Brix: Brothers, #6

By Hayden West

In danger of losing his career in the Navy, submariner Brix Mangleson is ordered to take some time off. He has no choice and when he is asked to spar with a new man at his gym, everything changes.

Ciaran Frey is tired of people hunting him down for a piece of his soul. In the Pacific Northwest, he adopts a different personality and sees what life could be like if it was normal. The angry boxer he faces, pulls a new emotion out of him, empathy.

Will they see where this goes or just chalk it up to being in the moment?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Hayden West
• Release date: May 12, 2024
• ISBN: 9798224275656

Book preview

Prologue

He blamed the wind and rain for the moisture coming from his eyes. Brix Mangleson stood there and watched as his brother Todd’s casket was lowered into the frozen Texas ground. Water dripped unforgivingly off the brim of her service cover. His wool coat was heavy from the water it didn’t repel.

None of that mattered. There were not a lot of people who had turned out for the service. In all honesty, he’d not expected as many as there were. Not because of the weather but because of the town and the fact his brother was gay.

Had been. He is no longer for he is dead. Never again will he crack an awful joke. Burp in my face because he knows it annoys the fuck out of me. Nor will he ever hug me like I light up his world.

Fucking rain, always ruined everything. He sniffed and didn’t take his eyes off the casket as it sank further and further into the hole. Shame slammed him and he swallowed hard, more than once. he stood ramrod straight as he accepted the blame for this incident. He was the protector, the guardian of the group.

Only the top of the casket could be seen now. The wind and rain picked up even more. He skimmed the crowd, wondering if the fucker who had done this had come out to see the result of his handywork.

I hope so you motherfucker. I will find you and I will bury your ass.

To the left he could see a young woman with an older man. Valentino said that was the one who had prepared the body. He was grateful for they had done a good job.

People, the few that there were, began to leave and he realized the casket had been lowered all the way into the ground. The woman and her older companion moved to the edge and she released the two tone yellow and white roses she had in her hand. She held onto the two tone white and purple ones.

How they got them, he didn’t know but he appreciated it, Todd had loved being called the Yellow Rose of Texas but had so much purple and white they deserved as much attention.

As one, he and his brothers moved toward the hole that held their baby brother. Now, Liam was the youngest and Brix wanted to lock him away, even though the man was full grown and a pilot. He took a deep breath, his nose filling with the rich scent of rain and the freshly turned dirt switching to mud.

His brothers put in their flowers and then it was just him left. Brix lowered his gaze and stared at the black glove that crushed the stems of the delicate flowers. Were the glove gone, and there thorns on the stems they would have been cutting into him. As it was, everything was smooth. Perfect.

Forcing his hand open, he stared at the six rose stems as they fell to land on top of the closed casket. Two slid off, one of each color and he clenched his jaw. Refusing to cry. He was stronger than that.

Movement beside him had him looking up at Aarne who had come back to stand by him. There was no touching between them, no hugs of comfort. There wouldn’t be. One final glance down and he walked off, Aarne at his side as they made their way to the large black SUV waiting for them.

He slid behind the wheel and looked at all those in there with him. His brothers.

They would get past this tragedy. They would persevere. They would not forget him.

Brix started the engine and drove away, not looking back at the grave.

Chapter

One

Two months later

"I don’t give a flying fuck how goddamn important you are to me here, Lieutenant. You keep up with this fucking attitude you’re having and displaying with what appears to me to be the deepest and most arrogant pride I have ever seen from one of my men, and I will have no choice but to have you removed. We are about to head back out underway and I cannot, will not have one of my officers acting like he ain’t got no more fucking sense than God gave an asshole."

Brix stood ramrod straight, like usual, for these ass chewings he’d