Need You for Always (Heroes of St. Helena)(5)

When put that way, Dax saw her point. No strings only worked when there was nothing tying them to more than a casual, fun, and f*ck-yeah kind of party—a hard thing to accomplish when surrounded by a shared past.

And Dax treated ties the same way he treated unidentified threats: avoid if at all possible, but if forced to engage, proceed with caution, use the appropriate level of force, get crafty when things get sketchy, and if all else fails, pop smoke.

Hands down, this was a pop-smoke kind of situation. But he’d always had a hard time walking away from a challenge—especially one with a smart mouth. So he closed the rest of the distance, pressed his lips to her ear, and whispered, “Never is a long time, Emi.”

Satisfied when he heard her breath catch, he gave her a parting wink and headed toward the bar on the other side of the room, a thousand and one WTF questions going through his head. He’d only agreed to recuperate at home because, one, St. Helena Hospital had one of the top orthopedic specialists in the state, and, two, if he hadn’t come home, his family would have come to him. Sharing the occasional meal on his terms seemed a hell of a lot easier than sharing bunk space with his two brothers.

He’d also agreed because he had a plan. A good one. Get in, get better, and get out—avoiding as many firefights as possible. The plan was working. His blown-out knee was still tender but healing, and he had a potential job lined up that would take him far enough away so that he could process the last few years without one of his eight hundred relatives asking what was wrong. Or one more little old lady dropping off another casserole. He wouldn’t be working special ops in the military anymore, but he’d be engaging bad guys nonetheless. As long as his doctor signed off, which he’d make sure would happen, he was pretty sure the position was his. So a distraction right then probably wasn’t smart, seeing as last time he’d been stupid enough to get distracted he’d ended up with a hunk of shrapnel in his leg.

Sure, the shattered kneecap still hurt like a bitch and the images were tattooed on the insides of his eyelids, but at least he’d come home. Others weren’t as lucky. So in honor of buddies who’d never get that chance, guys who deserved it more than he did, he’d set up post in St. Helena. Not forever. Jesus, he couldn’t take forever in a town that spewed sunshine and rainbows, but long enough to get back on his feet, so to speak, stuck for the next month in a house he’d sublet—spitting distance from one brother and hollering distance from the other. Not to mention the myriad of other relatives who also called St. Helena home.

Dax spotted his brother Adam over by the bar. Being an elite smoke jumper for the Napa County Fire Department, Adam was a hero in his own right, but not a soldier—past or present. Didn’t stop him from holding up the bar like he owned the place, though.

“I didn’t know you were coming,” Dax said.

“Wasn’t. Then I heard you were coming.” Adam was usually the most laid-back of the brothers, but tonight he looked like a force of nature in his SHFD T-shirt and his ball cap pulled low. “On your bike.”

On an expired license went unsaid, because they both knew Dax hadn’t been stateside long enough to renew it. “It was just a few blocks.”

“Explain that to Jonah. Because last he knew I was your ride today, then he gets a call that you were spotted driving your motorcycle with a jacked-up knee down Main Street.”

Two minutes and he already had a headache. “How did he know?”

“Nora Kincaid posted it on the town’s Facebook page. It’s under her Damn Fine Vintage album if you want to check it out.”

Dax blew out a breath. He shouldn’t have asked. Nosy Nora had been perched outside his stoop since he got home, trying to catch a picture of the missing Baudouin brother. Keeping a secret from leaking in St. Helena was like trying to stop Niagara Falls with a tampon.

“Is he pissed?” Dax asked.

Jonah was the biggest tight-ass of the group. Loved every letter of the law. All that black-and-white text really revved his engine. Not a surprise since he was also the oldest and acted like he carried the entire universe on his shoulders. Yup, the local sheriff was big, badass, and when packing that brother-knows-best attitude, could be intimidating. And irritating as hell.

He was also one of the best men Dax knew. Honest, tough, loyal, and a man who got things done. Jonah could find gold in a shitstorm, herd feral cats, and swim through land. He was that good.

“Called me nine times. When I didn’t answer he came over waving his phone, acting like I’m your keeper. Interrupted the best nap I’ve had in weeks.” The way his brother’s hair was tucked messily under his cap and the relaxed, just-been-laid stance he had going on told Dax that his nap was done in tandem. “Said he’d arrest you next time.”

“What did he expect me to do? Take the senior shuttle?”

“Be smart enough to know that nothing good will come of you driving that bike with your knee. Or, I don’t know, you could always call someone who owns a car and ask for a ride,” Adam suggested.

“Jonah’s on duty, it’s your day off, and based on your T-shirt being inside out, you were otherwise occupied.” Dax shouldered his way past Adam to order a beer. He might be the baby of the brothers, but he had three inches and thirty pounds on the both of them.

“And yet I’m still here,” Adam said, giving the bartender a nod. “Next time call Shay. She’s all smiles when she gets to help someone in need.”