I take her hand, grinning as I pull her towards the stairs that lead up to the raised house. We step through the front door, and she gasps again as she looks around. Her eyes twinkle, and she’s beaming as she takes it all in. I mean, it’s pretty bachelor-looking, but I keep a clean house, even if it’s mostly all surf shit.
“This is so homey.” She grins.
“You mean ‘shack-ish,’ right?” I chuckle.
“No, really,” she smiles at me. “It’s so cozy in here.”
“Make yourself at home,” I murmur, kissing her softly. “Because it is your home, for as long as you want.”
She bites her lip as I pull away. “Thank you,” she whispers. “For everything.”
“Don’t even worry about it,” I rumble softly. “I’ll be right back. I’m going to make some calls.”
She nods and smiles, and I step into my small bedroom and close the door. I call Gerard first. Gerard and I served together in the Corp. He got hit in the same roadside blast I did and took some shrapnel in the legs which got him discharged too. But now he’s local, and has his own private security company. He’s offered me a job about a hundred times, but it’s not for me. All I want is a good woman and some great waves.
“West, what’s up, buddy?” Gerard growls in his deep voice.
“Hey, man.” I sigh. I’ve been caught up with Taylor since we roared off. But what happened today was huge, and I know there’s going to be some music to face, and soon. After all, we did just flee the scene of the crime.
“So, something came up. Something big, and I might need some looking into it.”
Gerard grunts. “Sounds right up my alley. What’s up?”
“You know the cinnamon bun shack on the pier?”
“Buns Out?!” Gerard hisses. “Uh, yeah, bro, I know it. And it’s all over the fucking news right now.” It clicks for him why I’m calling, and he swears. “Oh shit, West. Were you a fucking part of that?”
“No,” I growl. Then I frown. “Well, I mean, yeah, but not what you think. I was doing a job there for my Gramps when they showed up.”
“Holy shit, West,” Gerard groans. “News is saying eyewitnesses saw guys with automatics just unloading into the place from the pier. Are you whole?”
“Yeah, thanks man,” I mutter. “What’s the news saying?”
“That all the shooters got away but one who was passed out cold when the cops finally showed up.”
I smile thinly. “Yeah, I clocked the first one when he pulled a gun on the shack employee.”
Gerard chuckles. “Good man. But the news is saying the poor girl working there is missing. It’s all over my police scanner, too. Cops think she might’ve been kidnapped, and there are witnesses saying they saw a guy dragging her to a beat-up old pickup…”
Gerard trials off and then swears. “Aw fuck, man. Please tell me I’ve got this wrong.”
I wince. “Yeah, so, about that.”
“Aw hell, man!” Gerard groans. “What did you do?”
“I had to,” I snarl.” Gerard, she was in danger.”
“So you call the cops, man!”
“No time,” I shake my head. “They were mowing the place down with full auto rifles, man. I had to act. And also…” I sigh. “Dude, this didn’t smell right. At all. Four heavily armed guys, shooting up a fuckin’ cinnamon bun stand? For what? The place has like, what, three grand cash at any given point? An armed robbery in broad daylight for three grand? Split four or five ways? There are some dumb criminals out there, but this is beyond fucking stupid.”
Gerard growls quietly. “Shit. I hear what you’re saying, man. That doesn’t click right.” He sighs. “So you’re safe now? Your place, I assume?”
“Yeah.”
“And the girl?”
“Yep.”