Chapter Six

Mama Jo

I managed to bully Colonel Gill into giving Gracie and Alex as much time as they needed. He scowled at me and bitched and moaned the whole entire time, but he didn't try to break it up. The couple discussed everything for over an hour. Most of it was Gracie feeling out Alex's trust of me and Mike. Some of it was Alex making sure Gracie knew she was to use the money he'd given her to take care of both herself and the baby.

Once they'd finally made their decisions and Gracie felt comfortable with Alex's instructions, they held each other. Gracie cried and promised to keep in touch with him so he knew where she was and how to find her. I gave the colonel the information Mike had given me about where we were going.

"Yeah. I know that bunch of guys." He grinned, chuckling to himself. "Good bunch." He looked to Mike. "How close are you with them?"

Mike shrugged. "Close as any. Served with some of ‘em. Worked with others --"

"Good," I interrupted. "Then you know how to find us if anything at all changes with Alex."

"Relax, Jo. I'll make sure the kid is treated fairly and is able to communicate with you and his woman. I've got all three of you listed as his next of kin. That satisfy you?"

I gave a crisp nod. "Perfectly."

Gracie gave Alex a tearful goodbye but left with us willingly. Once we were all in the car, I turned to her. "Is there anything you need us to get before we get the hell outta Dodge? Anything from your place or your father's house?"

"No. And I don't want them to know where I'm going, either."

"I can respect that." I reached back and squeezed Gracie's hand. "I swear to you, everything will be all right. We'll protect you and your child. You're family now."

The second I uttered the words I realized two things. First, fucking Mike was right. I couldn't help myself. I'd claimed those two kids and their unborn child as my own. Second, I knew they were absolutely true. As I figured he would, Mike chuckled.

"Mama Tiger. Told you."

"Bastard," I muttered. Gracie didn't comment, staring out the window, oblivious to our little tiff.

A little over two hours later, we pulled up to a chain-linked fence with a gate. A man approached us, much as the men at Fort Knox had, holding up a hand for us to stop.

"Private property, brother. Sorry."

Mike had on an Army jacket with his rank and company, so the guy knew he was military. This guy had long, shaggy hair with an equally shaggy beard. Muscular arms had a smattering of service tattoos beneath the sleeveless shirt and vest he wore. Three motorcycles were parked by the gate where he and two other men stood guard.

"I'm here at Taz's invite. Check with him."

The guy gave a crisp nod before going back to the other two. He picked up a CB radio and called the man in question.

"Who's Taz?"

"Knew him in Nam. Wasn't in my unit but was a good man. Tried to take care of all of us when our commanders went nuts. Name's Rodrigues. Never knew his first name. Just Rodrigues."

"Taz… Rodrigues?" I sat up straighter. "Theodore Rodrigues. Taz."

Mike shrugged. "Dunno. Only ever knew him as Taz Rodrigues. He pushed me to apply for the Rangers. Said I had a good head for war."

"Sounds like the man I knew."

We waited until the guy came back to us as the other two opened the gate. He waved us in. "Hey, Pops. Welcome. These your women?"

Pops ? What the fuck?

"This one is." He jerked his head at me. "Name's Mama. The other one's Gracie. She's under our protection."

The guy gave Gracie a quick look before nodding. "Taz says he'll meet you at the clubhouse. Says to tell you he has your bike in the garage."

"Good. Thanks."

"Straight ahead, over the rise. It's not far."

Mike took off down the gravel road. I gave him a sidelong look. "Mama? Really?"

He shrugged. I could see his lips twitch and didn't appreciate it. At fucking all. "Seemed to fit. I'm Pops. You're Mama."

I narrowed my eyes. "You've been leadin' up to this for a while. That was your play all along. Mama and Pops. Like we're a couple already."

"Seemed better to avoid any motherfucker makin' a pass at you once we got here."

"I coulda not gone with you."

"But you did. Now, everyone here knows you're with me and not to be fucked with." I grinned.

"Oh, they'd'a found out on their own I ain't to be fucked with if they had. I don't need to be linked with you to protect myself."

