Page 8 of Their Property
“He’s paying us in Sevier currency,” I explained further. “Which, so far, is the only post-Collapse currency that’s shown to be stable in the local economy. It’s started being used in other territories as well.”
“And we need a nest egg,” T-Bone said. “Something to use for a rainy day, if our other ventures don’t work out.”
“He’s paying that much, huh?” Chris mused.
“Yeah. What was it, Grudge? At least double what our old contracts paid?”
Grudge shook his head and held up three fingers.
“Triple! Yeah, that’s right. So you see,” T-Bone turned back to Chris, “it was too good to say no.”
“Yeah. Watch it be too good to be true and you’re stuck dealing with the nastiest piece of work in the territory.”
“Already thought of that,” I said. “So I made sure to add the stipulation that we’d do a month-long trial run first. If we can’t stand this ambassador after thirty days, we’ll cut loose and collect the money for the time we did serve.”
“See, that’s why you’re the smart one.” Chris pointed at me. “Always with a contingency plan. Oh yeah, also.” He turned to T-Bone. “Get receipts. Tiff wants a paper trail.”
“’Kay, Dad,” T-Bone groaned into his coffee cup.
Grudge pulled out his pen and notepad, quickly scrawling a message before handing it to Chris.Thank you and Tiff for holding down the fort while we’re gone. Need anything else before we go?
“My sanity. My soul. A beach house in the Bahamas. You know, nothing crazy.”
We all had a good chuckle at that, then scarfed down our food and coffee before preparing to hit the road. Governor Vance said we’d have accommodations near the ambassador’s quarters in the capitol building. All of our basic needs would be provided for, so we didn’t need to pack much except our personal items.
And weapons, of course. For our own protection, as well as the ambassador’s. The governor never mentioned weapons being against the law, but we weren’t planning to announce it either. All three of us were proficient with a variety of weapons, slipping our hunting knives discreetly into boots and hidden sleeves inside our cuts. T-Bone liked his handguns. Grudge had an affinity for short-barreled rifles.
I liked guns okay, but my road name wasn’t Dyno for no reason. My weapon of choice would always be explosives.
On my belt next to my gun holster, I had two small pouches to carry a couple of mini Molotov cocktails—my own handmade concoctions perfected after years of experimenting with flammable liquids. I distilled the recipe to be so potent that the bottles didn’t need to be any bigger than airplane liquor bottles. It took a bit more experimentation to have my fuse and lighter ready when needed, and to minimize the risk of burning my hands or face off.
A half-hour later, we were all packed up and double-checking the cargo on the bikes. I turned my motorcycle on with a roar, the Indian Chief Dark Horse coming to life like a hungry beast.
“We all good?” T-Bone came up to me, his eyes and hair set aglow by the setting sun. Munin, his raven and spirit guide, sat on his broad shoulder, black feathers also taking on a golden sheen from the light.
“Ready when you are, President.”
“Shut up,” he growled, reaching up to grab the end of my braid. “Come here.”
He pulled me in hard, his kiss hitting me with the force of a punch to the mouth. Which was just how I loved it from him.
I cupped a hand around T-Bone’s neck, holding him in place for a moment to devour each other. It was the best way to kick off a ride together, no matter how brief. The Sevier capital of Perrysville was less than two hours away. T-Bone always kissed Grudge and me like we were riding off to war and might never see each other again. After everything we’d been through, it was a real enough possibility.
Only when Munin began cawing and nipping T-Bone’s ear did our tongues untangle. Still, our faces didn’t separate. Our foreheads rested against each other, noses bumping gently. His breath was warm on my lips, tickling the sensation of his beard that still lingered on my skin.
“Ride safe, Dylan.” He whispered my given name like it was some secret he’d promised to keep.
“I’ll be right behind you, Trav,” I answered before stealing another lingering kiss for the road.
We released each other slowly, then he left to send Grudge off in the same way. I watched them from astride my bike, feeling my dick come to life at the sight of my two life partners groping and hungrily kissing each other. Already I couldn’t wait for the ride to be over and to be in the privacy of our new lodgings. Who said we couldn’t protect the ambassador while having a threesome at the same time? Governor Vance knew we were in a triad relationship, he must have considered that a possibility.
What if the ambassador wanted to join in?I snickered to myself. We’d definitely be keeping an eye on him then.
T-Bone and Grudge untangled just as reluctantly as we had, both of them adjusting the front of their pants before climbing on their bikes. I leaned forward to grip my handlebars, enjoying the gentle rumble of the machine on my dick and balls. We’d been together for over a decade and weren’t spring chickens anymore, but no way this night was ending without getting sweaty and naked.
T-Bone peeled out first, hitting the throttle hard as Munin took off from his shoulder to fly overhead. I fell in line after him, and Grudge followed after me. It was a perfect, gorgeous ride. No mechanical issues for any of us, and a sunset across the landscape which made me feel like I rode through a painting. It was just turning dusk when we pulled up to the expansive white building, and that was when my sense of unease started.
I knew this wasn’t a church anymore, but the pristine white building and all the cross motifs brought up disturbing memories for me. Christian missionaries tried to force my mother and other members of her tribe into assimilating to their religion. She told me about how they tried to erase her culture, from their hair and clothing to their daily spiritual practices. I didn’t meet her until I was a teenager, and never fully felt like I was part of the Hopi people, but I treasured what she taught me before she passed.
