Page 76
“Alright, I’ll be ready.”
“How was PT?”
“Fucking torture, but it will be worth it in the end.”
“I need to send Jinx a bouquet of flowers or something,” he mutters.
I huff out a laugh. “Make it a bouquet of snacks or, better yet, a bouquet of knives. She doesn’t strike me as a flowers kinda girl, but I could ask.”
“Not sure how I’ll get knives through customs, but I’ll see what I can do. You two still in contact?”
“She appointed herself as my drill sergeant.”
He looks so fucking amused that I want to punch him. “My son, the man who hasn’t met a rule he didn’t want to break, is following orders from a woman?”
“A woman that might just be able to kick all our asses,” I remind him. Doesn’t stop the asshole from laughing at me.
“They find anything over here that interests them?”
“Maybe. They’re playing it pretty close to their chest, but as allies to the club, I suspect we’ll know if they decide to make it official.”
“Well, it would sure make things interesting over here. Sometimes I think we miss out on all the fun.”
“I’m recovering from being shot. I think I’ve had all the fun I can handle.”
“Fair, and I have more information to share on that at church.”
I nod, happy to hear what’s been going on while I’ve been stuck in a never-ending loop of pity parties.
He picks up the bottle with the ship inside from my shelf and focuses on it as he asks me his next question, trying to be innocuous about it and failing miserably. “You heard from Emma?”
I sigh and shake my head. “No, but I didn’t expect to after the shit I said and did. It’s gonna take a lot of work even to try to get my foot in the door.”
“She’s worth the effort, though.”
“Damn right. Doesn’t mean I won’t have a fight on my hands.”
“You’ll wear her down eventually. I have faith in you.”
“I hope you’re right.”
He leaves me to it so I can get up and grab something to eat before the meeting. I manage to choke down a sandwich while staring at my phone, almost willing it to ring, though fuck knows what I would say if it did.
I jolt when it actually does ring and fumble with the damn thing before answering. “Emma?”
“No. Marcus. Look, we’ve got an issue with the supplier. It’s the one you said you wanted to deal with personally in the past, but if you want me to take over, I can do. It’s your call.”
I sigh, running my fingers through my hair before checking the time. “I have something I have to do for the next hour or so, but I’ll drop by the club after that and deal with it.”
“Alright. It will be good to see you, boss.” The sound of glass smashing makes me tense, but Marcus just curses. “I swear it’s impossible to find good waitstaff these days. I’ve gotta go.”
He hangs up, leaving me to finish my sandwich and think about how tonight will go. I haven’t been back since I got shot, so nobody has seen me in the chair. That’s the way I wanted it to be, but I can’t keep pretending it didn’t happen and hide from the world. I’m doing everything I can to get my life back on track, but that could take time—weeks, months, maybe years. If I don’t start acting like the fucking boss I am, this business will go under, and I’ll have nobody to blame but myself.
I turn at the sound of a whistle and see people being waved into church. I wait for most of them to go ahead of me and follow them in. I get a couple of looks, but I don’t try to read them. I’m sure there’s a mix of pissed-off people who are sick of my shit, and people relieved I’m finally making an effort.
“Alright, everyone, take a seat, and let’s get this started.”
I wheel my chair against the wall so I’m out of the way and watch while everyone takes their seats.