"I know that. Unless you want some horny motherfucker gettin' killed when he makes a play for you, you needed to be linked with me."

I sighed, needing to change the subject before I lost my Goddamned mind. "How'd you get the name Pops?"

"‘Cause I don't sweat the small things, but I protect the people in my life who are important. That included my unit and the kids we were stationed with."

"Good to know." I had no idea what to do with that because I had seen that protective streak in spades since I'd met Mike. It made me feel claustrophobic and maybe… cared for? I'd never had that in my life, and I had felt it with Mike since the first moment I met him. Knowing that was his default setting took a little of the wind out of my sails, though. That was when I finally admitted to myself that I wanted this man. But on my terms. I wouldn't take a back seat to anyone. Not ever again.

Once we reached what I assumed was the clubhouse, since it looked like the old hotel Mike had described, Mike parked the car but didn't get out. He seemed to study the building for several moments before turning to me. "Stay here. I'll feel this out, then come back for you."

"You're kidding, right? Surely the fuck you're kidding."

"Mama Tiger…"

"No, Mike. We're both coming with you. Me because you need backup. Gracie because I'm not leaving her by herself in this place until I know more about what's going on."

"Taz was always congenial. He invited us here. He provided me with a bike, then the car. I trust him, but I don't like taking the two of you inside until I know what's in there. Taz is a good man, but he's ultimately out for himself."

"You said he tried to protect the men in your unit. When things went to shit."

"He did. But there was always a reason he did everything." Then Mike gave me the side eye. "How exactly do you know him?"

"I pulled his ass out of an ambush when we first got to Nam."

Mike's gaze snapped to mine. "That was you?"

I raised an eyebrow. "So he told you about that."

"Told me his platoon was saved by the most vicious killer he'd ever seen." Mike tilted his head, studying me but not surprised. Which was… puzzling.

"He must not have told you everything."

"Why?" Mike grinned at me. "Because I'm not afraid of you?" When I shrugged, he gave me a cocky smile that threatened to melt my panties. "Make no mistake, Mama. I know exactly what you're capable of. The first time I saw you, I pegged you as the most dangerous person in the room. Even more than me. As to being a vicious killer? I'm sure you are. Aren't all mama tigers?"

I gave him a disgusted snort. "You have no idea what I really am, Pops ." I spat out the name he'd used, meaning it as an insult. "You should be afraid of me. Very fuckin' afraid."

If anything, his grin got wider. "You're not gonna hurt me. Not because we've fucked either. You're not gonna hurt me because I've not broken your code. And I'm pretty sure you know I never will."

"You're so fuckin' frustrating." I muttered my complaint as I opened the door and got out of the car. Poor Gracie sat there, not saying a word. She hadn't spoken since the beginning of the trip. Even now, she looked like she was in her own world. Likely deep in thought about what she was going to do with her life in the foreseeable future. I opened the back door and jerked my head for her to get out. "You don't need to stay by yourself until I'm sure of everyone in this place, Gracie. Come with me."

"I don't want to cause trouble."

"You won't." Mike and I spoke at the same time. I scowled. He smirked.

"Fucker."

Mike just chuckled. "Come on, Mama. Let's get this over with so we can all have a rest." He made me crazy, but I kind of had to admire him. I knew the man saw me for what I was. It was why he'd willingly followed my lead in the airport and at Fort Knox. He knew I was capable and more than a little ruthless. Yet he stayed with me. Supported me when I'd never asked him to. He was an enigma and a refreshing change all at the same time.

Gracie followed me, her arms wrapped around herself protectively. The clubhouse looked like some old hotel they were fixing up. Men were everywhere, working. There were at least fifteen or twenty. None of them paid us any attention. Well, except one guy. And he was most definitely the Taz I knew.

"Jo?"

I lifted my chin. "Taz."

He turned his attention back to Mike. "You didn't tell me you knew Dr. Peyton." Taz's slight English accent always threw me. Although his parents were Brits, he'd been born in the U.S., yet managed to pick up a bit of their accent. It wasn't pronounced, but there all the same.

Mike shrugged. "Just met her when we landed in Louisville. You hear about what happened?"

Taz nodded. "Yes. You there when it happened?"

