Mustang by Piper Stone

Chapter 16

Mustang

Ten Days Later

Guilt.

Anger.

Remorse.

All three emotions had spun themselves into something that I knew I had to deal with. I’d also felt fear. Fear of the unknown. Fear of the future.

Mostly, fear of losing the woman I loved.

Finally the nightmare was over, the persons responsible admitting their crimes. I knew Danni remained troubled by the betrayal of her friend, but at least she’d learned the truth. She’d also helped the case against Randy Harding and Sandra Ellis with the wire she’d worn. It had been risky, but several FBI agents had surrounded the house.

Sadly, Sandra’s father had gone into hiding, some convinced that he’d been a part of the scheme.

As far as the future? Well, I was actually looking forward to it.

“You sure you’re up for this, cowboy?” Danni asked, her tone far too sultry not to be locked away in my cabin, a roaring fire in the fireplace.

Hell. In the last few days, all I’d wanted to do was remain locked away, but only if the woman who’d captured my heart remained by my side. She’d proven to be a handful, refusing to allow the horror she’d experienced to bother her in the least. I had to admire her tenacity as well as her resolve.

The woman was tough as nails.

Grinning, I opened the rear door of her Charger, allowing Zorro and Rattler to jump out, both pups immediately racing for Hawk’s front door. “I’m up for just about anything. How about you?” As I placed my hand on my throbbing cock, an actual blush flowed into her lovely cheeks.

“You’re incorrigible. You do know that.”

“Which is why you adore me.”

She punched me lightly in the gut before trying to push me away. “You? Who are you again? Oh, yeah,” she mused as she rubbed her hand across my chest. “One mean fighting machine.”

“Very funny.” I took her by the hand, pulling her fingers to my lips. Maybe I should be grateful that Snake had given me the advice or Randy Harding would have lost his life that snowy day. Instead, he’d wear a sling on his arm for another week or so. He also wouldn’t be aiming a gun at anyone else for a long time.

At least if the FBI had anything to say about it.

“Mmm… You keep that up, we might need a quickie.”

“Only after a well-deserved spanking.”

“Hey! I’ve been good lately.”

“Uh-huh. Come on. There’s some people I want you to meet.” As we walked toward the entrance, the dogs had already announced our arrival, the door open wide.

“About time you got here,” Hawk said, winking then laughing as the dogs raced inside. “I think those two are buddies.”

“They are a handful,” Danni said.

“Just like the little filly here,” I stated with utter dominance on purpose.

“Join the club, buddy. Come on in. Scorpion and Caroline just arrived.”

As he took our coats, I nodded toward Scorpion as he stood in the doorway of Hawk’s office, leaning against the jamb. When Bryce and Caroline walked in, the smile on Danni’s face grew wide.

“Everyone, this lovely veterinarian, Danni Brexton, has stolen the heart of our wistful, fun-loving Mustang,” Hawk said after clearing his throat.

“Remind me to kick your ass later,” I huffed, everyone else laughing.

“Danni, this is my feisty broad, Bryce, but watch her, she has a mean right hook,” Hawk continued. “Over there is Caroline, the only woman who can keep Scorpion in line.”

“Scorpion, Hawk, and Mustang. Now, what are the names of the other two posse members?” Danni asked.

“That would be Reaper and Vader,” Scorpion said quietly, as if he had some news.

“Heroes, monsters, sinners and saints. Isn’t that what you all call yourselves?” Danni asked.

As I glanced at Hawk, he gave a nod of respect, Scorpion doing the same. I’d told the entire story about the mission, every damaging detail. What had surprised me the most was that she’d simply brought my hand to her heart.

“Yep. She’s one of us. Why don’t we girls grab a drink and let the boys talk. I also have freshly made doggie treats,” Bryce cooed.

As Danni ran her fingers through mine, the same desire rushed to the surface. She was one hell of a woman.

“Come on. Scorpion has news to share. Plus, after this last couple of weeks, I think a drink or five is in order.” Hawk moved immediately to the bar in his office, pouring us a round of bourbon.

“You did damn good,” Scorpion said casually, although there was a twinkle in his eyes. “Plus, you got one hot little mama right there.”

“Touch her and I’ll sic Caroline on you,” I growled.

“Trust me. I can barely handle my woman at this point,” Scorpion said, laughing. “I’m just glad you’re all right. I missed all the fun after the arrests.”

“I came by the bar a few days ago and you weren’t there. What the hell?” I challenged, lifting a single eyebrow.

“I just had to go out of town for a couple days with Caroline.”

“Yeah. Yeah. What is this big news you have?” I asked, savoring the bourbon. It had been a long time since I felt truly relaxed.

“Reaper is coming home in a couple weeks.” Scorpion’s voice seemed odd.

“O-kay. What aren’t you telling me?” I glanced at Hawk who had obviously heard the news already.

“Vader is missing.”

I shrank back. “What do you mean missing?”

“He hasn’t been heard from in six weeks,” Hawk answered. “He was really despondent when he was last seen, some reports saying suicidal.”

