All In: ALL IN KNIGHTS OF MAYHEM (32 page)

I follow as he leads me into the one room set up. There is a small table with three chairs setting under it
. The fire wood stove has rusted over and the hints of black paint are only fragments of its long ago past glory. The wood framed bed is nothing but a small mattress stuffed in boards, it is the hideous grey vertical striped pattern famous in prisons.

“This is um
, nice.” I try as I look around the shabby little cabin.

He turns to me, ‘shit Avery you are a terrible liar
, just so ya know, but thanks for the effort.”

“Sure
, anytime.” I stumble over my feet a little when he gives me the look.

“I thought we could use this old stove,’ he crosses over placing his hand on the cast iron, ‘to cook some lunch and picnic.” His pause is full of thought, ‘and talk
, there are a few things I need to tell you.”

I long sigh of relief leaves my lungs, ‘I think it is too.” Our eyes met and I find it hard to
take mine away, ‘so what did you have in mind, for lunch I mean?” Or the other would be completely acceptable.

He drags a small cooler out from behind the counter, ‘I have a few things but I have to get the fire started so it can heat up.” He pops open the lid as I join him to examine the contents.

“How did you get this up here?” I point to the small loaded cooler.

“Eno.” His one word answer is enough to let me know he has been planning this for a few days.

“Why am I not surprised?”

We busy our selves readying
the food for lunch, Leo starts the fire and I begin to peel the potatoes, ‘does the water work?” I stand in front of the rusted sink and stare at the crusted over faucet skeptically.

Leo comes up behind me covering my back with his large body, ‘it should but I would let it run a little bit to blow the rust out of the pipes.”
Reaching around me he twists the knob as this guttural sound rumbles through the old pipes. A few short sputters then the water blast red from the nozzle, ‘ha see.” His smile is contagious.

It took several minutes but the water started running clear, I finish with the vegetables as Leo has the fire roaring in the cook stove.

“Now we wait.” He pulls one of the old chairs from the table and nods to the one next to him, ‘care to join me.” I reluctantly cross over to him, he takes my hand and raises it to his lips, ‘Avery I am sorry this has taken so long.”

I fill the chair and listen to it whine under my weight, ‘
okay.”

He takes a deep breath and pinches the bridge of his nose between his fingers, ‘well I guess I should start at the beginning,’ he looks up at me, ‘remember the story I told you about blowing my knee out in high school?”

I nod, ‘yes about how you had to find a new profession.”

“
Yeah well it was the military then a little bit of college and then the government not as a mechanic in a motorcycle shop.”

“
Okay.” I say just to let him know that I am still with him.

“I joined and then
Eno, Cowboy, Roman and Dalton followed, we were lucky enough to be placed in the same regimen.” He looks up gauging my reaction and understanding, ‘we were dropped behind enemy lines to gather and provide intelligence and in some cases take out high value targets.”

“You were in Afghanistan?”

“No, but I did participate in the early years of the Iraqi war. I had been discharged before the Afghani deployment.”

“Was it
an honorable discharge?” I chew my bottom lip hoping what Malachi had said had been all lies.

“It was but,’ he stops and stands crossing over to the cabinet above the sink taking down two glasses and a bottle of bourbon. Sitting he pours us each a glass and swigs his down quickly wanting to take the edge off
, I do the same. The harsh liquid takes my breath and the burn coats the raging uncertainty in my belly.

“
It was, but it was a forced. I had participated in a questionable incident.” He pours himself more and offers me pushing my glass over he gives me the same amount as before, ‘Eno and I were on our last mission before a very much needed leave, we were holed up in the second floor of a building, Dalton and Roman were across the street and we were providing suppression fire for the ground troops.” He stops and takes a drink from his glass struggling with the memories.

He drags in a ragged breath before he continues, ‘I watched as a man
shot a woman and child in the head on the street below us,’ he falls silent as I watch his face reveals him reliving the memory, ‘for no other fucking reason than to get a reaction because they had helped us. I had seen so much of that shit, I lost it. I ran down the steps revealing our location putting the rest of my men in danger but I gave the bastard a dose of his own medicine by the way of a 9mm bullet to the head.” He sat back in his chair his eyes had glassed over and I could see he was there all over again, in the street watching those two innocent people die.

I gasp and throw my hand up to my mouth. Seeing his eyes and the distant look he had in them I try quickly to rectify my reaction. Gathering my composure I try to continue the conversation, ‘s
o that is what Malachi was talking about the other night?” I sip the liquid this time instead of inhaling it I don’t think my throat could take the burn again.

“Yes but I wasn’t court marshaled o
r dishonorably discharged just simply told my services were no longer needed, basically the military in a not so polite way telling me to fuck off you are a liability. So I walked and never looked back after I graduated from school is when your father contacted me and asked to take me to lunch.”

“My
Dad found you?” I tilt my head with the question.

“Yeah I am DEA Avery
and your father is my superior. Turns out I possess a certain skill set needed by several branches of our countries government. I just use them now to track down and contain drug trafficking.”

I stand and begin to pace around the small cabin
, Leo doesn’t offer to get up, he leaves me alone with all this information processing in my over worked brain, ‘is that all, everything else you have told me has been a lie?” I turn to him fisting my hands at my side overwhelmed with anger and sorrow.

He leans his elbows on his knees but his eyes never leave mine, ‘The story I told you about Molly and
Serena, they were not strippers they were also agents, something else I fucked up. And yes Serena and I were together.”

“Oh how refreshing it turns out Leo you are not a complete asshole.” My comment garners me a low grunt from him.

