MAXWELL

We spotted a gas station as soon as we crossed over the Remington city limits, and Memory signaled for us to pull over. He pulled the bike up to one of the gas pumps, while the rest of us parked in front of a diner that was attached to the station. We had enough gas to make it back to the junkyard without filling up, so we waited patiently for him to finish. Heaven had spent most of the drive restless and unsettled. She’d finally quieted down, or passed the fuck out, with her head in my lap about an hour ago. She needed a hot bath and a full belly of warm food in her system the minute we passed the gates into the junkyard. Once she was safely inside, I’d make sure she had everything she needed and then some.

“Think we should wake her to use the bathroom or something?” Range asked quietly.

“No, she needs the rest. Besides, we’ll be home soon anyway. I’ll take care of her then.” He smiled and shook his head.

“What, asshole?” He had a silly look on his face, like the cat that got the cream.

“You seem different somehow, wiser. Women have a tendency to do that to a man. Never thought I’d see the day when it happened to you. Proud of you, brother.”

“Whatever, fucker, think you’re the only one capable of getting a girlfriend?” I gave him a light punch to the arm. I’d missed our easy banter and comradery we always shared since the day we met and he refused to call me Maxie. He’d been my first real friend before we became brothers.

“You mean getting a wife.” He said it so low it had to have been a mistake.

“What did you say?” I was no longer laughing; in fact, I felt sick to my stomach.

“Clover and I got married, brother. Happened recently.” He held up his left hand and showed off his shiny gold wedding band. How the fuck did I miss that?

“Married?”

I repeated it more to myself than back to him. They were married, and I’d fucking missed it. How could I have let them down that way? The happiest day of my brother’s life, and I’d proved once again what a selfish asshole I was. I didn’t have the balls to look him in the eye and give him the chance to curse me out.

“Hey.” He got my attention. “I see you over there kicking your own ass, Max. Let it go, brother.”

“But…” I had so much I wanted to say, but words weren’t enough to express the deep regret I carried around with me since the day I’d left. If only I’d tried to listen when he and Sebastian came to my apartment and tried to get me to come back, none of this shit would have happened.

“Brothers till death, remember? Leave that shit in the past where it belongs…all of it, you feel me? We have a lot to catch up on, but we’re happy to have you home. Believe that.”

He rubbed my shoulder as a sign that all was forgiven and he didn’t hold a grudge. I swallowed back the thickness of emotion that coated my throat and made it difficult to breathe. I was the luckiest sonofabitch in the world, a fact that I would never take for granted again.

I caught sight of Sebastian walking over to the driver’s side window. He was distracted by something. His stride was tense and determined. He motioned to Range to roll down his window and pointed over to the side of the diner, where a couple was standing. I didn’t want to move around too much, afraid I might disturb Heaven’s sleeping form. I had just enough room to turn and take a look at what had him up in arms. Some asshole had a woman pressed up against the side of the diner. From the looks of things, he was trying to reach inside her purse. She was a small little thing, much shorter than that cocksucker who stood over top of her with his hands in her face. If she hadn’t been wearing a waitress uniform, I might have mistaken her for a child. He grabbed her by the strains of her short hair and snatched the purse from her grasp. She had no choice but to let it go before he tore her fingers off.

“Do you see that fucking shit, Range? I swear to Christ, if he hits her, I’m grabbing my bow from the car. Cum stain needs to learn how to treat a woman.” Sebastian was royally pissed, and I couldn’t blame him. Some asshole was being a jerk to some woman, and it was hard to watch.

“Take it easy, brother. Let’s just mind our own business and make our way back to the yard.”

Range tried to be the voice of reason. We were all armed and bloodied; the last thing we needed was for the cops to show up and search us. Too bad Sebastian didn’t see it that way. The moment that shit stain backhanded the girl across the face, he took off running in their direction. That low-down pussy saw him coming and took off in the other direction and disappeared from sight. Range jumped out the cab of the truck without closing the door. I followed once I had Heaven laid comfortably across the seat of the chair. The girl was sitting on the ground with her face covered. Tiny drops of blood trickled down her white uniform from where she was struck.