"Yep." Mike nodded in my direction. "Mama here talked the kid down."

"Where's he now?"

"Holding cell at Fort Knox, where he was stationed," I offered. "He'll be moved at some point, but Ry and Ian are going to try to keep him there until his trial is over."

"Rylan Gill and Ian McGregor?" When I nodded, he snorted. "If it can be done, those two will do it." Taz turned his gaze to Gracie. "And who's the girl?"

"She's the soldier in question's woman. She's pregnant with his child."

"I see. She got any place to go?"

I took a threatening step toward Taz. "She stays with us."

Taz chuckled. "Pops give you the name Mama?"

"He did. Don't mean I accepted it."

"Well, he named you well."

"What the fuck is that supposed to mean? Just because you guys think you have me figured out doesn't mean you do."

"Oh, I think we do, Mama." Taz sobered then. "You're the most ruthless warrior I've ever met, but only when someone you love is threatened. In my case, it was my whole company."

I sighed. "They were just kids."

"They weren't any younger than we were."

"They weren't as prepared as we were, Taz." This was fucking exasperating. "I had a demon for a stepfather and you grew up on the streets. We were at least a decade older than those kids in life experiences."

"Whatever. You took them all under your wing and when they were threatened, you did what you could to protect us all. Myself included."

"Then my temper got me a dishonorable discharge."

Taz just grunted. "Controlled yourself better'n me."

"I heard you killed that fucking general."

"Maybe."

"Then you disappeared off the face of the fuckin' planet. Until now."

"It's amazing what you can do when you're willing to lie low." He tried to give me a superior smirk, but I could see the underlying tension in the set of his jaw.

"I heard you had some help." That wasn't all I'd heard. If the rumors were to be believed, Taz was in deep shit. "An organization older than the fuckin' country is what I heard."

"Not a discussion I can have, Jo. If you've heard anything accurate, then you know I can't talk about it."

I nodded. That was exactly what I'd heard. "What are you gonna do?"

"Not much I can do. But there's more than just me to think about."

"Oh?"

Taz turned his gaze to the back of the room, to the shadows the sunlight couldn't quite reach. "Liam. Come meet my friends."

A skinny kid of about four or five moved into the room. His gaze was fixed on us like he was studying us, even though he was just a kid. His gaze moved from me to Mike, then to Gracie. When he finished, his gaze returned to me and he narrowed his eyes. He said nothing but stayed at Taz's side.

"My son."

That shocked me. "Your son?"

"Yes. Unfortunately, his mother was killed in Laos."

As I'm sure Taz knew, my heart ached for the child. The kid tilted his head at me, like he knew I was the person he had to win over. Not Mike.

"Yes." Taz grinned. "Liam has you figured out."

The kid took a step forward. Then another. Then he walked straight toward me. When he stood in front of me, he looked up. There was weariness in his eyes. "You know my dad?"

"Yeah, kid. I do."

"You gonna take me when my dad leaves?"

I glanced up sharply at Taz. "Leaves?"

He nodded. "I can't take Liam with me where I'm going."

"You can't abandon your son, Taz."

"And I can't take him with me."

"Then don't fuckin' go. This is crazy."

"I don't have a choice, Jo." Taz raised his voice in proportion to my own. "I took their help so I could find my wife. But I was too late. A group in her village executed her because she'd given herself to a man not her husband and had his child. Probably woulda killed Liam too, except he was a boy."

"She was killed because of me," Liam said. Hearing the kid say that so casually sent chills down my spine.

"Not because of you , Liam." Taz's voice was firm, his features hard. "Because of me. If I hadn't left her, if I'd brought her back with me…"

"And how would you have done that, huh, Taz?" I was losing patience with this whole conversation. It was also hurting my heart. Just a little bit. "You couldn't just waltz out of the country and hop a plane back to the States with her."

"I should have tried to figure out a way. If I'd known she was pregnant, I might have managed it."

Mike remained silent. These were men he'd agreed to meet, the men who'd invited him into their club. He hadn't been in their unit, but he'd obviously made an impression on them if they wanted him to be part of something this close knit. I only knew Taz. But once more Mike had my back and let me take the lead.

