Page 68 of Peaks and Promises

The rest of my brothers lifted their bottles with a chorus of assent. I raised mine and we clinked and drank.

“Tell me something.” Zachary leaned forward, scrutinizing me. “Have you been in Tilikum since you left?”

I nodded.

He pointed at me. “I knew it. I knew that was you. You sneaky bastard. What the hell were you doing?”

“A job.”

“You know, it’s probably good that you didn’t drop in back then,” he said. “I think I really would have punched you. Although maybe not. You’re fucking huge.”

“And if you were in a motorcycle club, I have a feeling all that muscle isn’t just for show,” Theo said.

“Can we get back to the part about your girl?” Luke asked.

“It’s not like that,” I said. “Summer isn’t my girl.”

“But you did bring a woman with you,” Garrett said. “And a child.”

I put my hands up. “He’s not mine. I didn’t even know her then.”

“Who is she?” Garrett asked.

“She’s a…client. And a friend. Mostly, she’s a girl in trouble. Her ex is a member of an outlaw club. Not one I ever dealt with, but I know the type. These guys are bad news. The ex was out of the picture until the other day. Then he showed up at her son’s school.”

“Oh, shit,” Luke muttered.

“The club has harassed her off and on for years,” I continued. “Her mom’s boyfriend is a high-ranking member, which means they kind of still see her as their property. Now the ex wants the kid. And I bet he has the club’s backing on that. I got her out of town after the ex tried to pick up her kid from school. If he’d been there, and the school had let him leave, she never would have seen him again.”

“Are you expecting them to follow her here?” Luke asked.

“I think they’ll try. But if I can keep them hidden long enough, the ex will eventually give up. He’s just one kid. The higher-ups will have a limit to the resources they’re willing to throw at it. In the meantime, the plan is to pass them off as mine. She’ll pose as my wife, and he’s my stepson. Only the family will know the truth.”

“Solid idea,” Zachary said.

“Is it?” Garrett asked.

“Yeah,” Zachary said, his brow furrowing like Garrett had asked a stupid question. “They won’t be looking for a family of Havens.”

I didn’t know whether to be gratified or alarmed that Zachary was the one to understand the plan so quickly. “Exactly. They’ll be looking for a single mom and her son, not a family of three.”

“And living with them will make it easier to keep an eye on things,” Luke added.

“Sounds legit to me,” Theo said.

“You gotta do what you gotta do,” Josiah agreed.

“I thought this was going to take a lot more explaining.” I took a drink of my beer.

“Do you remember where you are?” Luke asked. “This is Tilikum. We do weird shit all the time.”

“Yeah, pretending to be married to someone to protect her and her kid from a shitty ex wouldn’t even make the news here,” Theo said.

“You should talk to the SPS,” Zachary said.

“What’s the SPS?”

“Squirrel Protection Squad.”