“She doing okay, or do we need to call an ambulance?” She peered up at the three of us from her spot on the ground, and I felt like I’d been hit in the chest with a fucking crowbar.

“Maribel?” Sebastian’s voice was small and pained.

“Holy shit, we got big trouble, boys.”

I turned my gaze toward the gas pumps. There, Mem stood as stiff as a statue. He knew. His eyes were completely closed, his head tilted upward toward the sun. There were no warning signs before he popped and let loose a savage roar at the top of his lungs.

“Motherfucker.”

Range met him halfway and held up his hands as a sign of peace. He tried to talk him down, but Mem looked right past him like he wasn’t even there. He clenched his fists at his sides, the veins in his neck protruding with each breath. Mem was gone. In his place was a trained killing machine marching a direct path to the enemy if he wasn’t stopped. Range grabbed him around the arms from the back. The strong hold prevented him from drawing his weapons, but he refused to stop his advance. He threw his head back and caught Range in the nose. Blood spewed from both nostrils, but he refused to let go. Mem had always been one strong motherfucker. His time in the Marines had made him superhuman; he’d never give up without a fight. He snarled with fury. The animalistic sounds that came from his chest drew in more onlookers to a situation that was quickly spiraling out of control. The guy was an out-of-control locomotive.

Sebastian left me to care for Maribel. Her small body shook violently as she watched the man she’d once loved battle against his restraints. She stood from the ground and gave a half-assed attempt to straighten up her appearance, but she looked a hot mess. Her knees had a few scrapes, and her cheek began to darken from the backhand she’d taken across the face. Luckily, nothing looked as though it required medical attention. We hadn’t seen Maribel since the day before Memory left for the Marines and she was getting ready to graduate high school. We all assumed she went away to college and the two of them maintained their relationship long distance. The only thing Mem would tell us was that they’d broken up and to leave it the fuck alone, so that’s exactly what we did. Obviously, that was bullshit.

“Please, Max, go help them. I have to get inside and start my shift.” She went to step away, but I stopped her by holding her elbow.

“Let me help you, Maribel, take you somewhere, get you cleaned up.” She scoffed and yanked her arm out of my grasp.

“I don’t need your fucking help, Max. Take your friend and get the fuck outta here before I call the cops. I never want to see any of you ever again, do you understand?” She didn’t wait for my reply, and there was no time to give her one. Sebastian called for me to help contain our brother. His hold on Mem was slipping; the two of them together were still no match for the scrappy ex-Marine. It would take all three of us to subdue him along with a patented move perfected by Buck Calhoun. I struck fast. My arms went around his neck, and I applied just enough pressure to lull Mem to sleep without causing permanent damage.

“Motherfuck, that brother’s strong. I forgot about the sleeper hold. Should have used that first.” Range was out of breath but held Mem upright so his limp body wouldn’t hit the ground.

“We need to go. Cops are coming.” I heard the sirens in the distance.

“Put him in the truck and haul ass to the yard. I’ll grab the bike and follow.” Range and Sebastian hoisted Mem into the backseat of the truck and tossed me the keys. Heaven was no longer sleeping. Her momentary look of shock was replaced by that of a caring professional when she jumped into the backseat with Mem.

“What happened? Did he fall off the motorcycle or something? I don’t see any blood.” Heaven grabbed and old shirt from somewhere and placed it under his head to make him more comfortable. She checked his pulse for a steady rhythm and pupils for signs of concussion. I watched her work through the rearview mirror and couldn’t help the warm feeling of pride that engulfed me as she cared for my brother.

“He’s fine, baby, just fast asleep until we can get him back to the junkyard. Nothing for you to worry your pretty little head over.” I didn’t want her to worry. She’d had enough of that over the past few days and didn’t need any more.

“Sleeping? Max, I’m a nurse. You expect me to believe that bullshit?” Her look was skeptical but hot as fuck when she narrowed her eyes and crinkled her little button nose.

“Do you have any idea how badly I want to pull this truck over and fuck you right now?”

She cocked her head to the side and didn’t skip a beat when she threw up both of her arms and made the sign of the cross in front of her face. I smiled all the way to the yard knowing that life would never be the same again now that I was with my Heaven.