Adler (The Henchmen MC 14)

"Oh, so you're someone's old lady?" I asked.

"Ugh, what a term, right?" She asked, wrinkling her nose a bit. "Edison there belongs to me," she told me, raising her glass to the dark, bearded guy.

"What do you mean 'training'?"

"Martial arts. Some of the guys - and Lo, Janie, Maze, etc. - all have more experience than I do, but I worked with her too. Just to give her a rounded education. I'm taller than Janie. But a bit weaker than Lo. Ferryn is good. She's strong. She'll be able to take care of herself."

"Any idea why she ran?" I asked when what I really wanted to know was - if all these guys were here, where was Adler? But I couldn't be that girl. That weak, pathetic, needy girl. No. Not me. Never.

"No. It was a clusterfuck of a situation," she prefaced before launching into it, trusting me with it, even though it was clearly something meant to be a club secret. Maybe she thought my connection with Adler was more than it was. I should have corrected her, but quite frankly, just having a conversation with someone who was human - and not disgusting Geoff - was so needed that I didn't want it to end. "I'd say she was just in shock. Killing someone can do that..."

"Yeah," I agreed, knowing firsthand. "But you don't think that's it."

"I don't think that's it," she agreed, looking off at the backbar for a long moment, speaking to it when she opened her mouth again. "I think that whatever happened in that basement unlocked something within her. She's always been this smart girl, confident, sure of herself, and so fucking skilled. Scarily skilled for her age. But maybe a bit blind in a way too. You wouldn't think that would be possible. What with her parents, her aunts and uncles. But they have all done a really good job shielding her, protecting her from the uglier sides of life. And now that she has gotten exposed to it, I think she is viewing the world differently. Maybe even on some kind of mission she has cooked up in her mind."

"But why run away? With the resources she has here."

To that, she shrugged a shoulder. "Maybe she knew things would fall back into old patterns soon enough. Her being protected - likely even more so than before. And she doesn't want that anymore. It sucks that she's doing this. To her parents. To all of the rest of us who love her. But I think if they are looking at it clearly, not emotionally, they will someday understand."

"Understand what?"

"That it is possible to smother someone with too much love. That by keeping her in this cage they want her in, they would have stunted her growth. No one wants to think that their teenager can do without them. But they did well with Ferryn. Gave her every advantage a young girl could have. She will do well. Thrive even. And then she will come back. On her terms. When she's ready. And everyone will get to fall in love with her all over again - whoever she turns out to be."

"That is a very logical way to look at it."

To that, her lips curved up ever so slightly. "Yes, well, no one would accuse me of being all touchy-feely. I'm a bit of a realist. And I didn't see her grow up," she added. "If she was like a niece or little sister to me, yeah, I would be drinking myself into oblivion with the rest of them," she admitted, waving her hand to the Henchmen who had seemed to multiply. And bring along their old ladies.

"Hey Peyt," she called, catching the attention of a woman with mermaid hair, tattoos, and an interesting sense of style. Interesting because she was in a skintight miniskirt that had little unicorns with assault rifles on it, a hot pink top, and pumps that had little machine guns for heels.

"I'm doling out my A-game, and no one is even cracking a smile," Peyt said as she walked over. "I know you don't know me, but I'm hilarious," she added, looking at me.

"Peyton, this is Lou. Lou, Peyton. She's Sugar's girl," she added, pointing to the tall, dark-haired, gray-eyed guy talking to Virgin.

"Lou? As in the Lou? The Lou that has Adler moon-eyed?"

There was no stopping the pleased flutter in my belly at hearing those words. From women who clearly knew him better than I did at this point, who would know what was and what is not normal.

"The one and only."

"So what have you and my girl Lenny been talking about? Please tell me it's not sad. I don't think I can take anymore sad. It's been a long few weeks."

"I was just explaining the situation. Adler has been pretty constantly at the compound. She had no idea what has been going down."