Liam moved to stand beside Gracie. The boy smiled up at her. "Hi. I'm Liam." Just like his father, the kid had a slight British accent, though his coloring looked like it might have come more from his mother than father.

"I'm Gracie."

"Are you with Mama and Pops too?"

I gave Taz an exasperated look. "Really? You told everyone to call us that?"

He shrugged. "What would you prefer to be called? Figured with you guys being here, you wanted to disappear."

"Not a bad idea, Mama." Mike spoke for the first time in a while. "We could just lie low here. Forget our past and everything in it."

"My past made me who I am. Besides, I don't think you really want that."

"Maybe not for myself, but I get the feeling there's more to your story. I also get the feeling that the two of you would be much better off disappearing. For a multitude of reasons."

"He's right, Mama." Taz handed me a manila envelope. It had my name on it. "I ran into a couple of guys after I made it back from Nam. Word got out. What you did."

I opened the envelope and my jaw tightened. "CIA? What the fuck?"

"If my sources are right, they want to recruit you for special ops inside Vietnam for the remainder of the war. They need a woman and think you've got most of the training you need already."

"Well, with my less than honorable discharge, I'm sure they've rethought that position."

"Or they could have been the reason you got that discharge."

"As opposed to the general I told to suck my dick? I don't think so."

Taz barked out a laugh while Gracie gasped before letting out a small giggle. "Yeah, I guess it could have been that." He sobered, his smile fading slowly. "But I think you know it wasn't."

"Yeah."

"I had no idea I was hookin' up with a real badass." Mike grinned, even as he stepped closer to me. I didn't miss that he put his body slightly in front of me and between me and Taz.

"You stayin' with her, Pops?"

Mike nodded. "Yeah. Thought I might."

"She's the real deal. Skilled surgeon and one of the deadliest people I've ever met. Don't fuck with her."

The grin Mike gave Taz set my teeth on edge. Like this was all a big joke to him. "Fuckin' with her's half the fun. I like living dangerously."

"Just have her back."

Instantly, Mike sobered. "Always."

"Will you take my son? Keep him safe?"

"Taz --" I started to tell him to fuck off, but the bastard interrupted me.

"Just until I come back. Once I figure out exactly what this group wants from me, I'll be better able to protect him. I don't want to take my only son into a situation I can't control or predict."

I wanted to punch the bastard in the taint. But I got it. What he was asking wasn't unreasonable. "Fine. We'll take care of him. But you can't abandon that kid. You have to swear on your life you'll come back for him."

"Give me three years, Jo. Hopefully it won't take that long, but I have a feeling it will."

"Who are those people?" It wasn't like I'd know them, but if I could find out, maybe I could help Taz.

"Not here." He jerked his head to his office. "Gracie, why don't you let Liam show you around. Son, take her to the room I had the boys get ready. Either one."

"Yes, sir." The kid took Gracie's hand. "Come on, Gracie. This place is really cool."

I looked at Mike and he nodded, indicating he thought it was safe. I agreed but wanted his input. Why I wanted his input was a pain in my ass. I trusted Mike -- Pops -- with my life. Maybe it was the airport confrontation, but I didn't think so. He was the first man to ever treat me like he knew my worth. Sure, he tried to protect me when I was perfectly capable of taking care of myself, but I kind of found that endearing.

We both followed Taz to his office where he shut and locked the door. When he turned to us, I could see the strain on his face I'd missed earlier.

"They call themselves the Brotherhood. When they told me what they wanted in exchange for getting me to Jazeera and Liam, I promised them anything they wanted if they'd help me. Now I'm rethinking that promise."

"The Brotherhood." I thought back. The name tickled something in my brain, but it was elusive, gone before I could nail it down.

"They go back a long fucking way. Longer than the U.S. has been a country. I don't know everything -- that won't come until I'm fully committed. They're vigilantes, but more on a global scale."

And then it hit me where I'd heard of them. "That Vietcong general said something about them. The one I killed."

