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“Perfect for our wise old owl,” Z quips.
“Watch it.” I shoot a glare at him. “I will gut you, pretty boy.”
Z chuckles at the threat. “Carter’s a cool dude. Plus, he’s terrified of Rock, so you’ll be in good hands with him. Or I can take you to Bronze’s studio. See if he has any openings.”
“All right. I’d like to see your bike shop, too, Rock.”
“Any time.” Rock nods. “Honestly, I could use another welder if you have any plans to go back to that.”
“Jesus, I wouldn’t even know…” It’s not like I had the opportunity to keep my skills sharp at the Supermax.
“No hurry. No pressure.” Rock waves his hands in front of him. “Just know it’s an option.”
“Thanks, brother.”
A soft tap at the slightly ajar war room door draws our attention and halts our conversation.
Rock’s tense expression relaxes into a smile. “Hey, baby doll. You can come in.”
Hope sweeps into the room, her adoring eyes skipping from Rock to me. “How are you, Grinder?”
“Any day on the outside is better than the best day inside.”
She winces, then gives me a soft smile. “I can’t imagine.” She lifts her chin. “Hey, Z.”
“We were talking about you earlier.” He grins at her.
“I’m sure you were.” Her lips twitch as if she’s fighting off a smile. They seem to have an easy, affectionate friendship. Nothing like the animosity Rock’s first wife displayed toward the brothers every time she got near the clubhouse.
Rock shoots a glare at Z, then pulls Hope into his lap. She leans over, resting her hand over mine. “If you need anything, please let me know.”
“Thanks, sweetheart.” I lift my chin. “I was telling these two, I have a few people on the inside I’d like to send money. Keep their accounts flush like Rock always did for me. But I’m not sure if an ex-con’s allowed to do that.”
Her pretty face screws into a thoughtful pout. “I don’t know a lot about post-release, but I can certainly look into it for you.” She turns, studying Rock’s face. When he doesn’t offer any objection, she returns her attention to me. “If not, we’ll figure a way to get the money where you want it to go. Between Charlotte and me, we’ll devise a plan.”
She may seem soft, but the woman’s confident and determined. Already searching for ways to break the rules. Got some grit under that sweet exterior. Bet she keeps Rock on his toes. “Thank you.”
Rock’s busy running his hands up and down her back. Not even sure he’s still paying attention to the conversation.
“Well…” Z stands and thumps his hand against the table. “I gotta go. Let me know what you want to do about that thing.” He taps his chest. “We’ll get you set up one way or another.”
“Thanks.” I shake his outstretched hand, and he pats my back on his way out.
“Where’s the little one?” I ask Hope.
“With Heidi.” Her lips curve up. “She owes us oodles of babysitting time.”
“Damn.” I sit back and shake my head. “I think she’s the one who drove home how much time has passed the most.”
“I bet,” Hope says. “I’ve only known her since she was fifteen and can’t believe how much she’s changed and grown up.” She clears her throat and turns toward Rock again. I can’t see the face she makes at him, but Rock’s shoulders lift slightly.
“Serena asked about you this morning.” Hope’s bright green eyes settle on me again. “I ran into her when she was leaving.”
I swallow hard. “You did, huh? Was she upset?”
Do I even want the answer to that question?
“Not really.” She tilts her head, as if she’s trying to remember every moment of the interaction to give me an accurate report. “Flustered, maybe.”
Murphy pushes the door open and Hope’s mouth snaps shut. He hesitates, his gaze shifting between the three of us. “Am I allowed to join the family meeting?”
Rock snorts. “Get in here. Where’s knucklehead?”
He jerks his thumb over his shoulder. “Garage.”
I study Murphy carefully for a few seconds. “Never mind Heidi. This one, right here, has aged me the worst,” I say to Hope. “You know he barely had some scraggly chin pubes when I went inside. Now, he looks like a lumberjack who got lost in the woods for a few months.”
Murphy rumbles with laughter as he makes his way around the table. He slaps my arm before dropping into the chair on my left. “I’d call bullshit, but you’re probably right.”
“I know I’m right.”
There’s another brief knock at the door and Teller nudges it open.
“He still can’t grow a beard.” Murphy gestures to his best friend.
Teller flips him off. Good to see things haven’t changed too much between them.
“What’s up?” Teller drops into a chair on the other side of the table.
“You see Wrath out there?” Rock asks.
