Saturday finally arrived, and the Iron Orchids were doing their first badass operation. Everly picked me up at Kayson’s, and I piled into the back of her old Suburban. Everyone else was already inside, and we were headed to the gun range.

“Did you bring one?” Leo asked.

“Yes. Still don’t know why I need it,” I replied.

I was wearing my solid black boots and black jeans, but inside my purse was a long sleeve solid black shirt, per Stella’s request. Piper and Stella were up to something, and that scared me. Stella was wild, but Piper was methodical.

“So, what’s up?” I asked.

Just after I got into Everly’s Suburban, Kayson sent me a text to tell me he and the guys were headed off to the monster truck show. It was his first time going out with the guys since he and I had met. But since I was with Piper, who promised to keep an eye on me, he agreed to go out.

I soon discovered that when Piper wasn’t working, she also got bored, and that led to scary things. “I’m sick and tired of DW.” The initials Stella made all of us use for Brandon, it stood for dick wad. “We need to bring him down. I’m tired of sitting on my ass and not working. No one has figured anything out yet, so we’re going to try to figure out what he’s up to.” Piper cracked her knuckles.

“Preach it,” Stella said as she raised her hands to the roof.

“First, we’re going to do a little self-defense training, and then the psycho woman is taking over.” Piper pointed to Stella.

“Hey, I resemble that remark.” Stella opened a box, and we all peeked inside. Personally, I hoped to see kittens or puppies, but who was I kidding, this was Stella. It was full of tactical equipment, face paints, and stocking caps.

Piper rolled her eyes and pulled into the parking lot for the gun range. “We don’t need any of that for the gun range. I’d like to spend time with all of you just teaching you the basics of a gun. This does not give you the right to carry one. It is just for emergency. All of you are constantly around guns, whether it is on me, or on one of the guys. If something ever happens, I want to know that you could at least fire the weapon if you got your hands on one to protect yourself.”

“This is the sheriff’s department gun range. The academy cadets were here today, so I asked the instructors if they would stay for just a little bit and help,” Piper explained.

The instructors introduced themselves and then handed each of us a 9mm gun. Since this was defensive training, we were taught using the type of gun we were most likely to come in contact with, which made sense.

We first had to learn about proper handling of the gun, how ammunition fired, and how to load, unload, and secure a weapon before we were ever suited up with ear and eye protection.

By eight thirty, it was dark, and our arms were sore. We called it a night, and all of us agreed that we wanted to come to the range again. Once we climbed back into the Everly’s Suburban, we changed into our black shirts, and then Stella took charge. She reached into the box and handed each of us a stocking cap.

“Your red hair is like a beacon.”

“So says the blonde,” I retorted.

Everly obviously knew where we were headed because she pulled onto the Greenbelt and headed west.

The first place we stopped was Capital Grille, one of Brandon’s favorite hangouts because of the women that liked to frequent there. Stella handed each of us a walkie-talkie.

“Spread out. Someone make sure to walk through where valet park the cars, let us know if you see his gray Aston Martin convertible or him. Got your phones? Take pictures of anyone he’s with. Go. Go. Go.”

She instructed like we were GI Jane. But after twenty minutes, we decided it was a no-go and piled back into the Suburban. Once again, Everly and Stella were sharing a brain because she headed for Brandon’s Country Club.

“Y’all, am I the only one who’s concerned about six grown women walking through a posh neighborhood dressed all in black? I mean, we don’t look suspicious or anything?”

“Stop being such a worry wart.” Stella smacked the back of my head. “I already checked, this is unincorporated Orlando, which means that it is Orange County not OCSO.”

“So? We still look like a bunch of hoodlums.”

“Yes, but if we get caught we have Piper.” Stella grabbed Piper’s hand and held it up like she was the winner in a boxing match.

Unfortunately, because of the golf course, the gates, and the security patrol, we had to park three blocks away, only to discover that we couldn’t get close enough to see anything even with Stella’s tactical binoculars. The exact same binoculars I was staring through when we got busted by club security.

“I’m so sorry.” Stella sobbed and leaned over throwing her head against the rent-a-cop’s shoulder. “I think my husband is having an affair so we were just trying to see if he walks in with anyone.” She fucking patted his chest and cried on demand until the guard asked us to kindly leave, which we did, in a hurry.

Piling back into the Suburban, Everly headed into Bay Hill.

“Tell me you know the code, please?” Stella, who was no longer crying, said.

“I think so,” I said.

Everly pulled up to the resident’s keypad, and I entered the code Brandon had told me months ago. When the gates opened, I clapped my hands with relief. Whatever we were doing wasn’t good, and the last thing I want to do was check in with the security guard or get caught on camera.

