Page 37 of Falcon

“Fancy swimming, Jayes?” I asked.

“I don’t know how.”

“Then I guess it’s going to be your first lesson!” I teased, and Jayes bit thoughtfully into a sandwich.

Sadie shrieked as she flew through the air and into the pool. Ghost laughed as she surfaced, spluttering, and headed back for the side of the pool immediately. Because of my shoulder, I couldn’t throw the older kids about, but I was in the water messing with Jayes. We were in the shallow end, and Jayes had already picked up how to float.

I’d removed his soft cast, as being in water wouldn’t harm his ankle. He was now learning the front crawl. We’d been in the pool an hour, and Calamity, Hunter, Klutz, and Texas had hauled out the grills and had burgers, ribs, kebabs, and sausages cooking.

I grinned. This made me happy. This was what being in a club meant. I chuckled as Malachi argued with his mother, and Rosie bounced a ball on his head in retaliation. Malachi shouted for Calamity, who told him to respect his mom. Rosie sat back down, looking smug. Unlike the Rage Hellions, there wasn’t a clear line in the sand between Legacy and Princess. Calamity and I had made it very plain that wouldn’t be tolerated here.

No, instead, Satan’s Spawn—yeah, that name had stuck—worked together to get revenge on school kids that pissed them off. Daisy led Harper, Shannon, Isla, and Sadie, as they were all in the same age group. Nathan, Gregory and Faelea had declared themselves too old for shenanigans. Which was a load of crap; I knew the three of them had targeted a teacher they didn’t like recently. They’d saran-wrapped her car and coated it with honey.

Below Sadie was Lilah, now six, and the others fell between Lilah’s age and Nathaniel, who was just a few weeks old. But yeah, I could imagine it when they got old enough to cause chaos. And as much as I wanted to bitch about it, I also yearned for it.

“Falcon,” Savage muttered, and I turned my head. Damn! Jayes was sticking close to the edge of the pool, but, fuck me, he was flying. His arms were perfectly coordinated, and he was swimming like a fish. He reached the other side, and I swapped a glance with Savage.

“He’s got skill,” Savage murmured.

Jayes turned to me with a triumphant smile. An hour ago, Jayes hadn’t been able to swim.

“Yeah. That’s talent,” I muttered. And it was—raw and powerful, and it needed nurturing. Jayes was finally laughing and acting like a normal child. He splashed the water in glee, and I beckoned him to return. His strokes were messy and choppy, but he certainly was shifting through the water.

“Look, Falcon! I’m doing it.”

“Keep going, Jayes!” I encouraged.

Jayes stopped next to me. His confidence was amazing. Most kids freaked out, but Jayes clearly was at home.

“Well done!” several of my brothers called, and Jayes turned shy.

“Take the praise, kiddo, you earned it,” I said, and Jayes beamed at me. Christ, had only Myka ever praised him?

“Food’s up!” Calamity yelled, and there was a mad scramble of kids heading out of the pool. I looked at the empty water and slapped back the urge to do a couple of lengths. As tempting as it was, I’d not been given the all clear to use my shoulder. I scrunched my nose up. Was I interested in competing again?

“That’s the look of someone with the weight of the world on his shoulders,” Texas remarked, sitting beside me. For a man his age, he was still fit and looked good in cut-off jean shorts. Yeah, I was man enough to admit it.

“Do you know how hard it is not to call you uncle?” I bitched, and Texas chuckled.

“As difficult as it is for me to realise you’ve grown up, Falcon. Damn proud of you. You handled yourself with dignity at the National Chapter.”

“Do you regret it?”

Texas chewed on his answer for a few moments, his eyes unseeing. “Yes and no. I miss my brothers and what we created. But this is much easier. Compared to cleaning the filth out of Rage and the struggles we faced through the years, this is a walk in the park. Sure, someone’s pissed at us, but fuck them.”

Texas glanced across at Calamity, who was chucking his two-year-old daughter, Zara, in the air.

“He showed us the way. I always had a feeling Calamity was going to be special, but I underestimated him. Bravest thing ever when he handed his cut back and stood by Rosie. As much as I was being a stubborn ass, he had my respect for that act. Calamity had given Rosie exactly what I’d wished for.”

“Which was?” I asked.

“I wanted Rosie to find someone who’d lay his life down for her. Calamity did that and more. He received a beating that nearly killed him while he covered her escape. I’ll deny it to my dying day, but it chokes me when I think how badly he was hurt. Then he took a bullet through the throat. Christ. If I lost him, it would be like losing my son.”

“But you still give him shit.”

Texas snorted. “Yeah, of course. If we ain’t dishing it out, we ain’t being ourselves. I don’t want Prez to get too comfortable, but between us, I love him as my own. Calamity hasn’t faltered once in his adoration for my girl. Rosie deserves that. If I could take his wounds away and carry them myself, I would. The only thing I can do is ensure I stick around. If anyone comes for Calamity again, they’re going through me first.”

“You’re also important, Texas.”