Grady sat in his cabin awhile, replaying over and over again what Callie had told him. She hadn’t mentioned their night together, but then again, he hadn’t either. He’d been chickenshit, not wanting to talk about it over the phone. Even before she had called, he had intended to go over to her place—soon—to talk to her about what had happened between them. He didn’t know her work exact work schedule, with her picking up extra shifts. No, he was just making excuses. He’d been a dick. He should have just ridden past her house and checked up on her. If she hadn’t been at home, he could have kept trying.

Still, they needed to talk. He didn’t have any idea how she felt about what had happened between them, but he was still feeling a bit guilty. Liar. More than a little bit guilty. Had he betrayed David’s memory and friendship? Would Callie hate him for what they had done in a moment of weakness? That’s what it had been. A moment of monumental weakness on his behalf. He closed his eyes. Her touch had felt so soft, incredible, and he’d allowed years of fantasies to overrun reality.

She hadn’t sounded angry on the phone, but with Callie it was sometimes hard to tell. She wasn’t an overly emotional person, at least not so anyone looking at her would know what was going on inside her head. Still, he knew her well enough to know that her loyalty to David had been unswerving. He might have permanently damaged their relationship . . . or what remained of their friendship.

Well, he’d find out in the morning. In the meantime, he had to talk to Levi. If Callie had a stalker, he needed to stick close and find out who was behind it. That meant being away from the club, away from his focus on the Jokers for a few days, maybe longer. His hands balled into fists as he stared down at them, watching the veins pop up with tension and anger. Heat surged through his body at the thought of someone bothering Callie. As anger took hold, he had to force himself to close his eyes and breathe through it. He needed to maintain a calm sense of time and place.

It didn’t take much to trigger his rages, but despite what Seth believed, he was working hard to get them under control. They were not only mentally and emotionally exhausting but wore on his physical sense of stability. It was amazing that he hadn’t had a stroke or done damage to his heart with these sudden and furious surges of high blood pressure and adrenaline. It couldn’t be good for him; he knew that.

Finally, after several minutes of deep breathing and concentration, he got a handle on the anger. The heat dissipated. Success. Dealing with Callie’s stalker, if that’s what was going on, would require focus and calm. Going off half cocked wouldn’t do her any good and might leave her even more vulnerable.

He needed to pay a visit to Captain Andrews. He wouldn’t be allowed on base, that much he knew. He’d have to find a spot to watch for him, maybe follow him home. It was either that or wait at the bar just off base and hope he dropped by again one of these days. Grady didn’t want to wait. If Captain Andrews was bothering her, Grady would set him straight, tell him to steer clear of Callie. If he didn’t . . . well, he would cross that bridge when he came to it.

Finally, he pushed itself out of his chair and left his cabin, closing the door softly behind him. He made his way over to the main building, glancing around. It was a warm day already, not many of the guys lounging around outside. He stepped into the main saloon, paused several seconds to enable his eyes to adjust to the darker interior, and then headed up the stairs, his boots clumping heavily on the old wood risers. At the top of the stairs, he paused in front of the closed door, then gave it two sharp raps.

“Come in.”

Grady stepped inside to find Levi sitting in his usual position, watching the TV, volume turned low. He glanced at the screen, surprised to find it turned to a news channel. He turned to Levi with a lifted eyebrow.

“Movie doesn’t start for another forty-five minutes,” he shrugged.

Grady didn’t know why Levi didn’t stream his old black-and-white favorites, or at the very least have a collection of DVDs, but then again, it was no skin off his nose.

“What’s up, Grady?” Levi asked, gaze still on the television screen, a slight frown pulling down his brows.

“I need to go away for a few days, maybe a week.”

Levi turned away from the television and looked up at Grady. “Why?”

“Gotta take care of some personal business.” He hoped that Levi would leave it at that. Like that was going to happen. He could tell by the look on Levi’s face that he wasn’t happy.

“It’s not the best time, Grady. The Jokers are pushing it, just itching for a fight. Especially since you cornered one of them. Just so you know, that was Squeeker, Lobo’s second cousin and one of his inner circle.” He shrugged. “Anyway, maybe we ought to give it to them.” Levi shook his head. “So now is not a good time for you to disappear.”

