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“That may be a good idea, Miri, because I’m sure none of us know a flower from a weed,” Land chuckles.

“Yeah, for sure,” Colter responds with a smirk.

Parker shrugs showing he is easy either way.

“Are you okay with that too, Parker?” I ask, because I don’t want anyone to feel railroaded into anything.

“Yeah, I’m good with it, Miri.” Parker holds the door open to the kitchen as I walk inside, and we all take a seat at the kitchen table.

“I see what you mean about sitting here, Miri. It’s pleasant with the sun through the window. We’ve all been in dark places and prefer to be in the light,” Bastian speaks with a tone in his voice that tells me he is thinking of some unpleasant experience. I’m not going to delve into any of that because they are his private thoughts and feelings. If he ever wanted to share, then I’d listen, but I will never ask.

I give Bastian a small smile and hurry along. “I’ve stocked up the pantry, the refrigerator and the freezer. The freezer has cooked meals that the ladies at the clubhouse made for you, so they are not shop-purchased meals. They are homey meals your mother would have made.”

“I hope not, Miri, because my mother can’t boil water and her meals were charred remains at the best of times,” Land chuckles.

“My grandmama could cook anything you put in front of her, she’d have been great anywhere she lived. Her pot roast was always succulent...” Parker is interrupted by Colter who laughs hard, “Succulent, geez Parker, have you swallowed a dictionary lately?”

“Fuck off, Colter,” Parker throws out, but he has a grin on his face so I know it’s all done goodheartedly.

“Right, let’s get down to it.” I quickly take them through the salary they would get. The house is entirely free, as in no utilities, etc. They only have to supply their own food and keep the place clean. I told them if they want a cleaner I can get Briony to come around, but they would have to split her cost between them. “Oh, I nearly forgot to tell you I renamed the house to Demon’s Rest. You know, because we have now purchased the house and Restless Demons MC legally own it.”

Land chuckles, “I like it, Miri.” The other three grin and agree, which I admit I’m pleased about.

“That would be a good idea because if we are working all day and not leaving until late if the job can’t be left at quitting time, then we won’t have much time for cleaning. I personally do not want to spend any of my time off cleaning house,” Bastian throws out, and looks at the others who nod in agreement.

“Okay, I’ll speak to Briony and give her the spare key. I’ll update you when I’ve spoken to her. Now, let me show you the houses I have purchased and am waiting to hear on one on the sale. This one...” I take a folder out of my briefcase that Joker gave me while telling me it’ll make me look like a sexy boss I am in his eyes. I slide out the information on the first house. “This one the sale has been completed quickly,” I inform them as I place the key for the house on the table too.

“This house is the smaller of the two. Three bedrooms with one shared bathroom. Living room, kitchen with dining area, and that is it. I thought about adding an extension on the back? But not sure about planning permission as I’ve not had a reply from the planning office as yet.” I look at Land who taps a finger on the photograph of the house.

“It would be nice to have an extension because the kitchen could be made into a dining room, and a laundry-type mudroom could be incorporated. An extra bathroom, which would give two bedrooms their own en-suites. The yard is huge, so it would not be a problem taking up any of the space. We could even add an attached garage, which would give an extra room upstairs for...a child's bedroom, for example,” Land explains, and we can all see he has ideas flowing.

“I’m giving you the key and the route, and I want you to go look, then we’ll get back together and make a proper plan for the house. I should have a reply from the planning office by then, and I’ll know all the hoops we have to jump through to make this happen.” Taking out the second folder, I placed it on the table. “This house has not gone through the sale as yet, but look when you have a few minutes and if we get it, we can make plans for this too.”

Getting up from the table, I pick up my briefcase saying, “Anything you want to ask before I head out?”

“Can you inform your president that the MC we have our friends watching are getting ready to move? He’ll need the club ready because we are thinking he has three days before they reach here,” Bastian states firmly.

“I’ll speak to Tracker. I think he’ll probably come here and speak to you himself. The clubhouse and compound have been ready for a few days. From what Joker has told me local law enforcement know what is going to hit town, and they have in turn informed local businesses. It’s going to be a heck of a thing if they come here trying to cause trouble. My stepsister does not know what she has got entangled with. But I’m sure, given time, she’s going to be sorry.” I give them a finger wave and head out. I have to go to the lawyer's office simply because I have an email asking me to contact them.

Parking my car, I head inside the lawyer’s office and give the lady behind the wall-to-wall desk a welcoming smile. “Hi, my name is Miri Stephenson. I was emailed...”

“Oh, yes, I remember sending that to you, Miss Stephenson. Let me see if Mr. Clark is available to speak with you. I know you don’t have an appointment, but I believe he is between clients.” She holds a finger up to me when I attempt to speak and picks up the telephone on the desk. I wait while she speaks to the lawyer. She places the phone down once she’s finished her call, and she looks up at me as she points to the hallway. “Second door on the left, Mr. Clark can see you now.”

Entering the office after I’d gently knocked and received a “Come in,” I smile as Mr. Clark stands from behind his desk. He holds out his hand, and I give it a quick shake.

“Take a seat, Miss Stephenson.”

“Please, just call me Miri.” I take the seat in front of his desk and wait for him to settle himself.

“Well, Miri. The sale was completed with no issues. I have placed your revenue in the account you gave me for your bank. What was left I placed in your stepsister's account. Again, from the details you gave me, I made sure all payments were taken out of the sale proceeds, so you are clear to use what I deposited. If your stepsister attempts to cause trouble I have obtained CCTV footage of her in the bank at the time taking that money from your account, which will I’m sure stop her doing anything further. If she attempts to cause an issue, I will report her to the relevant department with law enforcement.” Mr. Clark hands me two sheets of paper with one showing the sale of the house and the costs that were incurred with the realtor and himself. The second sheet of paper shows the proceeds deposited into each of the accounts.

“Thank you. I appreciate your dealing with the sale. It has been a stressing thing with Geri, but I’ve decided to step away from her from this point onwards. I think she’s going to land herself in some hot water in the near future, and Mr. Clark, I don’t want to be around her when it happens.”

“Sometimes, Miri, family are the ones that cause us the most grief, and sometimes it is better to step away and leave them behind you. Geri, it seems, has gone down the wrong path, and you don’t want drug down that path with her,” Mr. Clark stands and again holds out his hand. I quickly shake it and leave the office, clutching the papers against my chest.

Finally, I’ll be able to call my relationship with Geri done. She’s gone from the sweet, constantly talking young girl to someone I don’t recognize anymore. The bikers she is running with are not like the Restless Demons MC. I know the Demons can hold their own in any kind of trouble. They are prior military, and from the little Joker has told me they worked for the government covertly for a few years. Now they are building businesses in and around town. I know they will be a force when Snake brings his men here.

Climbing into my car, I quickly head back to the compound. I need to give this message to Tracker and speak to Books about any legalities I may have missed for running the rental business.