Duke (The Henchmen MC 5)

"It's different because they have kids. And Summer and Maze are pregnant. You know that."

He was right.

And I couldn't fault the logic that their kids needed to see their fathers, especially given how their lives got uprooted and they were living at Hailstorm suddenly. I'm sure it was fun for a long weekend or so, but they all had to be itching to get home to their toys and own beds.

"I know."

"Lo said she's fine."

"Fine is never fine," I countered.

"She's settled in. I heard she and Summer get along well and that Lo has been giving her a hell of a time learning self-defense."

"Doesn't tell me shit about how she's handling this."

"Malcolm and a couple of the other guys have taken her to see her grandmother twice a week since she went up there."

That was comforting at least.

I knew she drew a lot of strength from the tough old broad.

It was good that she got to see her. That was more than I could have given her.

"It's something."

"And nothing is stopping you from texting or calling her."

"I do text. She's not big on the replying thing."

"Alright, mopey-ass," he said, giving me a smile. "I'll talk to Reign about you going up and seeing her."

With that, he jogged back up the stairs.

One hour and a cold shower later, I was tucked in one of Hailstorm's SUVs and on my way up to see my woman.SEVENTEENPennySo I had been warned that it was like a survivalist camp.

But I guess the image I had in my head was thinking way too small.

Hailstorm was set on a giant, cleared piece of land up on a hill, looking down on the whole of Navesink Bank. There was only one road going up to it and you could see who was coming from miles off. There was a giant fence around the whole of it, topped with barbed wire and if the signs were to be believed, electrified. As we pulled up, a small group of dogs came running toward the gates, barking loudly. They were working breeds too, the kind you could train to do things like protect and defend your land: German Shepherds, Dobermans, and Rottweilers.

"Take a breath. It's not as scary as it looks," the older, very attractive starting to salt-and-pepper man named Malcolm told me.

I wouldn't have said it was scary, save for maybe the people walking around with guns. It was just surreal, something you saw in movies, not in real life. The entire building was built out of welded-together shipping containers of varying colors, all interlocking into some massive construction. I guess it had to be huge to be able to house all of her people. There seemed to be a roof in the center, like a house stood inside all of the shipping containers, but from my angle, I couldn't be sure.

Toward the back, there were fields of solar panels and an enormous garden that was still flourishing even late in the season.

It was an impressive, over-the-top, badass looking place.

And I would be living there for an indeterminate amount of time.

Judging by all the men and women milling about in their professional attire and guns and confident movements, yeah, I was so not going to fit in.

But that didn't matter.

What mattered was it would keep me safe.

And, hell, maybe I would even learn a thing or two from staying there.

Home sweet home.

The gates slid open and the SUV drove in, going around the side of the building, then backing up into a storage container that opened for us.

"Can't be too safe," Malcolm explained with a shrug as the door closed and we were in complete darkness. "Come on. Hop out. I'll show you where all the Henchmen women are."

So then we walked up to another door and into a shipping container hallway. In about, say, two minutes, I was starting to get dizzy. Apparently the inside of Hailstorm was like a maze. I guess that was a smart tactical move, but it made your equilibrium go haywire if you didn't know the way. My escorts, of course, were completely unaffected by it.

Then, finally, we walked up to a door with a small glass cut out. But where you would usually be able to see through, there was paper taped up on the other side to block people from looking in.

Malcolm paused, knocking hard a few times. "Ladies, got another addition for you."

There was shuffling and, to his credit, Malcolm did not open the door, but waited there patiently for it to be opened from the inside.

"Penny!" A pretty, pregnant woman with red hair and an endearing smattering of freckles said as she pulled the door fully open. "We've been waiting for you. I'm Summer. I'm Reign's wife," she said, still smiling.

Duke had told me that Reign's wife was the one from a more normal background, who just found herself thrown into a messy situation that ended with her being tortured for months. He thought she and I would get along.