At that moment, a single knock on the door distracted both of them. It opened and Seth entered the room, folded newspaper in hand, a frown darkening his brow. He stopped short when he saw Grady standing stiffly near the television, Levi in his usual position in the corner of the couch, one arm on the armrest, the other draped along the back, one booted foot crossed over his knee.

“Am I interrupting?”

“No,” Levi said.

“Yes,” Grady said at the same time. “This is a private conversation.”

Levi disagreed. “It’s not private if it affects any of us as a group, Grady.” He pulled his gaze from Grady and looked at Seth. “What’s that?”

“Oh, I found an article . . . it’s the Albuquerque paper. It was in a diner in town.”

Grady glanced between Levi and Seth, curious. Levi had stiffened, unfolding his legs as he leaned forward, interested. What the hell? “An article? What kind of article?”

Seth glanced at Levi, saw Levi’s short nod, and replied. “Apparently, the Jokers are broadening their scope of operations.”

Grady waited impatiently for Seth to explain and when he didn’t, prompted him. “And?”

“And now they’re dabbling in extortion, a good old-fashioned protection racket. According to one business owner, he told them to get lost and the next day, his home was broken into, he and his wife tied up, and their daughter kidnapped.”

Grady frowned. “Are they sure it was the Jokers?” Why would the Jokers turn to extortion? He knew they were reputed to be involved in trafficking across the border, but kidnapping? “I’ve heard there’s been some local working girls missing, but they’re runaways and prostitutes.” He shook his head. “Why a home invasion? Why the daughter of a business owner—”

“How the hell am I supposed to know, Grady?” Seth snapped. “I’m just reporting what the newspaper says.”

Grady frowned, his confusion growing. While he could understand staying informed if the Jokers were involved and they needed to know about it, what—

“How old was she?”

Levi’s question startled him. What difference did it make how old the kidnapped girl was? The Jokers needed to be reined in. He could take a few of the guys . . . but what about Callie and her possible stalker?

“Sixteen,” Seth said with a shrug. “So far, no messages, no demand for ransom, no nothing.”

“That’s why I need you, Grady,” Levi said, turning to him again. “The Jokers are getting out of control. They’re like rabid dogs—”

“And a kidnapping, extortion, and home invasion will involve more than the local authorities, which you very well know, Levi,” Grady said. “It’s also going to attract the attention of the FBI.”

Levi nodded. “But they need warrants and subpoenas ,and we don’t.”

Grady shook his head. “But what are we supposed to do about it? You think we should go looking for this girl? Why? This happened what, yesterday?”

Seth nodded.

“Hell, she could be on a ship in Houston harbor at this very moment, bound to God knows where. How the hell are we supposed to know, and even more importantly, what the fuck are we supposed to do about it?” He didn’t understand. Why was this important to Levi? Why get involved? Why did it matter? Other than the obvious, of course. He didn’t like to think of kids being kidnapped and sold into sex slavery any more than any other person, but what exactly did he think they were supposed to do about it?

Levi sighed and turned Seth. “Grady asked for a few days to take care of some personal matters.”

“Personal matters.” Seth turned to Grady, shaking his head in an ‘I’m so disappointed in you’ demeanor. “You’re our head of security, Grady. You can’t just come and go as you please. We need to get the men together, had over toward Albuquerque—”

“And do what when we get there?” Grady snapped. He shook his head, turning to Levi. “Seriously, Levi, what are you suggesting? A revival of the OK corral? It’s one thing for us to take one of them down once in a while, out in the boonies, no one the wiser, but what you’re suggesting is a full-frontal assault. To what purpose? There’s nearly one hundred of them in the club in this region alone, and God knows how many more coming up from Mexico, not to mention discontents from New Mexico, Texas, and hell, anywhere else.”

Levi said nothing for a moment, staring at the television screen. Grady didn’t think for a moment that he was paying attention to the talking heads reporting the news.

