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"What about your mother?" I asked.
"Stroke five years back," Reeve answered just as bluntly as I asked, piquing my interest. He was the older brother- more serious if his manner was anything to go by. His brother seemed a little more open and forthcoming.
"Jobs?" Repo prompted.
"Reeve is an electrician. I have disappointed my family by playing guitar at that new coffee lounge they opened up down the street."
Reign looked around at us, trying to get a read on our opinions. Fact of the matter was, we needed men. Granted these guys were no hardened criminals, but they had grown up around Henchmen. They understood how things worked. They could be toughened up.
Finding a mutual understanding between all of us, Reign looked back at the brothers. "Things are a little bit different this time around. We have to be careful right now. So when you guys aren't at work or there isn't someone around to babysit you, you'll be locked up in the barracks room with Laz," he said, waving a hand toward the guy sitting next to Duke who both the men jerked their chins at, "and any other new probates we might bring on. That a problem?"
"Whatever it takes," Reeve shrugged.
Reign nodded. "Same rules that have always applied with my leadership still apply. Drink, fuck, fight, I don't care. But there are no drugs in this building and you show our women and kids respect. You take whatever order is passed down to you from us and you fucking do it without complaint. Even if that means you're waxing our fucking bikes with the shirt off your back."
"So what you're saying is I should be shirtless all the time?" Cyrus asked, making Lo who had just walked in laugh.
"Can't say that's a terrible idea," she agreed, giving him a smile as she passed him and moved to sit on Cash's lap.
"That's Lo," Reign said, nodding his chin toward her. "She runs Hailstorm. Those are some of her men you see around, helping keep a perimeter until we can neutralize the threat and have you fucks do that for us again. Wolf's woman is also from Hailstorm. Janie. She's with Wolf at the hospital, but she'll be back eventually and trying to boss you fucks around. In fact," he went on, looking over at Lo with a look that seemed to say 'play along'. "Renny's woman is from Hailstorm too," he said, sliding his gaze to me as I felt my stomach drop.
I knew it then. I knew what the plan was. And I couldn't say I was put-off by it. No, in fact, inside I was doing a mother fucking victory dance. She was coming back. Not only was she coming back, but she was going to have to play my woman? Hell fucking yeah. There would be no running back to Hailstorm, no putting a professional barrier up. In fact, she would have to let me put my hands on her and she would have to pretend to like it. Actually, there'd be no damn pretending. It would be a genuine reaction.
Because the woman wanted me for fuck's sake.
She was just too scared to feel it.
I mean, granted, there would be some work involved, but for the most part, it was proving we were in a relationship. And, well, I planned on putting on a convincing show.
You know, for appearances sake.
My eyes moved over to Lo, finding her already watching me, likely taking in my excitement and amusement and maybe even the determination as well.
Why was I so fucking set on Mina? Yeah, that'd be a good question. And I didn't exactly have an answer that seemed satisfactory to me. Maybe it was because she was like me- she could analyze herself and her actions and the motivations behind them until she was blue in the face and yet she still couldn't fix herself. Just like I couldn't fix myself either. Or maybe it was because I wanted to see the real her, the one she kept hidden under the outward appearance of cool, calm, collected, and capable. Underneath the uptightness.
I wanted to peel away the layers and find what was inside.
Judging by the look Lo was giving me, she knew exactly what I had planned. And, maybe because Lo was a hopeless romantic or maybe because she knew her girl needed some messiness in her life, seemed to be fully behind the plan.
"So they're allies," Cyrus nodded.
"We don't really have any enemies except the current threat. So don't be starting any shit on your personal time with any of the local groups from 3rd Street to Shooter to the Grassis and Lyon. Last fucking thing we need is another enemy because some fucking probies couldn't keep their mouths shut or their hands to themselves."
"I don't have any enemies, man," Cyrus said, giving him a fun-loving smile. "No one would want to mess up a face as nice as mine."
