Page 2 of Brother In Arms

Chapter 1

Rush

Six weeks later…

“Yeah just about everybody in here is out having relationships and shit and I’m just over here like BRRRRAAAP!” I pantomimed twisting down on a throttle to a bunch of laughter and cracking up in the rest of the club’s taproom. I grinned and turned around on my barstool and picked up my Bloody Mary, trying like hell to recover from the hard partying of the night before.

Reaver laughed and Hayden snuggled happily in his lap, I watched them in the mirror behind the bar and was both seriously glad for them and super jealous at the same time. Reaver stared his woman in the eyes and addressing me said, “You don’t know what you’re missing, man.”

Problem was that I did. I so did, and it was hard as fuck not to know when Dray was smiling across a table at Everett and Trig was running his hand through Sunshine’s hair, dragging her face to his for a long kiss. I rolled my eyes. My time would come eventually, I had to believe that, but at the same time, I wasn’t lookin’ for it anymore. I’d given that shit up, all it did was land me with a bunch of bitches only in it for themselves.

“Ooooh I do, trust me,” I said. “That shit’s a bunch of drama that I just do not need.”

Just as the words died on my lips the front door to the club swung open and a woman, complete with a fuckin’ pantsuit on, walked in like she fuckin’ owned the place. All of us froze and I saw Dray stand up, his chair scraping across the cement floor as he stepped around from the table he was sharing breakfast with Evy at.

The woman looked around in distaste, shook herself, and squared her shoulders more determined than she had a right to be comin’ in here with that kind of attitude.

Dumb fuck citizen, I thought to myself. Of course, this is what we were gonna get leaving the gate open all the damn time like we were. No one saw the need to roll it closed anymore on a kind of there being no imminent threat.

Dragon leaned back in his seat at the table he was sharing with Doc, the Sunday paper spread out over its top, and cocked his jaw, before he could say whatever it was he was going to say, Dray spoke up.

“Aunt Trudy?” He asked, and sounded confused as fuck.

The woman, tugged on her suit jacket and rolled her head on her neck to ease the tension in it. I took the opportunity with her standing there all awkward and shit to give her a more thorough going over. Her graying dark brown hair was in a perfect French twist, not a piece out of place. Her suit screaming expensive, the cream colored blouse she had on with it, complete with pussy bow had the look of silk and her pearl earrings were definitely not fake.

She gave Dray a nod and intoned gravely, “Draven.”

For half a second when she’d stepped through the door I thought she might be one of those jewelry dealer people who’d accidently come here lookin’ for Dani, but Dragon and Dray’s reaction had belayed that real quick. I never expected her to be any kind of familia to my P and VP, and not just because she was white.

“What’re you doing here?” Dray asked, frowning and I don’t think I could really remember a time my VP looked so damn stiff.

“I was actually hoping to speak with José.”

Dragon stood up and she turned, going just about as still as a statue, Dragon cleared his throat and said, “Right here, what brings you walkin’ through my door?”

“Is there someplace we may speak that is a little more…?”

“Nope,” Dray interjected. “Anything you’ve got to say can be said right here or not at all.” Dray’s temper was sparking.

“Dray,” Dragon’s voice held a bit of warning in it… a father chiding his son. It just served to stoke Dray’s fire just that little bit more, and Evy reached out a hand touching his wrist. He jerked back sharply from her touch. Evy’s mouth thinned down into a straight, disapproving line but her eyes held understanding. Dray shot her an apologetic look. Something sure as fuck was going on here, the tension in the room thick enough I wasn’t sure even one of Reave’s knives would cut through it.

“Please, José. I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t important,” the woman said and the note of pleading in her voice was unmistakable.

Dragon nodded, “This way, we can talk in here.”

Data was either still crashed out or not even here so Dragon led her over to the vacant fishbowl with all its tech and monitors, the black curtains drawn, and slid the sliding glass door closed behind them. The rest of us in the common room exchanged looks.

“Aunt Trudy? Does that mean…?” Reaver looked at Dray whose smoldering look was locked on the curtains blocking our view of Dragon and the woman.

“Yeah, that’s my mom’s sister.”

“I vaguely remember seein’ her once before, I just can’t remember where from,” Trigger said and Dray shrugged, retaking his seat. He reached out a hand across the table, taking up Everett’s.

Dray said, “My mom drew that line in the sand when I was like twelve or thirteen. Haven’t seen or heard from that side of the family right up until mom died. Trudy only showed back up right after it happened; screaming and bitching about how it was all our fault. Fuckin’ monopolized the shit out of my mom’s funeral and then that was the last of her until just now.”

“Ah, shit… that’s why I couldn’t place her. No offense Dray, but I prefer remembering your mamma when she was alive, those funerals passed in a haze of booze and despair; I could hardly remember how to tie my boots.”

“Don’t blame you, Trig; I don’t want to remember it either. I especially don’t want to remember how much harder she made it for me and my dad.”

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