“Why do you need to go away for a few days?” Seth asked, gently tossing the folded paper onto the couch next to Levi, widening his stance and crossing his arms across his chest as he glared at Grady.

“None of your damn business,” Grady snapped.

“Like Levi said, if it affects the safety of our president, even myself, or any of our members, it is our business, Grady. Either you’re our head of security or you’re not.” He glanced at Levi, his face flushed with anger. “If your head isn’t in it, maybe it’s time you stepped down, gave the position to someone whose dedication and loyalty is unswerving.”

The anger surged through his veins again, so fast this time it nearly took his breath away. Zero to sixty in a tenth of a second. His hands balled into fists, the urge to punch that look off Seth’s face, to feel the bones of his nose crunching under his fist nearly overwhelming. He saw red. At that very second, he watched Seth’s expression change from annoyance to hesitation. Seth cast a quick glance to Levi. Grady had no doubt they both saw it. He was losing control, but he couldn’t tamp down his anger.

“You’re questioning my loyalty?” Grady asked, his tone low, barely audible. No one had the right to question his loyalty. Not the army, not Captain Andrews, and certainly not Seth. He didn’t give a damn whether he was the club’s vice president or not. He glanced at Levi, watching him, one eyebrow lifted incuriosity. Was he foolish enough to attack the vice president? At this moment, Grady didn’t care who the hell Seth was or what position he held in the club. He took a step toward him.

“Grady,” Levi’s warning tone broke the sudden silence in the room. Tension electrified the air. Seth’s own hands were balled into fists now, hanging down at his sides, ready to take a swing if Grady so much as took a step toward him.

“You’re losing it, Grady,” Seth said, his voice calm and even. He took a step closer to Grady, as if daring him to strike. “You better get hold of yourself before you fuck up again, like you did at the bar and grill.”

It was obvious now that Seth and Levi both had heard about the bar fight, and not just from the cuts and bruises on his face. His pulse raced at another surge of anger and betrayal. Had someone from the club been at the bar? Had someone snitched? Flushed with emotion, Grady felt the adrenaline thrumming through his veins, the anger causing his muscles twitch. He tried to calm himself, tried to back down, but doing so went against every grain in his body.

“You’re good at what you do, Grady,” Seth continued, Levi watching on, still seated. “But you’ve got problems, and those problems are starting to affect us. You understand?”

Grady said nothing.

“Your first priority is to us. To Levi. The safety of our president, the safety of our members. If you can’t do your job, give it to someone who can. Go someplace and get your head on straight, but I’m warning you, Grady—”

A flash that felt like electricity exploded in his brain. He lunged at Seth, unable to stop himself, his hands automatically going for his throat. The two of them grappled and fell to the ground. Levi was up immediately, growling at both of them to knock it off. They landed hard on the floor, Grady beneath Seth. Grady was bigger than Seth, bulkier, more muscular, but Seth was no slouch. He kneed Grady in the groin. Pain, white flashes of light, and nausea roiled through him. Seth scrambled off of him, hands still balled into tight fists as Grady rolled onto his side, cupping his balls, retching, his anger still pounding through him, wanting to—

“Knock it off, both of you!” Levi snapped, grabbing Grady by the shirt collar and lugging him to his feet. Grady tried to straighten, his hand still cupping his balls, trying to fight back the nausea creeping ever higher toward his throat. He wasn’t going to retch, he refused, not in front of either one of them. Half bent over, he took a deep breath, then another, finally able to straighten.

Seth looked on, not with a self-satisfied grin, but with concern.

“What’s gotten into you lately, Grady?” he said. “Why so pissed off at the world? What’s going on?”

The buzzing in his ears gradually decreased though his heart still pounded in his chest. The veins throbbed in his forehead, but he took two more deep breaths, managed a step back, and leaned against the closed door. A myriad of emotions swept through him. Defeat. Worry for Callie. Concern for Levi and the others. He couldn’t do it all. One man couldn’t do it all, no matter how much he tried.

“Grady, sit down. Tell us what the hell is going on.”

