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1648 Words
"Dude, I've told you a thousand times already," Phoenix stated crossly as he kept a stern hand on Markus's shoulder. "Every single one of you has had to leave for one reason or another, but you always come back."
Kennedy scoffed, "Hey, if it stops you from being a moody little s**t, go for it. Don't worry about your brother, either. I can handle him."
Markus stilled in the chair. His eyes wide, he turned to his brother, "You are not leaving me here to deal with Red on my own."
"You aren’t alone, bro. You got your man and the rest of our friends. Besides, someone's gotta keep that tude of yours in check." Lukas argued. "This is my one chance to find what all of you have, so, no, I'm not passing it up for anyone. Not even you."
Again, Kennedy scoffed, "I can confirm that you're being a total baby over this. He's coming back. Just because I retired at such a young age doesn't mean all of you will follow. Memphis and I got an MC and a garage to run while raising our child. Our input is still welcomed here, though."
At that, Callum raised his head from the paperwork in front of him. "That it is, Kenni. By the way, Lukas, have you run this by the HBIC?"
Eyeing David with a smirk, Trace leaned over. "You're a great dad, but you do a piss-poor job of keeping up with modern slang. HBIC means head b***h in charge. In other words, has this been run by Ambrosia?"
Lukas nodded, "It was her idea once I explained my situation. Contrary to popular belief, she's only a b***h to the men who piss her off."
Just as David was about to formulate a response, the office door opened, and Ambrosia walked in. She took her customary seat next to her husband. "Fill me in.”
"I'm leaving for Germany soon, Donna Amber,” Lukas stated.
She slowly looked him over, "So, you got somewhere with your plan?"
"I'm hoping that's the case," he confided. "She'll be a civ, and will probably require additional time to acclimate to our lifestyle, but that's nothing I can't handle."
Nodding, Callum slipped his hands around his wife's waist, "I'll give you permission to work remotely from home while you're helping her deal with the transition. Was there anything you specifically needed to make it all happen?"
Lukas nodded, "I need to be there for a minimum of 21 days before I can marry her. That is unless someone here can work some serious magic and get me the documents I need to make it fast and painless."
Phoenix grinned, "Jaxon, you get to work on that. Markus, stop whining. It's not the end of the world."
******
Sitting at the table that same Thursday, the eight friends swapped stories of their recent travels and adventures. The lively atmosphere was welcoming as they all talked and laughed. Lukas scowled as Memphis cracked a joke about getting laid.
"You got a real bad case of purple balls, dontcha?" Memphis laughed as he flicked the quarter he was playing with across the table toward Lukas.
Kenni sighed wistfully. "It's nice to be here with everyone for once. Hey, Sky, is Russ working tonight?"
Nodding, Skylar rubbed her temples, "It's supposed to be a recon mission, but I'm still worried."
"Relax a little, sis," Jaxon said as he downed another shot. Signalling the barkeep, he called out, "Yo, Anthony, can we get another round?"
"Sure thing, man," the barkeep answered.
He turned to the coolers as he shook his head. Seeing his Boss's oldest child sitting in a hole-in-the-wall bar with his friends was nothing less than amusing. Not even twenty years ago, the young man had been an eight-year-old kid getting introduced to the mafia for the first time. Now, he had a family of his own and led his group well.
Getting to the table, Anthony put the drinks down. "Nix, don't forget check-in."
Phoenix checked the time before darting outside, quickly followed by Kennedy. Despite going separate ways, she still helped ensure the safety of the heir as his aunt and best friend.
Andromeda reached over, touching Lukas lightly on the arm, "Are you okay?"
“I'm fine. I'm just restless, Romie," he answered.
"Hey, Luke," Anthony called out. "I'm heading out for a smoke break. Can you mind the bar for five minutes?"
Rising to his feet, Lukas inclined his head to the other man, "Yeah, sure."
His brother cracked his fifth beer, muttering darkly. "I still don't see why some girl from here can't fix you up, bro."
Lukas leaned over the table, "Love in our world is hard to come by, and the only thing most girls want to see is how big your wallet is."
"Amen to that, brother," Memphis replied.
