Page 14 of Honor Me (Men of Inked 6)
“I can’t say for sure. Even though the agency has assured us that they haven’t, we can’t be certain. I know information passes easier than many people think inside prisons, and if they have enough ears and eyes out there, they know that I never went away.”
“Fuckers,” James snarled with clenched teeth. “We’re going to have to kill every one of those pricks to keep our families safe.”
“Fucking hell,” Anthony added and looked up at the ceiling like it held the answers to save all of our asses.
“I’m ready,” Morgan said and cracked his knuckles.
“I worry that they’ll come after anyone in my family. Not just Angel or Izzy, but any one of you around the table, along with your wives and kids.”
“I knew you should’ve never worked undercover.” Mike’s veins were protruding from his forehead. No doubt he was getting a headache at the mere thought of all the shit that was about to go down, just like I was already thinking about at length.
“While I gather some intel this week, just keep your eyes out for anything out of the ordinary. We can’t take anything too lightly. We don’t know if they’ve figured out who we are and if they’re already watching us. Understand?”
“Yeah,” I said, clenching my fists tightly on top of the table, wishing that the motherfuckers were in front of me right now. I’d have no problem ending them to save any person around this table or in my family…even Sam.
“We got it,” Anthony added. “I’ll keep the girls close.”
“Nothing will get by us,” Tank said, looking around the table. “You guys are the only family I’ve got. I’ll have your backs.”
“Don’t tell the girls yet. We don’t need them in a panic.”
“Oh, sure, you hold a secret from Mia and see how that pans out for you,” Mike whined and tipped his head back, scrubbing his hands across his face.
“Better to be a whiny Mia than a dead one. Got me?” James told him, and Mike’s head snapped forward.
“Got it.”
“We’ll know more in the next few days, but I need to know that you’ll report anything unusual. And I mean anything.”
“What if they come after one of us?” Anthony asked what we were all thinking.
“Then we do everything we can to protect our families. Keep them close, everyone. Keep the guns loaded and ready. The Sun Devils are some crazy bastards, and they aren’t above killing innocents.”
We walked out, stunned and in complete silence. When I climbed into my car, I sat there for a moment and thought about the possibility of losing someone I loved. I’d never let it happen. There wasn’t one person close to me for whom I wouldn’t jump in front of a bullet to protect. Whatever happened, I knew everyone else felt the same way.
No matter what… we’d protect what was ours.
Something’s Off
Suzy
Ever since Joe came home last night, he’s acted weird. At first, I thought maybe it was because of what happened with Gigi and school, but that couldn’t be it. Maybe spending time at Hedonism wasn’t the best thing for us. I thought we were in a better place.
“Baby, what’s wrong?” I asked, wrapping my hands around his waist as he looked out the sliding glass doors overlooking the backyard.
He patted my hands and gave me the brushoff. “Nothing, sugar. Just thinking about work.”
That shit was a lie. One he used often. I even called Izzy to see if there was something going on at Inked that would have him worried. She said everything was fine on the shop front. When I asked her if James was acting weird, she said not any more than usual.
I buried my face in his back and inhaled his scent, the one I’d loved so much since the first day I met him. “There’s something you’re not telling me, Joe.”
“There’s nothing, Suzy. Stop worrying. Nothing is wrong.”
But even though he said the words, I could tell his voice wasn’t full of conviction but of something else, though what I wasn’t sure.
“I’m meeting Mia for lunch today. Your mom is going to watch the kids so we can hang out.”
He turned in my arms and my cheek rested on his chest. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
I stared up at him with confusion on my face. He’d never said no to me. “Why not?”
He wrapped his arms around me and rested his face against my hair. “It’s fine, just be careful.”
“When am I not? It’s not like something is going to happen. It’s just a quick bite to eat at Grillz.” My stomach rumbled at the thought of the food. They offered every type of grilled cheese imaginable, and it had quickly become the go-to spot in the city.
“Fine.” He kissed my head before something caught his eye in the backyard.
“What is it?” I asked, turning quickly to see what he did, but there was nothing.
“Just an animal, sugar.”
I released him. “I’m going to get the girls ready and head out for the day. Need anything?” He was already typing furiously on his phone and not paying any attention to me. “Joseph, I’m talking to you.”
He didn’t look up or make any effort to stop his conversation. “What? Sorry, I didn’t hear you.”
I didn’t even bother to ask him again. What was the point? Whomever he was texting had his attention, not me. After I dressed the girls, we headed to Grandma’s house for their visit and my time with Mia. I needed some girl time…a little time to share my feelings with one person I knew wouldn’t utter a word to anyone.
Something was going on, and I needed another person’s opinion on how to proceed. Mia was one of the smartest, most level-headed people I knew. Maybe I was making something out of nothing, but in my experience with Joe, that wasn’t usually the case.
Reality vs. Imagination
Joe
When Suzy left the house, I headed straight to ALFA. I could’ve sworn I saw something or someone in the woods behind my house, but I couldn’t tell if it was just paranoia creeping in or reality.
Thomas hadn’t given us a full update since we had our meeting last week. Information had come in via text and was limited.
“Hey! Sit.” Thomas shuffled papers around on his messy desk. “I really need to have Angel organize all this shit. It’s out of control.”
“Maybe if you stopped sticking your dick in her during business hours, she’d get more work done.”
He laughed and shrugged. “Sometimes I can’t help myself. You try working with Suzy all day and resisting her.”
“You’re a sicko.”
“No argument here.”
“So what’s going on with the Sun Devils? I swear I saw someone in the woods behind my house this morning.
”
His demeanor changed instantly. “Are you sure it was a person?”
“I can’t say for sure, but something was out there. I felt like whatever it was, it was watching us.”
“I spoke with my contacts at the DEA. They lost track of a few of the members.” His fist slammed down on his desk. “They’re good for nothing.”
“Have you noticed anything out of the ordinary? It could’ve been an animal and my mind playing tricks on me. I’m so fucking on edge that I could’ve made the entire thing up.”
“I haven’t noticed anything, but I know exactly how they are. I’m more worried about the people I care about than myself.”
“We need to know more, Thomas. Everyone needs to know what’s going on. You need to get more information as quickly as possible and share it with us.”
“I’ll find out more today and get the guys together for a quick meeting tonight around seven. Good?” He picked up the phone and pressed a button. “James, get Sam and come to my office, please.”
“It’ll have to be. I’ll let the guys know. You just find out the info. We can’t be left in the dark if our lives are in danger.”
Using both of his hands, he rubbed his temples and sighed. “Hopefully, tonight we’ll know enough to get a plan together to keep everyone safe. I refuse to let them rule our lives and hurt anyone we love.”
“Maybe they’ll take Sam as a sacrificial lamb.” I grinned because he’d pissed me off since the day I learned that he and Izzy had a thing.
“Don’t be an asshole. You know we need him.” He shook his head and rolled his eyes.
“Maybe you do.”
“He came in handy before. Remember he did take a bullet for us.”
It was my turn to sigh. “Fine. We won’t offer him in exchange for our safety. We’ll figure out another way.”
“What are we exchanging?” Sam said from the doorway.
It was my cue to leave. “I have to get to work. See you tonight at seven,” I told Thomas before turning to face Sam and James. “See you guys tonight.” Pushing past them, I nudged Sam just a little bit.