Levi gently pushed Grady toward the couch he had just vacated. Grady plopped down, his muscles trembling with weakness from the pain in his groin. He’d lost it again. Completely and totally lost it. He was a loose cannon. Maybe he was going nuts, off his rocker. Maybe he wasn’t fit to be a Sergeant at Arms, jumping at his own shadows . . . 

Levi sat down on the opposite end of the couch while Seth pulled the chair from behind the desk and straddled it, leaning his arms against the back of it.

“Grady, if you’re in trouble, you need to tell us.”

He looked at Seth, concern and confusion taking equal space on his face. He sighed, tired. Tired of it all. Exhausted, really. As Levi had said, he was tilting at windmills.

“Lay your cards on the table, Grady,” Levi said. “Then I’ll decide where we go from here.”

Grady wasn’t good at sharing, least of all his personal problems. Levi and Seth knew about some of his background, knew about his dishonorable discharge, but they didn’t know what prompted it. That was the fact that mercilessly confused Grady as well. But maybe, if he told them a little bit, it would be all right. He sighed, his hands still trembling from the remnants of adrenaline. Reluctantly, he spoke.

“I had a buddy in the army. His name was David. He died over there.”

Levi and Seth exchanged a glance but said nothing.

“David’s widow, Callie, lives in Oklahoma City. I keep watch over her sometimes, make sure that she’s okay.”

He glanced at Levi and Seth, saw their rapt detention, and continued. “She’s having some problems. I need to help her.”

“What kind of problems?” Levi asked.

Grady looked up, locked eyes with Levi. “A possible stalker.”

“Why doesn’t she call the cops? She works for them, doesn’t she?” Seth asked, smirking.

Grady returned his gaze, but there was no happiness in his expression. “We both know the answer to that one, don’t we, Seth? They can’t watch over her twenty-four seven. Until she’s actually attacked, they won’t give enough of a shit to doing anything. I can.”

Again, he saw Levi and Seth exchange a glance. Seth nodded.

“Okay, Grady, how can we help?”

Grady’s head snapped up, his gaze focused on Seth, eyes widening, his body tensing again. “You want to help?”

Seth threw his arms to the side, palms up. “Why wouldn’t I? Why wouldn’t we? We’re the only family we’ve got, right, Grady? Or have you forgotten that, too?”

Grady sighed, flopped back into the couch, rubbing a hand over his forehead and eyes. He didn’t know what to think or what to say. He should’ve known better. He’d been lashing out at anyone and everyone, even the people closest to him. He’d been doing the same with Callie as well. His pride, his anger at his discharge, the humiliation of it all, had been building up for so long until he felt alone, pissed off beyond belief. Exhaustion tugged at his body, his head pounding, not from anger this time, but from . . . humbled. He had been humbled. It was his turn to eat crow, and he couldn’t avoid it. He slowly lowered his hand, looked at Seth, and then at Levi.

“I don’t . . . I’m not sure how to—”

“You don’t have to say anything, Grady,” Levi said, leaning forward, elbows on his knees. “We all have our burdens, Grady, don’t we?” He looked toward Seth. “Why don’t you take a few of the guys and head toward Albuquerque. See if you can find out more without butting heads with any of the law-enforcement agencies out there. I’ll put some feelers out, too.”

With that, Seth stood, turned, then abruptly stuck out his hand down toward Grady. Grady looked up at him, sighed, and shook Seth’s hand.

“We’re in this together, Grady,” Seth said. “We’ve got each other’s backs, right?”

Grady swallowed the knot in his throat and nodded. Seth left the room, closing the door softly behind him.

After several silent moments, Levi spoke. “Okay, Grady, tell me everything. Then we’ll come up with a plan of action.”

So Grady told Levi about everything. Not how David had died, not about the heavy burden of guilt he lived with every day, but about his friendship with David and Callie. About his feelings of obligation to his dead buddy, to watch over and protect his widow. It was obvious that he didn’t have to tell Levi how he felt about Callie. Not after his voice softened as he spoke about her. Not as the trace of a smile lifted the corners of his lips and calmed his frustration and anger as he spoke about her . . .