The news hit me hard, anger swelling again. I fisted my hand and snarled. “Goddamn all this shit. If we hadn’t gone on that freaking mission in the first place then…” Shit. What the fuck was I doing?

“Then what?” Hawk demanded as he moved closer. “Then Snake would be alive. Is that what you’re trying to tell me? Is that it?”

“Whoa,” Scorpion hissed, moving between us. “We’re friends.”

“Maybe not. I know you blame me, Mustang. I know you do. Just fucking say it for once. Have some damn balls for once in your freaking life.”

“Stop it!” Scorpion snarled. “This is bullshit.”

“Fine. I did blame you. Okay? I even hated you,” I barked, instantly loathing that it had come to this. “Then I realized my anger was directed at the wrong man. You were doing exactly as you’d been trained to do. I’m the one to blame. I was the one who froze that day we went in to rescue him. Me. If I hadn’t then we would have saved Snake before the explosion.” The harshness of my tone was freaking uncalled for, the echo something I would never forget.

The tension between us was something I’d tried to avoid, but Danni had been right. I couldn’t avoid my past or my feelings any longer.

“I’m the one to blame,” I repeated.

Hawk sucked in his breath before patting me on the shoulder. “There isn’t a one of us who hasn’t second guessed our decisions. I’ve been sick about it, second guessing everything, every single decision. But I finally had to make peace with what happened. The assholes to blame are those responsible for taking him prisoner.”

“He’s right, Mustang. I’ve stayed awake nights blaming myself for not stopping Snake. I had a chance to do it. I have no idea what I was thinking.”

“He would have refused. You know how Snake was,” I managed.

“Yeah, that’s for certain,” Scorpion half whispered.

“We have to let go of this guilt. That’s not what Snake would have wanted,” Hawk said quietly before lifting his glass.

I gave him the nod of respect this time. As I lifted my glass, I could see a glimpse of Snake’s face in my mind. At least the man was smiling. That was the way I wanted to remember him. “To Snake.”

“To Snake,” Hawk said with authority.

“To one crazy motherfucker,” Scorpion added, allowing us all to laugh.

“Okay. The last I heard, this was supposed to be a party,” Bryce said as she walked in.

“The lady is right. Hey, why don’t you take Danni to see the new barn,” Hawk suggested.

“Why?”

“Remember that steer she saved?” he asked, giving me a sly smile. “I purchased him. I thought she might like to know that he’s healed just fine. I had him put in stall number five for the time being just in case.”

“You know, I think she’d like that.” I took another gulp of my drink before easing it onto the bar. As I walked toward the door, I stopped in front of Hawk, giving him a salute.

I could see the look in his eyes, the level of emotion that had run through all of us over the last few months.

As he lifted his arm, holding his head high as he saluted, I was allowed once again to feel honor.

Honor for my country.

Honor for my unit.

Honor for the men I called my friends.

“We will find Vader,” I said after lowering my arm.

“You’re damn straight we will,” Scorpion stated.

“And we’ll bring him home.”

Hawk’s last words had dual meaning. I only prayed to God that our friend would return in one piece.

* * *

“What are we doing in the barn?” Danni demanded as she took backward steps away from me.

“I thought you’d want to see the steer you saved.”

Her eyes lit up, a smile crossing her face. “I’d really like that.”

“Don’t worry, he’s doing very well.”

“He better be.”

Chuckling, I rubbed my jaw as I inched closer, eyeing the few saddle racks. They would make for a nice spanking spot. “Well, I wanted to surprise you and not only with the steer.”

“Another surprise, huh?” She noticed my gaze and grimaced. “And what would that be?”

“Give me your hand.”

When she hesitated, I gave her a stern look.

“Why don’t I trust you?” she moaned as she took my hand into hers.

“Hmm…” I yanked her closer, immediately fisting her hair. “I guess that’s the question you’re going to have to ask yourself, sunshine. I’m a pretty trustworthy guy. I always keep my promises.”

She clawed my shirt, a sultry smile crossing her face. “Yes, I guess you do.”

The scent of her perfume wafted into my nostrils, creating such a wave of longing that I would be forced to keep my hands off her for the rest of the night. Unable to help myself, I crushed her mouth with mine, pulling her tightly against my chest. I would never be able to get over the feel of her in my arms or the worry that had almost consumed me.

As she pushed her tongue past my lips, the savage beast inside me took over, passion roaring to the surface.

Whimpering, she raked her fingers down my jacket, crawling them underneath as she ground her hips against mine.

My cock was at the point of aching, my balls tight as drums. When I broke the kiss, I shook my head and cupped her jaw. “Careful or I just might take you right here.”

“Oh, no, you won’t,” she purred.

“Hmm… It would seem that you need to earn your surprise.”

She slipped her hand between us, sliding her fingers to my cock. “And how can I do that?”

“You can certainly do that later.” Grinning, I whipped her around, pushing her toward one of the saddle racks, pushing her over and immediately bringing my hand down hard and fast against her backside.

“Ouch! What the hell are you doing?”

“Such language for a beautiful woman. I think we need some serious work on correcting your behavior.” I smacked her several additional times and as she tried to flail, I was forced to pin her arm behind her back.