“There are cameras. Everly’s license plate will show up,” I knew my eyes were wide with panic, but Stella waved the aforementioned Florida tag in my face.

“No it won’t. Already took care of that.”

“Have we been driving the whole time without a tag?”

“Well, not the whole time. Just since we left the country club.”

“You’re crazy.” I laughed and shook my head in disbelief. She really was a bit crazy.

Stella grabbed two pay-as-you-go phones from the box, dialed a number with one, and the other one rang.

“Here answer this one,” she said as she handed me the second phone.

“Hellooo?” I answered and realized that the call was coming in on FaceTime.

“Perfect. They’re connected. I put three thousand minutes on each phone. We should be able to figure out what he’s doing over the next few days. Where is DW’s house?”

I gave Everly the directions, taking the route to bypass his parents’ home and pointed out his house as we got close.

“Stay here.” Stella reached up and turned off the dome light before opening the truck door and getting out. “Don’t hang up.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it.”

I watched as she maneuvered her way over to Brandon’s home. He had a large wrought iron gate at the edge of his property, which was surrounded by hedges. I wasn’t sure what she had planned. But unless he let her in, she had a remote, or she knew the code, those suckers weren’t budging. The screen on the other phone bobbed along until leaves and bramble covered the picture. Then the phone turned and faced Brandon’s house. I wasn’t sure why we were looking at Brandon’s garage and driveway, but that was where she focused the screen.

Stella came back and took the phone I was holding. From her box of tricks, she pulled out cables and what appeared to be a small black box, no joke. We had a fucking black box.

“Okay, if he finds the phone it isn’t registered to a real person, and the number it dialed also isn’t registered to a real person. So we are in the clear. I hooked up a recorder to the phone so we don’t have to stare at the damn screen the entire time.” Stella was rambling.

“Get to the point!” I nearly shouted.

“Wait,” she snapped. She pulled out a roll of black electrical tape and covered the camera on the phone. Right swiping the screen, she found the mute button and pressed that.

“Has anyone ever told you that you could be scary?” I asked.

“Yep, my last few boyfriends,” she replied. “Any who, now we will know when he leaves and when he gets home. I also want to know if he has any visitors.”

“You think that he is already home for the night?” Vivian asked

“No clue,” I said.

We were fixated on the phone screen as Everly drove us back and pulled into Sixes parking lot to drop off Vivian.

She got out and headed inside while we sat talking about what our next move was and how we could try to catch Brandon. We were so focused on our plan that we didn’t notice the shadows that flashed across the windows until someone was tapping on the window. As one, we all let out a scream, proving we weren’t as calm as we all pretended to be. Thankfully, it was just Carter, and I let out a sigh. I opened the backseat passenger door to get out and talk with him, but the door stopped mid-swing. I looked up to see an angry Kayson dressed in jeans and a perfectly fitted T-shirt. He looked kind of yummy when he was all puffed up like that.

“Would you care to tell me what the hell you’re up to?”

I shook my head, trying not to look at Stella, who was trying to tuck all our evidence from tonight’s escapades back into the box, but before she could finish, he turned on his flashlight and lit up the floorboard then swept it up and down my clothing, then to Stella’s, and Leo’s.

“Fuck. His damn fucking MagLite,” I said between clenched teeth with a false smile spread across my face.

“What the fuck are all of you up to?” He moved the light so it wasn’t directly in our eyes. “Care to tell me why you all look like Catwoman?”

“Not particularly,” I said. “You’re out of the monster truck show early, aren’t you?”

Aiden a motorcycle deputy that I didn’t know very well, asked, “Care to tell us why you traded in your Harley gear for Al’s Army Supply?”

I let out a snort when Everly gave him the middle finger as our answer.

Kayson held out his hand, as if to escort me inside. Fuck. “Come, ladies.” He opened the Suburban’s door and the other guys followed his lead.

With his hand at my back, he led me into Sixes and then to our usual table. When we passed the badge bunnies, who I had finally learned to ignore, Gigi made a typical ass out of herself.

“Kayson, you get more gorgeous by the day.”

I squeezed Kayson’s hand and laughed. Some women were so desperate. Apparently, he agreed with my silent message, because he bent down and nibbled on my ear, visibly to prove a point to Gigi and me that he wasn’t interested. But the bitch didn’t shut up. Hell, she didn’t even stay at her table, she followed us.

“Gigi, where are your friends? You might want to join them, because I don’t see any at our table,” Stella said, jumping to my defense.

“Actually, I just came over to speak with Ariel.”

