“I didn’t know you rode horses.”
“Rode horses? My family contracts stock for rodeos.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means he was born on the back of a horse,” said Maddox’s wife, as they were walking past them. “Snapper and Kick are home, and I
think Trev is too if you want to meet up with them while you’re in town.”
“Wait, do you two know each other?” asked Dutch.
Onyx shook his head. “Alex is my cousin, bro.”
“Seriously?”
Onyx laughed. “Yeah, I see what you did right there.”
Onyx walked out with Alex and Maddox while Dutch went to pour himself another glass of bourbon. Several of the partners, including Mantis and Alegria, had already left. Gunner and Razor were still there, talking to Doc and Merrigan.
“I didn’t expect to see you back tonight,” said Merrigan when he walked over to join them.
“Yeah, I’m in the dog house.”
She laughed. “Uh oh. Have a seat.”
Dutch listened as they told stories about missions that happened long before he hooked up with them. Would this be him and Mantis someday? Would Alegria join in, and more importantly, would he still be the fucking odd man out? God, he was sick of being that guy. Especially when there was a woman he loved being with, sleeping alone in a bed that was only a few yards away from where he sat.
He would give just about anything to be next to her in that bed right now, feeling her skin on his.
“What did you do?” Merrigan leaned in and asked.
“I think I may have taken her for granted.”
“Go apologize, and then stay the hell out of her way.”
Dutch laughed. “She told me to leave, though.”
“Listen to me.”
Dutch nodded.
“Do you think it was easy for Doc to step aside and let me finish my last mission?”
Dutch shook his head. He’d been a part of it, on the K19 side, so he knew damn well how hard it had been for his boss.
“Your strength as a man is measured more in how you’re able to keep yourself from interfering than it is if you continue to believe you have to save her. She doesn’t need you to save her, Dutch.”
He looked around, making sure no one was listening to their conversation and leaned forward like she had. “It wasn’t that as much as it was me wanting her to commit to a life with me.”
“Give her some time. She’s in the middle of the most important mission she’s ever undertaken. More important than most of us have.”
“My head knows that, but my heart…”
“You want to save her.”
Dutch nodded.
“Malin knows that. She watches you, you know, to see how you’ll react. Sometimes it appears she’s holding her breath, hoping you’ll stay quiet.”