There was a hint of unease in our girl’s eyes as she peered at us from over her shoulder. Bria was already stealing her away without another word or a second to say goodbye. Tessa wasn’t expecting to be separated from us so soon after arriving, but it was for the best. She needed the new companionship, and Bria was ready to offer it with open arms.
“Well, that went from zero to sixty…” Levi commented, sucking on his teeth as he watched our women disappear into one of the adjoining rooms.
“That’s Bria for you. Hard to tame that one, but well fucking worth it.” Dallas laughed as a waiter handed him an old-fashioned, and we each accepted one of our own. The MUR’s drink of choice.
“Gotta love the women who keep us on our toes, I suppose.” My brother took a sip from his glass with a sigh of relief as he peered around the room. “Seen Nick around lately? I swear those Heaven guys are hard to keep up with for such a small revue.”
Nick Black was one of the more popular dancers for Heaven Down Under. He initiated the year after we did, and the four of us created a pretty tight-knit friend circle from the beginning. However, in the past two years, we’ve probably seen him a handful of times.
The blokes always tended to keep to their own, but Nick was different—far more social amongst the other revues.
“No, last I heard he was sponsoring a new Heaven protégé, so I doubt we’ll see him until the next ceremony.” Dallas shrugged, briefly checking his watch before sliding a hand into his slacks.
“So he’s stepping up to the big leagues. That doesn’t surprise me in the least. He was always the one for thrill seeking when the opportunity arose.” I always liked Nick. For a man who joined from off the street like us, he was about as stab-happy as Dallas, although he preferred guns.
“And what about you two? How are things going with the Castiel brothers?”
With a drawn-out breath, my brother and I glanced at each other, both taking a long sip of our drinks before answering in tandem.
“Perfect.”
“Exceptional.”
“That good, huh?” Dallas huffed with a curl of his lip. “Glad you two found the right woman to settle you down. I still have no fucking clue how you managed to slip that one past Dustin.”
“Eh. Rules are made to be broken, isn’t that right, Levi?”
“Within reason, Luke.” He mumbled with a half-smile, swirling the amber liquid in his glass.
“I just hope you two are ready for the favor he’ll undoubtedly cash in one day. If I know Dustin, it won’t be something small either. Nothing that man ever does is inconsequential.” Dallas warned, his eyes scanning the room, likely for him.
“As long as you’re there to suffer right along with us, I don’t see any job being too tall of an order.” I smugly responded.What’s the worst Dustin could do?He already had us killing anyone who stood in the way of our organization.
“You say that now, but I know he’s been working to establish the MUR outside of this city… outside of Nevada...”
“How’d you figure that out? He tell you himself?” Levi inquired, his face growing serious, and I understood why. Expansion always had a purpose; it wasn’t done without intention.
Dallas gestured his head toward a small circle of men that stood across the hall, conversing amongst each other.
“That right there is a completely new revue. I’m not sure when they were initiated, but it sure as fuck wasn’t with any of us.”
“What do you think it means?” Narrowing my eyes on the men, I took another sip, this one feeling thicker as it slid down the back of my throat.
“It means that the Men Under Revue is starting to expand on a global scale, andthatis just the beginning.” Dallas audibly exhaled, dragging his tongue along the edge of his teeth.
“Good or bad?” Levi asked, neither of us wanting to know the answer.
“Depends on whose toes we step on in the process. But I’ll tell you two now, if Dustin doesn’t pay close attention to his moves, he could fuck up this entire organization. My father and Alec warned me about something like this before they retired.”
“Then let’s hope for the best, because I’m finally in a good place and I don’t want that to change or end; not yet at least.” My eyes fell to the floor as the news sank in like the fangs of a venomous snake.
This entire year had been a whirlwind from start to finish, and all I wanted to do now was maintain some semblance of normalcy.To enjoy and cherish the life my brother and I had earned. To fulfill the wishes and dreams of my precious girl.
“It’ll be a long while before things escalate. But keep that knowledge in the back of your mind so it doesn’t surprise you later on… For now, just enjoy your wife, I sure as fuck know I will.” Dallas assured with a low chuckle into his glass. “We’ve got nothing but time on our side.”
The three of us spent the rest of the night catching up before Tessa and Bria returned from their cozy corner of the mansion, ready to part ways and head home. They really hit it off from the moment we arrived, because the entire drive home, Tessa couldn’t stop talking about Dallas’ wife and how they’d already planned to get their hair and nails done the next day—a friendship blooming right before our eyes.
It was refreshing and also a relief to know that our girl had found friendship within the MUR, and that she would now have a lasting friendship similar to the one we shared with Dallas.
Forever didn’t get any better than this, and we had nothing but a lifetime on our side.
