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Sure, I’ll enjoy the company of a woman when it suits me, but it’s with the straight-up talk from the start. We both get what we need for as long as it suits either one of us, and then we move on. Granted, I’m normally the one to move on first.
It’s been easy to do that since I get restless and move on to the next spot and the next job.
I grab my phone and hit Damian’s number. “Yo.”
“What’s up, bro?” he replies. His voice is full of concern.
“Caleb’s with Gwen,” I tell him, and immediately sense his relief.
“For real?”
“Yeah. And based on how she jumped into his arms, I’m thinking they’re working their shit out.”
“That’s good news, man. What’d you say to him?”
“Doesn’t matter, does it?” I reply. “Gwen’s happy, he’s happy. In the end, that’s all that matters.”
“What about you? Are you happy?” Damian asks.
“I’m good. Heading out to see my brothers. We’re starting fresh in Nevada. It’ll be good to see Falcon, Wire, and the other guys. They got some work lined up, and they’ve been waiting for me.” It’s time to move on.
“Call when you get there.”
“Will do.”
I start the truck, take one last look at the house where Caleb and Gwen are probably going to be barricading themselves in for the next few days, then pull out and head for the highway. I’m on the road for a good couple of hours before I make my next call.
“Hey, man. I was getting worried. Where are you?” It’s good to hear Falcon’s voice. This man is more than a friend, he’s the brother I wish I had, instead of the idiot I was saddled with.
“On the road. Got a ways to go. I’m going to stop midway and get some sleep. I’ll be there by noon tomorrow,” I tell him.
“I gotta tell you something, and I need you to keep your shit together,” he says.
I sigh a heavy breath. “What is it?”
“Kailyn needs a job. The place she was working downsized, and she was let go. She’s been looking for a month and no bites. She was reluctant to tell me, but I knew something was off,” he says.
At the mere mention of Kailyn, my fingers tense on the wheel. “We’ve got the money, and we take care of our own. Give her what she needs.”
“She won’t take charity. It was hard enough to convince her that Cory had money invested with us and she should take a monthly draw. She outright refused,” Falcon says, and I know there’s more to come.
“And…”
“I gave her a job. Eventually, we’re going to need someone to do the paperwork anyway.”
“Jesus Christ!”
“You said it yourself, we take care of our own. Cory was one of us, and we swore we would take care of Kailyn.” He throws my words back at me.
Falcon is the only one that knows my feelings for Kailyn. I made sure to keep my feelings a secret, even from Kailyn. After all, how do you tell a man you admire that you’re in love with his wife? It doesn’t matter that Cory’s gone.
“Maybe we should rethink this whole thing. I can work remote…”
“No fucking way!” Falcon bellows. “We have a plan, and we all have a lot riding on the team being together.”
“Fine,” I relent. I just need to find a way to avoid Kailyn, for her benefit and for my sanity.
* * *
The Next Day…
The signage outside the warehouse gates reads STORM Enterprises. A new chapter begins, for all of us. We’ve been planning and saving for our new venture to take off, and the day has come.
The start of something new lies just ahead.
The End