“The motorcycle club is a cover, all the guys at the club are retired DEA or on the verge of it. So when given the opportunity they were more than happy to spend the rest of their careers riding motorcycles and drinking beer.” He laughs at the asinine concept, only in America right?

“And the strip joint
?”

Shaking his head, ‘all a show, I don’t own
it but the people I am following seem to spend most of their time in them.”

“
So the night of the party was all a show?” I pause and gauge his reaction, ‘is there anything else?” I drag the chair farther away from him putting ample distance between us which does not go unnoticed.

“
Yes Avery it was, that is why I told you what I did about sticking right with me. I was afraid the guys would get a case of the loose lip. Other than the asshole Max you met in the prison infirmary has been the case I have been on for around ten years now. We have followed him and his men all over the United States and through Mexico till he ended up here and made contact with me. This lands us where we are now. He was using Zach to get information to and from the outside.”

“So Zach was the one
who told him about you and me?” I narrow my eyes at him but it turns out he had been right and I hate him for it.

“Yes.”

“But I don’t understand, we had only just met. I mean it was just days.” I can't fathom the reason someone would go from being a decorated marine to a drug lord’s bitch.

“Zach was watching me and in turn saw you that
Saturday night at the clubhouse. He knew you from work and I am guessing you pulling the night shift was no coincidence and the reason would be money, some people have no moral compass Avery and Zach is one of them.”

“Where is Zach now?” I sit back down resting my legs that were threatening to buckle under me.

“He is in custody, he has valuable information or I would seriously consider ending that little rat’s life.” He pops the knuckles on all ten of his fingers then flexes the out.

“Leo
!”

His face glazes over with anger and his eyes pin me, ‘he sold you out
Avery, nearly getting you killed. Then his partner kidnapped you and fucking touched you,’ I watch as a shutter runs down his lengthy frame, ‘hit you, would you like for me to continue?” His eyes darken as the memory of that night.

Ducking my head
and closing my eyes trying to push the memories out of my head, ‘no I guess not.”

We sit in silence for quite a while before one of us speaks, ‘
so my Dad is your CO?” I stop and raise my eyebrows hoping that I asked it correctly and didn’t sound like a complete jackass.

“Yes.” Leo confirms.

“And I take it he has been for several years,’ I pause again and wait for Leo’s confirmation, ‘why was he trying to warn me away from you at the bistro that day?”

A smirk covers his face, ‘I know I wouldn’t want my daughter dating someone that could
potentially get her killed.” He throws his hands up in the air and then lets them fall back to his lap just as quickly.

“Then why knowing there was
the potential did you get involved with me?” I sit back and cross my arms over my chest.

His laugh is genuine and deep, ‘
I let other parts of my anatomy make those decisions for me.” His large arms encircle his chest as he leans the chair back on its legs.

Looking away trying to hide the smile on my face
and the heat hitting my cheeks, ‘well you weren’t the only one thinking that way.”

He kicks my chair with the toe of his boot,
‘oh yeah, liked what you saw did ya?”

“Oh and there
is the over inflated ego of yours but yes and I still do.” Somehow feeling guilty we are joking after the horrific story he just told me. My smile fades along with my mood again.

His
smile fades as well as he tilts his head up to look at me, ‘so are we good Avery?” He leans in and drags my chair closer to him taking my hands in his.

I take a deep breath and know I am not mad at him for hiding
these things from me. Because I feel that Leo is still Leo and me having all the facts only makes my love and admiration for him stronger, but I think I will let him sweat it a bit.

“Avery your silence is killing me over here.” He shifts in his seat.

I hold his hand flat on mine his massive paw hides my hand from sight, ‘Leo I can't say I am overly excited about your choice of professions or the fact you constantly put yourself in harm’s way.” I pause and look up at him, ‘but I am willing to try if you are.” Without warning he stands and gathers me up in his arms as I encircle his neck with mine.

He buries his face in my shoulder placing light kisses on the exposed skin, ‘god
Avery, best words I have ever heard spoken.”

I lean my head back and search his eyes, ‘but there is a but
isn’t there, there is always a but.”

“Heratio has gone underground and we believe he has left the
country.” He lowers his forehead to mine, ‘I am going to have to leave for awhile, the orders came in yesterday.”

Stepping back
to look up at him, ‘go for awhile where?” I try to act like I had not heard his confession in the early morning hours.

“South is all I can tell you,
Roman, Dalton, Matthew and your father have to leave too.”

“Does Piper know about all this and of Dalton’s involvement?”

He closes his eyes, ‘she has known for several years because of Roman, I asked her not to tell you but-“ he doesn’t finish his sentence. His breath is hot on my face as he kisses away the tear escaping my left eye, ‘Beeker and Eno will stay behind to make sure you and Piper are not harmed with all of us gone.”

“Wait Beeker?”
the memories from the other night come flooding back, he was one of the black clad men who saved us.

“Yeah
, his real name is Logan, he is a newbie. You will stay at my house until I get back no arguments or questions understand Avery?”

Nodding at the demand knowing like he said no argument or protest will change his mind, ‘how long will you be gone?”

Shaking his head, ‘hard to say it depends on a lot of shit, could be days could be months.”

“Months?”
my voice is shrill from shock.

“I don’t know yet, it will all depend on how easy we can flush him out or pin down useful information,’ I look over at her and smile, ‘Rome wa
sn’t built in a day, baby. But I will make sure I hurry home.” Pulling me back in closer to him, ‘what do ya say we get the fire going again and fix us some lunch?”