AllFreeNovel
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I wake to the sound of Teddy opening his closet door. “What time is it? Where are you going?” I ask, stretching my body across his bed.
“We have some errands to run before the twins come home. It’s 5:00 a.m.”
I smile at the emphasis he puts on “we.” “I’ll go get dressed.”
I leap from his bed and wrap the sheet around my body, then walk back to my room. I go straight to the closet and pull a pair of basic jeans with a white T-shirt off their hangers and slip them on. I push my feet into a pair of black flip-flops, then walk back to his room.
When I open the door and step back in, he’s dressed and ready to go. He has on black slacks and a belt with a silver buckle, a crisp red button-down shirt, and shiny black shoes. For a second, I think about going back to my room to change, but in a way, we look like we belong together. Even though his clothes are dressier and mine more casual, we still blend together perfectly.
“Ready to go?”
He nods while dragging his eyes all over my body.
We walk out of his room and to the front door. Teddy reaches in front of me and opens it. It almost feels odd that Carl isn’t here to do it. I’ve gotten so used to him being around every turn, ready to make a move before you can even think of it.
Once we are outside, I look back to Teddy. “Who is driving since Carl isn’t here?”
He beams at me and holds up a set of keys in his hands, then shuffles past me to a smoky-gray Challenger parked right next to my GTO, a little further away than where the SUV normally sits. He hits the fob, and the lights flash as the locks disengage.
He opens my door for me, grabbing a black duffle back from the seat, before throwing it in the back. “Today, I’m going to teach you how to run things.”
I glide into the front seat and buckle my seat belt as he closes the door.
As he enters the car on the other side and starts it, I face him. “What do you mean run things?”
He places his hand on the back of my seat and looks behind him, backing up enough to turn around in the drive. “One day I’m going to be gone. I need to make sure no matter what you’re taken care of and know how things are done around here.”
He slips the car into drive and cuts the wheel, hitting the gas and flying down the driveway.
The mere thought of him ever being gone renders me speechless. I lived years of my life never even knowing him, but now that he is here, I don’t ever want to envision my life without him. I squeeze at my chest as my heart palpitates and more thoughts rush through my mind. Of course, I can halfway admit to myself I love him, but it’s only been a little over a month of me being here. He can’t honestly think I would be the best person to take his place.
“What about the twins? They’ve known you longer, they’re loyal. Why would you not offer something like this to them?”
He gives me a sad smile as he nods to the man in the guard shack and the gate swings open. “The twins are my family, and they’ve run with me for a long time, but they don’t like dealing with the logistics of shit. They prefer to be the muscle and reap the benefits of that. They like what the Hale name brings to them, but they don’t like the groundwork. Pushing money, making deals, all of that. And quite frankly, they’re better at doing what they do now. They didn’t have much structure growing up, so when they’re left to do things on their own or make big decisions, more often than not, they make the wrong ones.”
I open my mouth but close it tight, making sure I pick the right words before I speak. “So, you want me to be the one to basically boss them around?” I lean my head back and laugh. “I bet Lucas would love that.”
He chuckles with me. “Lucas is the one who suggested it. What you don’t understand is I’ve known you longer than you’ve known me. I like to think I’m good at reading people and picking out where they excel. You, my beautiful Monkshood, thrive in chaos. You’re calculated and think quick on your feet. That’s a characteristic that can’t be taught; it’s inherited. Lucas agrees.”
I chew my lip and really think about what he’s saying, then push it all away. “Well”—I grab his leg over the console—“it’s a good thing you being gone isn’t something we have to worry about anytime soon.” I smile at him as I squeeze his leg, inching my way closer to his dick.
He looks at me, then reaches for my hand and stops my movement, lacing his fingers between mine. He smiles an almost sad smile before nodding and turning back toward the road.
The sun starts to peek as we pull up to a long stretch of road that seems to go nowhere. A barn-looking building sits to the left with its huge doors closed as Teddy stops the car.
“Are you scared of heights?”
I giggle at his question because up until this point, he’s seemed to know everything about me. I shake my head.
“Good. I want you to meet the man we get our supply from.” He steps out of the car and comes to my side, opening the door.
I take his hand and hoist myself up, then look back to the building. A man exits the side door and comes up to Teddy. He has on tattered blue jeans and a grease-stained white shirt that almost glows against his tan skin.
“Mr. Hale.” He smiles.
Teddy takes his extended hand and wraps him in a bear-like hug. “Good to see you, Joseph. Is everything ready?”
Joseph nods, then grabs a rag from his back pocket and wipes his hands. “Just got her fueled up. I’m ready when you are.”