“You are so mean.”

“So you’ve told me how many times?” I couldn’t keep a grin off my face as she kicked up her boots, one after the other, struggling to get away. “You better maintain your position, or I’ll pull off my belt.”

“No. No! I’ll get you for this,” she moaned.

I refused to stop, spanking her long and hard, prepared to rip off her clothes for a little pre-dinner wickedness.

Until I heard the sound of at least two vehicles.

Sighing, I shifted my gaze toward the set of open barn doors. “Looks like we have company.”

Danni managed to wiggle out of my hold, blowing me a kiss before running her fingers through her hair.

“I hope nothing’s wrong,” I said as the headlights remained on.

When I felt her hand grasping mine, an odd feeling settled into my stomach.

“You know I love you, right?” she asked.

I tipped my head, seeing tears in her eyes. “With all your heart. What’s wrong?”

She touched my cheek in such a gentle manner that I shuddered. “Sometimes, cowboy, you ask too many questions.”

After finally hearing several vehicle doors open and close, I turned my attention toward the entrance, watching as Scorpion walked in, his swagger matching the goofy grin on his face.

“What the hell is this, some kind of intervention?” I asked, laughing at my own joke.

He shrugged, his eyes immediately shifting toward Danni. “Something like that.”

“Okay. What have you two cooked up?” I said in a demanding tone, noticing Bryce and Caroline coming in.

Danni released her hold, backing away from me, tears sliding down her face.

“What is going on, guys? I don’t like this.” Now my tone was more demanding.

Scorpion placed his fingers between his lips, whistling.

For all the dreams and nightmares, the ugly visions that had nearly thrown me into the kind of despair that I wasn’t certain I’d be able to recover from, this moment was something that I would remember with honor.

As Hawk walked closer, a leash in his hand, he also gave Danni a nod. “I heard a story about a dog that you couldn’t seem to get out of your mind from Danni. She tasked me to attempt what I thought would be impossible. Only with Scorpion’s help were we able to find him.”

In shock, I glanced at Scorpion.

He grinned, rubbing his eyes and looking away. “I had to go to DC to get him and bring him back.”

When Hawk leaned over, whispering something to the dog, the pup’s tail began to thump. Then he released his hold just as I dropped to my knees, tears forming in my eyes.

“Apollo.”

As he came running, jumping into my arms, I realized that now, I could heal.

And I could love.

* * *

Snow.

It fell across the city, the lightly falling flakes a reminder of just how precious life could be. Although a portion of my heart was heavy, the other was full of love and life, a need I’d never fully understood until now.

Until Danni.

And Zorro.

And Rattler.

And Apollo.

They were my family, precious creatures that I held dearly in my heart.

“You’re sure about this?” Danni asked, the phrase we’d been forced to use often.

“This is something that needs to be done. Closure.” I cut the engine, glancing into the rearview mirror as all three pups inched closer, their tongues hanging out.

“I understand.”

I took several deep breaths before opening the door, taking my time to release the hounds. As Danni joined me, taking my hand into hers, she had a look of reverence on her face. I hadn’t brought her here until today, something that I had to make peace with given Apollo’s arrival.

Her gift was something that I had no way of returning, a level of peace that few could ever understand.

But I knew she did, the woman who’d stolen my heart, wrapping it in protective gear and calling it her own.

I smiled at the thought as Zorro and Rattler raced around the various graves, enjoying the falling snow. What struck me was the way that Apollo had found a spot on the grass, sitting on his haunches as he shifted his head from side to side.

“Do you think he knows?” I asked absently.

“He knows. Dogs have such an innate ability to understand what’s going on. He’s been by your side for five solid days.”

That he had. While I could tell he was happy with his new surroundings, even enjoying having two brothers, I knew there was something missing for the pup who’d found care in the unlikely arms of Major Wallace, the man all five of us had learned to hate after the failed mission. From what I’d heard, he knew that one of us would retrieve Apollo and take him home.

The fact Danni had manifested a mission of her own, enlisting my buddies to help her against all odds was still chilling. I only hoped that I could shower her with the same joy she’d given me.

I squeezed her hand before moving closer to Apollo, crouching beside him. “Your master loved you very much, Apollo. Snake will always be with you.” As I rested my head against his, he lifted his leg, offering me his paw, a single whimper coming from his muzzle.

Then he did something that would remain with me for the rest of my life.

He moved slowly, weaving his way through the various tombstones and plaques, until he found the first man who’d shown him any love and attention.

His master.

As Apollo lay down in front of Snake’s grave, I heard Danni sob and I was unable to keep the tears from falling.

I lifted my head toward the sky, allowing the snow to fall across my face. “He’s home, my friend. Your baby boy is home.”

Brothers in arms.

Soldiers.

Cowboys and Marines.

We’d been called so many things.

Heroes. Monsters. Sinners and saints.

We were six men who thought we could conquer the world, six men who vied to remain friends no matter what occurred.

And we would always be six men who’d learned in our own way the meaning of life and love. For that, I would forever be grateful.

The End