Woodley asked as he pointed to where Shaw was making quick work of the former building.

“ You mean?” Harris asked in shock.

“ Yep, that’s where our new home is going to be built,” Woodley said.

Everyone on the deck turned and cheered, this time for them.

“ Welcome home.”

Jennifer had tears in her eyes as everyone clapped.

“ You planned all of this for me?” Harris asked.

“ Nothing less would do.” Woodley grinned before pulling Harris close and kissing him.

Harris wasn’t sure what he’d done in his life to deserve all this, but he thanked the heavens for this chance and swore never to take it for granted.

As the group watched, Shaw flattened the shed; everyone cheered him on as bottles of beer were handed out and a large birthday cake appeared. Where the hell had they been hiding all this?

Weeks from now, they’d be busy digging the first hole to lay the footings as he and Woodley watched while making those future plans that once scared him, and they’d never look back.

***

Lake House

Brick

He walked into the kitchen to find Julia busy making her weekly grocery list. The place wouldn’t be able to run without her, and Brick appreciated everything she did, but he needed something specific right now.

“ Hey, do you need anything special at the grocery store?’ Julia asked.

“ No, I’m good with the usual,” he said. “However, there is something you can help me with.”

Julia put down her pen and looked at him.

“ Sure, what’s up?”

Brick pulled the crumpled piece of paper Hendrix had given him back in New Orleans from his pocket and placed it on the table. Julia took the paper and flattened it out. He waited patiently as she read it.

“ How did you get this?” she asked.

“ One of Apollo’s men has the ability to see a person’s history and family lines. He gave that to me.”

Julia looked back at the page and shook her head. “Does this mean what I think it means?” she asked.

“ Yes. Great-Aunt Sophia had a baby.”

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