Lukas's phone buzzed in his pocket a few minutes later. Taking it out, he smirked at the screen as he read over the message from Robert.
Rob: Mission successful... Wanna train?
Luke: Sure. Minding the bar for Anthony now, though. Skylar is here.
He waited a few moments before another number flashed across his screen.
Russ: Is she okay?
Luke: She's fine. Chatting to Rom.
Russ: On our way.
Casting a sideways glance at the man who owned the bar, he grinned. "That was a fast five minutes."
"Only needed a few hauls. I'm trying to quit." Anthony breathed out.
Lukas flipped Markus off as he sat back down at the table. "I'm going to see if I can't get myself into the right mindset for my trip tomorrow. The guys are back from their mission, so I'm going to go train for a bit."
"So soon," Sky asked him. "We just got here an hour ago."
"Yeah, but I've been in a really bad mood lately, and I don't need to get blackout angry when I face my Uncle Elias."
Markus grunted, "You better be home in time for my wedding, brat."
"Would I miss the chance to spill your childhood secrets?" Lukas laughed.
Jaxon snickered, "Probably not."
Russell walked in a moment later, his eyes zeroing in on his wife. As his friends got to talking and drinking, Lukas walked out to the truck.
"Kid, you look like you want to burn the world down. Is it that bad?" Robert said as he looked the younger man over.
Luke huffed a laugh, "I don't know if this trip's going to be worth it. I mean, I want to have what they have, but is it really worth the trouble?"
"You won't know until you take the plunge, Luke," Robert replied. "So, you as exasperated as I am?"
Luke frowned, "Here, I'll get the radio while you keep your eyes on the road. I've never met the girl I'm arranged to marry. I've never even seen a picture of her before. I just don't know if I'm capable of pulling it off."
Robert steered the truck into the parking garage and tossed the keys to one of the guards. "You and your friends got the best of your parents' genes. Admittedly, I'm a little jealous."
"There's nothing to be jealous over, Rob. I'm just glad you're a friend and not the enemy cause there ain't no way I'm surviving a fight against someone like you. You're a freaking machine in the ring."
Running his hand through his dark hair, Robert laughed, "Seriously? I'm still shocked that your father lets me beat on you the way I do. I mean, how many broken bones have I given you in the last year during training?"
"Six, so not that many," Lukas replied with a grin.
Getting to their usual station in the Underground, he pulled his hand wraps from the bag he'd stashed in his locker. He pulled out the gloves Ross handed him one day and smiled. He had no idea that the friendly, fatherly man he'd grown up calling Uncle Ross was into boxing in his younger years. Finding out about Lukas's interests, Ross gifted the young man his old gloves and taught him how to care for them.
Turning around, he watched as Robert put on his own gear. Shoving his hands into his boxing gloves, Lukas asked, "So, what we doing?"
"Your timing needs work," Rob replied. "Keep it low, watch my movements, and react accordingly. I'll correct you as we go. You run up against anyone wantin' to kick your ass where you're going, and you remember to re-up, not run. You're a strong kid, Luke. Maybe even stronger than Markus."
Nodding, Luke followed him into the ring.
A few hours later, they finally called it quits.
Chuckling under his breath, Robert tossed the other man a bottle of water before opening his own.
Luke laughed, "I was so close!"
"You were," Robert acknowledged. "Keep practising, and you'll be the one to fear around here."
Shaking his head, Lukas finished off his bottle of water, "I don't want to be feared. I just want to be able to take care of myself. I can't keep depending on everyone else to save me all the time."
"True," Robert said as he wiped the sweat off his brow.
Luke rolled his eyes, "My brother went off the deep end, but Dad made him back off."
"It's not easy being the baby of the family," Robert said as they grabbed their stuff and made their way back to the main building.
Lukas smirked, "Thanks, Rob."
The other man looked back at him, with a huge grin, "Anytime, kid. I can't wait to meet your girl."
"Neither can I," Lukas admitted. As soon as he got back to the apartment, his father laughed.
"Robbie, 4, Luke, nothing. You lost again?"
"Yeah, but Robbie says I'm getting stronger and that I need to keep practicing.
- Writer