"The Brotherhood is the reason we won't win that conflict. They've got people deep in both governments pulling the strings and guiding everyone else where they want them to go. They want control over that region. Therefore, the U.S. can't push the communists out and take over, even with a puppet president. The communists like to keep secrets. The U.S. has a very savvy and efficient press corps that hates secrets as much as the communists like to keep them."

"So they need Vietnam united, but under communist control." Mike stroked the scruffy whiskers at his chin as he voiced his thoughts.

"Yes. While money paves the way for every government, the Brotherhood feels Vietnam being under the control of a non-democratic country would better serve their interests. Also, the money trail is less likely to be followed."

"That's why the CIA wants me in Nam, isn't it?" My gut was tightening. While I had the feeling something might come back to bite me in the ass, I wasn't expecting this. I mean, one didn't fuck with a general and get away with only a less than honorable discharge. No. Taz was right. I'd given them the excuse they needed to kick me out of the army and be ripe for the picking for the CIA.

"That's my guess. Understand me, Jo. Under no circumstances can you let them recruit you. It'd be a death sentence, even for someone as skilled and deadly as you are. You do not want to take on these guys. Not for something like this. That country is going to be what it is. The Brotherhood might nudge it in the direction they want it to go for a while, but it's not something they can sustain. Eventually, the people of Vietnam will govern themselves again. That's the way it works."

"I'll think about it. But I think you're right on this. Besides, I have no desire to get caught up with the spooks."

Taz let out a sigh. Relief? "Thanks, Jo."

"You act like I'm doing you a huge favor. What's going on?"

"This goes with you to the grave, Jo. I'm telling you because I need you to know what I'm up against so you can protect Liam if need be." He glanced up at Mike. "You too. To the grave."

I widened my stance and crossed my arms over my chest, lifting my chin. "Give it to us."

"They want me to be an assassin for them."

"Jesus, Taz." Pops stepped forward again, putting himself between me and Taz one more time. "What the fuck?"

"If I can't get out of this and you're actively working against them, they will set their sights on you next. I don't want to go up against you, Jo. No matter if I was able to get the best of you or not, I'd still lose. And that's a mighty big if, and I'm not too proud to admit it. But these guys would never stop, even if I failed. They have one assassin over a very small group. He controls everything. And he never misses. They call him El Diablo, but I think with them it's more a title than a name. It's passed down from one assassin to the next."

"Fine." I tried to ignore Pops, but it was hard. He was head and shoulders taller than me and probably outweighed me by a hundred pounds. All of it muscle. Kind of hard to ignore when he didn't want to be ignored. "But you have to keep your promise. No longer than three years. Not because I don't want the responsibility or anything. Because that boy needs his father."

"I swear. Give me three years. I'll come back for him, no matter what it costs me."

"And back to your brothers," Pops said firmly. "Liam's not the only one who needs you. What about the boys here? I saw several who looked like they're barely more than kids."

"All of them served in one way or another. All in Nam. Most in my unit. I promised I'd give them a home and I'm trying. But I could use some help." He looked from Pops to me and back again. "Please. I want to make this a club with its own set of rules. Its own code. We make money, support each other, and stick to our code. If that means we have to skirt the law, we do it. If someone in our territory needs killin', we do that too. As long as it doesn't go against our moral code -- which means we don't hurt innocents and we always protect women and children. It's not about making a living so much as it's to give these guys a sense of freedom and control over their own lives. A sense of purpose. Anything else is an added bonus and will go into a club fund."

"Fair enough," Pops said. "We never harm women or children." I thought Pops repeated that last to reinforce there was a hard line there. I agreed with him about the children and mostly about the women, though I was a firm believer that some of the worst people who needed to die were women.

"Absolutely not. There's a budding drug highway coming through this way. Coming in primarily through military channels, but it's spreading. They're taking it in this direction because it's rural. Most of these guys have problems with heroin. I'd like to keep that stuff out of our territory. And bury any motherfucker who doesn't take the fuckin' hint so no one will find even their bones."

"First thing we need to do is finish building the clubhouse," Pops offered. "After that, we'll work on what we're gonna do with the club. You got a name for it yet?"

"Yeah." Taz grinned. "I'm gonna call it Bones."