“A while back I met him at a grocery store, buying chocolate enough for a small army and he'd rented a chick flick.” Bear turned his head and smiled. “It was for Edie, she was on the rag and he was... how did he put it? Gonna go and hang out with her.”
“
Fuck.” He took a moment to think about it. “Still not convinced.”
“
You'll see,” Bear said and stood up. “Let's go talk to Brick.”
Brick was sitting at the head of the table looking into his glass. When he heard them he turned his head and then motioned for them to sit down.
“What's up?”
Bear started. “We've got the contractors ready, they're starting work on Monday when the cops release the scene. Said it should be done by December.”
“Sounds good,” Brick nodded. “What else?”
“
My guy at the police station said they're having the bomb sent to a lab and gave me the preliminary on the scene,” Bull said
It still bothered Bull that they hadn't been able to keep the cops out of it, but if a bomb went off in a populated area, that was unavoidable. They did in no way have the cops in their pocked, but it was a small town, not a lot of cops, and since crime, officially, was very low, they didn't get many resources. The bomb at the strip club was a problem for that reason as well. It basically put the city in the authorities’ focus again. The club in itself was always on their radar, but they'd managed to keep things going on in Greenville under wraps. Basically anything the club did was under wraps, but the bombing had cause the LEO's to once again take a closer look at the club.
“What did he say?” Brick asked.
“
That the bomb's placement meant the main force of the blast was directed away from where Vasco was sitting, that's why he even survived the few hours he did. They think it might be something with how the bomb was designed as well. They'd know more when they got the report on the bomb, but that could take a while.”
Once again, the limited resources meant that everything that included a lab or technicians took a really long time.
“Okay, keep me updated.”
The guy Bull knew at the police station was an old army buddy, and he'd promised to keep them informed about what the technicians found. Bear had an old football buddy in the DA's office who'd give them some info from that end as well. So far they weren't coming up with more leads than the club was.
“Roberto called. He wants a meet,” Brick said and filled up his glass again.
Roberto was their contact in the cartel, and if he wanted a meet, it usually meant trouble. He wasn't much for showing himself anywhere even near the US border if he didn't have to.
“I'm guessing that it's not a good thing,” Bear said with a sigh.
“
No. He's concerned with the bombing and want's to 'talk' about it.”
“
Great,” Bull muttered. “We should probably have something to tell him to calm him down. When's the meet?”
“
He's getting back to us. Hopefully not too soon, so we have some good news.”
-o0o-
Tuesday, October 2
nd
MELANIE WAS IN THE
library and was reading Edie's latest email. She'd kept her promise. They kept coming regularly and were completely different from anything she'd ever written before.
She was in Calangute in north Goa, visiting friends who lived there, and by the sound of it, she was having a good time. It was monsoon season, which meant there weren't that many tourists there. She assumed that Edie was very happy about that. She'd also mentioned in passing that she'd cut off her dreads.
Dawg was not mentioned at all. Not once, and Melanie hadn't asked, either. She wasn't sure she wanted to know exactly what he'd done.
She hadn't seen Dawg since that day in her office when she yelled at him. He'd wisely been avoiding her since. She'd talked to Ella about it, but not much. She didn't want to gossip, but at the same time Ella wasn't stupid; she knew something was up, and she hadn't missed Dawg and Edie hanging out. The fact that Eliza told anyone that wanted to hear about their 'girls' nights' meant that the entire club knew about it to some extent.
Melanie shut down the computer and walked out to the living room. Mac, Mitch and Eliza were sprawled all over the couch.
“
Was there an email from Edie?” Eliza asked. She loved hearing about them.
“
Yes.” She sat down next to her and took her in her lap. “She said she was coming home soon.”
“
Yay! Think she'll buy me a present?”
“
I'm sure she will.” She looked over at Mac and Mitch. Mitch was looking at the TV while Mac kept his eyes on the computer in his lap. It was a Mac, of course. His long talks about how good those computers were compared to PCs had earned him his nickname. This was his latest toy, and he kept it with him constantly. “How about pizza today? I'm not in the mood for cooking.”
Mac tore his eyes from the screen and stared at her. “You okay?”
One of the things that had made her hesitate about starting up something serious with Brick was the fact that he had kids. She'd always said she didn't want to deal with the mess of trying to raise another woman's children. That she'd met him because Mac stole her bike hadn't really made her more eager. It still surprised her that it was Mac who'd done it; he was the calm one, the really nice guy. Mitch was the smart, easily bored rascal, but she loved them both. They both had good hearts, Mitch was just a lot more carefree. And now her heart swelled when she saw Mac looking at her with a concerned face.
“
I'm fine. Just not in the mood to cook. Besides, I know you all like pizza.” She stood up and gave Eliza to Mitch.
As suspected, Mac followed her up to the kitchen where they kept the menus.
“Is she okay?”
“
Edie's fine, I'm fine, I just miss her,” she said and smiled when the tall lanky boy put his arm around her and gave her a hug. “How are you?”
“
Good,” he shrugged, every inch of him screaming teenage boy. “Just.. you know. A lot going on.”
He jumped up to sit on the counter. He often sat there and watched her cook while they talked about what was going on in his life.
“How's Katie?” She was a girl he'd been seeing the last few months. “I haven't seen her in a while.”
“
We broke up,” Mac said and scratched his head. “Or... I broke up.”
