AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Chase shakes his head, frustrated. “I can’t fucking stand her, Prez. She’s been all over me lately, in my business, and pretending she’s interested in what I’m doing. I can’t go anywhere without her popping up. She’s only looking for the next highest-ranked club member to fuck her, and you know I don’t want an old lady.”
I know exactly what Chase means. I was the same way, loving my freedom and the joy of a casual hook-up when the need arose until Josephine ran into my world and changed my mind.
Chase shudders. “It creeps me out. I’m afraid one day I’ll wake up to her standing over me in a wedding dress. That’s how bad she’s been. Now she’s pulling this shit on Jo, Opal, and two of our crew—fucking treacherous witch.”
Opal sniffles, and Gauge is quick to tilt her chin and give her a kiss. She melts in his embrace. Watching the two of them makes me eager to get inside and kiss my own beautiful woman.
“Candy will be dealt with later. We have a bigger issue.” I fill them in on everything that transpired today.
Chase tugs his hair out of his bun, something he does when he’s frustrated. “How the fuck am I supposed to keep track of all of this? I don’t have the equipment or manpower to tackle everything. Plus, I’m doing the books for the company on top of all this shit—I’m drowning here, Prez.”
I lay a reassuring hand on Chase’s shoulder. “I’m giving you Butch and Ziggy fulltime. We have another man joining our crew tomorrow who will be part of our security detail. Josephine is nearly done with the headquarters, and your state of the art tech room will be available by next week. I suppose it’s time we start looking for an accountant for our company too.”
Both Chase and Gauge look surprised. It’s rare if I make a presidential decision without seeking their opinions, especially Gauge. “Who’s joining the team?” Gauge asks while Chase asks, “I seriously get to move in next week?”
“Yes, you get to move in after Josephine’s crew goes through and cleans it first. It’s still pretty dusty from the construction,” I say to Chase before looking over at Gauge. “And Tiny Tony has been banished from Bianchi’s family. He’s a former Marine and has the security experience. I offered him the job, but we’ll decide as a crew if we want him to patch into the Mercy Ravens’ family.”
Gauge’s eyes narrow. “I don’t mind Tony. He’s more than qualified for the job, but is it wise to hire him? Are we sure he isn’t an inside man who Lorenzo is planting?”
I completely understand Gauge’s concern. “You weren’t there when Bianchi spoke of his displeasure for the guy. Josephine will validate my account of the confrontation. Tony took a bat to the head for her. The least I can do is give him a job.”
Gauge nods. “Alright. Will he only be working security, or do recon and missions too?”
“I offered him a security position, but I’ll let you handle getting the details on his military background. Offer it to him if he has the qualifications, but if he’s not interested, don’t push it. He left the Marines after eight years because he couldn’t handle the aftermath.”
Gauge gives the thumbs-up and returns his attention back to Opal, whispering sweet nothings in her ear. She leans into him as he swallows her up in his arms. I’m glad he’s finally acknowledging his relationship with her, even though he had good reasons for pushing her away.
I look back at Chase. “I want a sweep done of our rental and the build site. Hell, do one at Josephine’s condo too. If what Tiny Tony told me is true, I wouldn’t put it past Bianchi’s sleazy ass to spy on us. And I want you to hack his hacker.”
Chase rolls his brown eyes. “Sweeps are no problem, but hacking a hacker…I’d have better luck breaching the CIA’s cyber walls. Most hackers cover their tracks to avoid being caught. This isn’t me poking around and seeing what I can find. This is dark web shit you want.”
I give him a smile, confident in his ability. “And if there is a guy for the job, it’s you. Find the bastard responsible, and I’ll get you another bottle of Pappy. Can you do it?”
Chase’s eyes shine. “I didn’t say it was impossible.”
“Good,” I say and head out of the garage to the house where a hot shower and my steamy fiancée wait for me.
