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The guys are having one beer a piece, and that’s it. Enough to relax and be social without compromising our safety.
Very responsible protectors.
“Oh! Don’t drink those yet,” Sammy snips at me, practically shooing my drink from my face. She rifles through her purse, pulls out a box of straws, and hands one to everyone at the table.
With hearts floating above his head, Sawyer leans over and kisses her cheek. “That’s my girl.”
I scan the table. Everyone dips their straw into their drink, swirls it around, pulls it out, and studies it closely. Even the guys dip straws into their beer bottles. Like a conditioned lab rat, I do the same.
Kri captures my attention with a slight head tip. “The straw checks for—”
My brain catches up at that exact moment, and I finish her sentence. “Date rape drugs, right?”
“The common three,” Sammy offers, tapping her straw on the side of her mocktail. “If the straw turns blue, don’t drink.”
My mind whirls, and my eyes blink rapidly as I process this. For one thing, this is amazing technology, and every woman or at-risk person needs this. But second, has she always done this?
Geez.I thought I was paranoid.
After everyone has satisfactorily tested their drinks, conversation resumes.
I tap my elbow gingerly into Sammy’s arm. “Is that something you’ve done for a while?”
“No, it’s a new thing. Tomer brought some by our house the other day. He was concerned about the babies. Considering what happened to his girlfriend, he thought it was something we should have. He bought them in bulk for everyone at Redleg.”
“He brought some by for Val and me yesterday,” Kri adds.
A sad smile pulls at the edges of my mouth. “That’s so thoughtful.”
Tomer is a bigger person than me, that’s for damn sure. Especially since Sawyer’s been trolling him for years with that damn door sign.
Maybe he’s not as bothered by theChuckthing as I assumed.
Interrupting my thoughts, Klein raises his drink toward the table center. “A toast to the happy couple. Sammy and Sawyer, may your love continue to bloom and grow like those two precious baby hams. Don’t take a second of your time for granted, for it’s fleeting, but your love will be everlasting.”
Sammy wipes a tear from her cheek. “Aw. Thanks, Klein. That was beautiful.”
Sawyer cups Cal’s shoulder and beams at him, emotion flowing between the friends.
After we all drink in their honor, Shep catches Sawyer’s gaze. “I knew Henderson and Jonesy weren’t coming tonight. But no Lionheart? I thought he might come.”
Sammy screws up her face like she’s eaten a rotten street taco.
“What’s wrong with big brother?” Kri asks her. “He PMSing about our little rescue op?”
“Oh yeah,” Sammy replies with an exaggerated nod.
“Can’t believe he’s still pouting. Hell, even Boss got over it,” Klein muses, his eyes flicking from Sammy to Sawyer, seeking elaboration.
“First off, he’s not here tonight mainly because Sue wasn’t up for socializing with the heightened threat level,” Sawyer corrects. Then he adds, “But yeah… he’s also holding a grudge.”
“Is it because we left him out?” Shep prods. “Is he mad we compromised Redleg? Something else?” While he talks, his eyes scan the room, and he keeps his head on a swivel.
There’s something comforting about how vigilant they’re staying while socializing. I feel incredibly safe with this crew.
Sammy answers, “My brother is incredibly protective. I know you all are, but you don’t hold a candle to him. And he’s sensitive to crimes against women, given our past.” She clears her throat. “So I think it was everything combined. He felt like he didn’t get a chance to protect his Redleg family, plus he missed out on a chance to save those women. He’s glad you rescued them; that’s for sure. But he has complicated feelings about the whole thing.”
“And he’s severely pissed off at Tomer too,” Sawyer tosses flippantly.
