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Bishop chuckles. “I’ll remember that next time my feet hurt.” Ryland winces slightly but shrugs in acceptance as Max returns with a beer in one hand and a large glass of ice water in the other.
“Here we go.” He passes the beer to Miller, who takes it with a grunt of thanks, before placing the water on a small table next to my chair. Max takes a seat on the sofa with the others, while Miller leans against the wall. “Okay, shall we get started?”
Lathan jumps up and moves over to the coffee table, then he sits down at it and opens up the laptop he has there. “I’ll take notes so we can gather all the information into one spot, and then I can keep Percy apprised of the situation.” He pushes his glasses up his nose before swiping the hair that had fallen across his forehead out of the way. I want to grin, because he’s so fucking adorably nerdy, but I push that urge deep down.
“So who is the team lead?” I ask, pointing between Dayton and Max. “During the meeting when I first met you, I could have sworn Dayton was, but now that I see you all together, I’m not so sure.”
“You mean the meeting where you were posing as your dad’s secretary?” Bishop retorts, and I guess he has a point. “Max and Rhy weren’t even there, so you know what they say about assuming.”
“Yeah, yeah, fine, so who is it?”
Dayton shrugs, still not looking at me. “Neither of us, really. We work so well as a team that we don’t really need any one person in charge, but if we had to name someone, it would be Max.”
“And Dayton if I’m not available,” Max adds.
“They both have big daddy energy, and we all look to them for guidance,” Ryland jokes, winking at me, and I chuckle at his playfulness. I hadn’t expected that from him.
“Enough of that shit,” Miller snaps, and Ryland looks at him in surprise.
“Jesus, what bug got up your butt?” he teases, and Miller just growls.
“I think that might be me, but I have no idea why,” I tell him.
“It’s because you intimidate him,” Lathan says, his fingers flying across his keyboard. “Your skills exceed his own, which doesn’t happen very often. That, and he doesn’t cope well with change.”
“Shut your fucking mouth, Lathan. She does not intimidate me,” Miller snaps at him, but Lathan doesn’t turn away from his screen.
“Dude, it must be like looking into a mirror. You’re both crazy talented, blunt, and not afraid to use what God gave you to get the job done. No wonder you’re freaked out.”
Anders chuckles, pointing between us. “Two fucking peas in a pod. Miller wouldn’t have flinched either if Matthew had told him to get down on his knees and suck my cock. Thankfully for me, you were the one who applied and not him, because as much as I love the guy, there is no way I want him bobbing up and down on my cock, and Matthew would have made him do it too. He likes well-rounded individuals working for him, if you get what I’m saying.”
Well, there is my confirmation that Miller will do what it takes to get the job done.
“How long have you all been together as a team?” I ask. It’s something I’ve been dying to know, because they all seem comfortable with one another, except Bishop. He’s quieter, and when he speaks, there’s an edge of aggression to it. He doesn’t seem to gel with the team as well as all the others.
“Dayton, Anders, and I have been a team since we were eighteen,” Max explains.
“How old are you now?”
“We’re all twenty-six,” Anders answers.
“And what about the others?” I look at the individuals I’m asking about.
“Miller, Lathan, and Rhy all joined when they turned eighteen, and they are all twenty-two,” Dayton replies.
“So the same age as me, cool. But what about you?” I turn to the last man in the room, and he shrugs uncomfortably.
“I’ve been with the team for six months.” Before I can ask about this, he goes on. “Okay, can we just cut the chitchat crap and get on with the meeting? I’m tired, and I have an early start with the football team in the morning.” Bishop yawns and stretches.
“You’re joining the football team?” I ask, trying to sit up, but Ryland holds my foot tightly, so I sit back, huffing my annoyance, and he winks at me.
“Yeah, we need someone in with those guys,” Max replies. “Billy’s dad is the chief of police, and we think he might be in with the ring.”
“He is,” I interject, and Max frowns.
“How do you know this?”
“I’ll tell you in a second after you share what you know first,” I counter, and after holding my gaze for a moment, he nods.