“
Sorry.”
“
Naw. She's... you know.” He shrugged again while reading the pizza menu. “Just didn't work.”
He looked up and handed her the paper.
“I'll have the same as always. Thanks.” She watched him jump down and walk towards the living room.
That was another way Mac and Mitch were different. Mitch had a new girl every week, or at least every month. If Mac brought home a girl, it was more serious. It hadn't actually happened that many times. At least they both seemed to be over their crushes on Edie.
With a sigh she looked down at the menu in her hand and then reached for the phone. She had no idea why she bothered with these menus, they all always ordered the same thing anyway.
-o0o-
Thursday, October 4
th
I WAS LYING NEXT
to Sabine in the twin hammock on the front porch. She'd put a rope in the roof and was pulling it to get the hammock to swing.
I'd met her almost five years ago at the marketplace not far from the house she was still living in. She was seven years older than me, from Germany, and had lived in Calangute since she was twenty and knew everyone that was worth knowing in the area. I'd asked her why she thought I was worth the trouble and apparently I hadn't had the 'tourist look,' and that was enough for her.
She'd been one of those friends I've made that I'd visited more than once. When I broke up with a guy in Japan, the one who did my tattoo, she'd been my first stop. Same when I left a guy behind in Brazil for being an ass. It felt natural to go to her this time when I needed to heal my broken heart. We'd talked about him a lot. Dawg. It was always easier to talk to someone who was completely outside the entire situation.
It was Vasco and Dawg, both of those things that hurt. Long nights of smoking and talking had helped. Sabine warned me, though, that the fact that I was away from Dawg made it easier at the moment, and I should be prepared for it to hurt again when I saw him. I knew that. But as she pointed out a million times, there was a huge difference between knowing that something would hurt and actually experiencing the pain.
Still, I couldn't hold it off any longer. So I was leaving in four days. That's why we were in the hammock, rocking slowly while smoking the last of Sabine's prime pot.
“
So what's the plan?” Sabine asked, with the German accent I loved.
“
Is generally avoiding him a plan?” I asked and handed her the joint.
“
Could be. Don't think it's a good long time plan.”
“
I was just thinking for it as an 'until I can think about him without losing my breath' plan.”
“
Do that, but just be prepared to face him. He might not be prepared to follow that plan.”
“
I think he would've stayed in my bed if he wanted to see me again.”
“
Honey, we've been through this, men don't think all that much. They follow their gut and quite often realize that it was a mistake to do so.”
I sighed and closed my eyes. I was still gonna try to avoid him for as long as possible.
-o0o-
Friday, October 11
th
EDIE WAS BACK. DAWG
knew she was, since her truck hadn’t been in the compound when he got to work three days earlier, but that wasn't the only reason he knew. The day before, Eliza had been to the compound, and she quickly informed him that Edie was back and they were going to have a girls' night soon.
He hadn’t seen her, though, and no one besides Eliza had mentioned her. Mel was still avoiding him, and after getting the full story, he got why, so he didn’t hold that against her. Hell, he kinda wished he could avoid himself, too. On the good days he defended himself with the fact that he couldn't have known. On the bad days he knew that no matter her backstory, you didn't leave a girl in bed the way he'd done.
Things all around were shit at the moment. The cartel wasn't happy about the local bombing—as if fucking anyone was—and there was going to be a big meet with all clubs involved in their pipeline some time after Christmas. He wasn't all that eager for that meet; it was going to be a screaming party. They needed to get some solid intel and leads on the bombing before as soon as possible.
After work he went to his place. He hadn’t spent much time there until recently. It was easier, got him away from the clubhouse. He still loved his brothers and the club, he just needed to figure shit out. What the fuck he had been doing the past months. What he wanted with Edie. He tried to come up with what the best case scenario would be, and he had no fucking clue. He wanted her, but he didn’t want to hurt her, and he was shit with women, he knew that. He'd just proven that once again. But it didn't change the fact that he wanted her, and in his head the best case scenario still was that she'd forgive him. Worst case scenario, she'd never talk to him again. The mere thought of that made him feel like throwing up.
The next day he had a beer with Wolf when Edie walked inside. They both froze and stared at each other. Her dreads were gone. Her hair was in a short, cute cut that made her look younger and... different, but in a good way. Then she turned her eyes from him, refused to look at him, and walked further inside. She didn’t miss a beat in her steps and walked past him into Brick’s room. She came out two minutes later and walked right past him again.
“
Wanna fill me in?” Wolf said when the door closed behind her.
Mech turned around and looked at him with huge interest as well.
“I fucked up.”
“
Yeah, I got that part, more wondering
how
you fucked up?”
“
I... I don’t know. In a lot of ways. Probably more ways than I get.”
Mech nodded with a smile. “Probably. Not your strong suit, understanding women.”
Not his strong suit at all. The biggest proof being that he wasn’t sure exactly where he fucked up from her perspective. If it was leaving, having sex with her or getting close to her in the first place. Or just an awesome combination of all of those things.
“
Nope,” he agreed. “Not all of us marry our high school sweetheart.”
Mech just laughed. He still loved his Old Lady. As far as Dawg knew, he'd never, not once regretted tying himself to her before he could legally drink alcohol.
“So how are you gonna unfuck it?” Wolf asked. “If that's what you want.”