West (The Henchmen MC 19)

It was strange to see your son become a man. A man you knew would one day replace you, take over for you.

There was discomfort and confusion and uncertainty and, underneath it all, pride.

To have raised good kids who were becoming good men.

That was something to be proud of.

Even if it chafed, knowing they would replace you.

"He ridin' down?" Wolf asked, pulling me out of my wandering thoughts.

"Yeah," I agreed, sharing a smile with my brother.

I wasn't so big a man that I didn't get some joy in the idea of him taking on a twenty-something-hour ride on a fucking bike. He'd be sore for a week.

"This is going to be interesting," Cash decided, getting up for a refill, clamping a hand on my shoulder for a second when he moved past.

West.

As our representative.

In a strange state

With strange men.

Women.

Booze.

Guns.

Yeah, I felt safe agreeing that this would be really fucking interesting...ONEWest"I know, I know. Hearts are shattering," I said as I walked out of my room. For the last time for a good, long while.

I wasn't given a whole lot of information about how long I would be down in Florida, but it was going to be at least a couple of weeks.

A little fun in the sun and all of that.

I was overdue for a vacation.

Prior to landing in Navesink Bank, I had never stayed in one place for more than a few months at a time. I was always too restless. My job—if you could call it a job—allowed me to keep moving around, to never get too comfortable.

I hadn't needed to put down roots because I had a place to go home to when I needed to. Or, more accurately, when my mom or my sisters ragged on me about not visiting for a while.

I never thought I needed more than that.

Eventually, though, jobs became harder to find when you never fostered any connections with any particular organization.

It was time to grow up a little, find a place to settle down.

I figured Navesink Bank was the best spot seeing as it was never dull. Not with all those players in town.

As much as I did end up liking it, I had to admit I was excited to get away for a bit.

Meet some new people.

See some new sights.

Well, not new.

I'd done work in Florida more times than I could count. Let's just say that coastal areas meant a lot of crime. A lot of crime meant people needed people to knock heads together. It was something I specialized in. Before I mostly retired from it, that is.

But I would be seeing parts of it, I was sure, that had changed since the last time I was there. And through the eyes of this new group of guys.

I had to admit, that was what I was looking forward to most. People to go out with again.

For a while there, I'd had Vance. But once Ferryn came back, his interest in going out on the town was next to nonexistent.

From what I heard from Daddy Reign, none of these new guys were settled down. Which meant lots of nights out on the town. Tons of debauchery to be enjoyed.

I was looking forward to it.

The drive down the coast? Not so much. Especially since I was under strict orders to follow the speed limit and obey all road signs, which meant I wouldn't be able to shave off a little time.

Since there was a small arsenal shoved under my seat, I guess I understood the order.

"Yeah, I'm really sad that I won't have to taste test my food before digging in," Maze said as she moved into the kitchen.

Maze gave as good as she got. Which meant she enjoyed the back and forth too.

That was a nice thing about the Navesink Bank community, I had to admit. The girls. The back and forth. The soft in a hard place. It reminded me of growing up, of my sisters.

There would be none of that down in Florida, but anytime I needed some of the soft and sweet, I could head back for a weekend.

"You're gonna miss me, right, pretty girl?" I asked, turning to Rey who was sitting at the bar, lining up pine nuts for her cockatoo to eat. But Charlie's attention was currently directed at chewing the shit out of the molding. It was a favorite pass-time of his. And, luckily, I would be out of town, so I wouldn't be strapped with fixing the damage this time.

"Well, I know Susie will," she said, turning to face me, letting me see the snake hanging around her neck.

"Oh, for fuck's sake. Put that thing away," I hissed, cringing.

"You know," she said, giving me a teasing smile, "Florida is chock-full of snakes. On the ground. In the trees..."

"Stop."

"They're really nothing to be afraid of."