“I don’t know you. I’m not sure what you’d want to talk to me about. So, let’s don’t and say we did.”

“I just wanted to tell you that I met your boyfriend today. He’s nice and super cute,” Gigi said to me but kept her eyes on Kayson.

“What the hell are you playing at?”

“Nothing. I just thought you’d like to know that your boyfriend came by.”

“Stop the bullshit,” Kayson interrupted her. “You know damn well that Ariel and I are a couple. For Christ’s sake, we’re living together.”

Gigi’s face fell for a minute before it turned cold.

“Well, she isn’t genuinely living with you, is she? She’s just staying with you since someone broke into her apartment?”

“What do you know about her apartment?” Carter asked.

“Oh please, everyone knows,” Gigi offered up as an excuse.

“That’s it, bitch, let’s go.” Leo jumped in as she pushed up her sleeves. “I don’t think anyone at this table would notice if I knocked the shit out of you.”

“That’s a lot of shit.” Stella looked up and down Gigi’s long lean body. “And those look like new shoes.” She pointed to Leo’s boots.

“Stop. All of you!” I shouted. “Gigi, I have no clue what the hell you are talking about. When you say boyfriend, I’m assuming you don’t mean Kayson. Was the man about Stella’s height with dirty blond hair?”

“Yep, that’s the one. You know, the sharp dresser that’s been on television a lot lately.”

“Well, he isn’t my boyfriend. So, if you see him again, you are welcome to exchange your love for the badge for a briefcase. Now that we have that settled, if you’d excuse us, I want to enjoy the evening with my friends.” I turned my back to her and took a seat just as Vivian stormed toward Gigi.

“That’s it, I’ve warned you before not to bother my customers with your attitude or your desire to go home with a badge or you’d be out of here. Get out, and don’t let me see you back here until you’ve learned how to behave. Kayson, Carter, please escort her out.”

“Shit. It’s Saturday. Trash doesn’t get picked up until Tuesday,” Stella said wiping off her hands. “I guess she’ll just have to stay out back collecting flies. Make sure to keep your legs closed, okay?”

“How do you come up with this crap so fast?” I asked Stella. “I can’t think of those lines until hours later.”

“Ariel, you’re perfect just way you are,” Kayson said as he and Carter returned to the table without Gigi.

His words were met with gag noises from the guys and “ahhhs” from the women.

“I’m not sure that I could handle Stella or her mouth. I think she needs a truck driver or maybe a Navy Seal, someone who’s gone on missions for a long time, a long, long, long time.”

Stella interrupted Kayson’s laughter. “Admit it. You love me like a sister.”

“Maybe like a sister that I couldn’t drown, but it wasn’t for lack of trying.” He leaned over and gave Stella a squeeze before wrapping his arm around me.

“What can I get you?” a waitress asked, interrupting my thoughts about how delicious Kayson smelled.

“Yuengling,” Kayson ordered.

“Jack and diet, please.”

As soon as the server walked off, the girls and I built a wall of menus and hid behind them.

“At least we know where Brandon was tonight since he wasn’t anywhere we searched,” Stella whispered but her voice was drowned out by Carters.

“You do realize that making a wall of menus so that you can mouth things to each other isn’t conspicuous at all, right?”

“Shut the hell up,” Stella snapped.

The server returned with our drinks and everyone ordered an appetizer. This was typical of our group. On nights when we went out, no one ordered real meals, we each ordered a couple of appetizers, and they were placed in the middle of the table so we could all graze.

“Want to tell us what you were up to tonight, or should we wait until you come up with one story as to why all of you are in black.” Kayson took a sip of his beer. “You ladies look like you’re auditioning for the Matrix.”

I was halfway through my first drink, hiding behind the wall of menus trying to come up with a plausible story to tell the guys when I wondered why was it that reflections always appeared distorted when looking through glass. At certain angles, I appeared thin, some I seemed fat, and others I was tall, or short. I was swirling my glass when I realized that my fingers were stubby, I bet a Tyrannosaurus had stubby fingers like these to go with his stubby arms.

I dropped my menu and looked over at Kayson, who was talking to Carter, but I couldn’t hear anything past the buzzing in my ears. Turning my head was what I imagined it would feel like when you sloshed through quicksand: slow and sluggish. Stella was laughing. I smiled, her laugh always made me laugh. She had the best laugh, it was contagious, but I couldn’t feel my lips. I tugged on them, twisted them, but nothing. My lips were attached, but I couldn’t feel them.

I needed to go to the restroom, like right that moment. I stood. My movements fast and slow and clumsy all at the same time. My chair fell backward, and my knees gave out, sending me toppling to the floor.