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Risk looks stunned. All right, an installment plan won’t work. I’ll have to dip into the last of my savings. “Is she kidding?” Risk says, directing his question to Thunder.
“Nope.” He sighs.
Risk turns his attention back to me. “We worked with what we had. The biggest part was removing the mess. The rest is really optics. The Pride is taking care of that. Your only real cost is the plumbing and electricity to bring the place up to code and put in the new cooler.”
“That’s too much,” I protest. “You’ve been here nonstop and putting in way more hours than normal. Your men need to be paid. You shouldn’t be out of pocket for that.”
“You don’t have to worry about that. I always take care of my crew.” He glances back to Thunder. “She’s cute.” He chuckles, walking away and shaking his head, but still smiling.
“What’s cute about wanting to pay someone for the work they’ve done?” I ask.
“You’re mine.”
That’s his answer, and I have no idea what that has to do with anything. “How is that an answer?”
“That means you belong to the Pride. All these guys did was help family. Family doesn’t pay one another. One day, Risk will need a hand, and I’ll be there. Or Hanna might need you, and I know you’ll be there for her too. Simple as that.” He shrugs like this isn’t a big deal.
“I wasn’t yours when this happened,” I remind him.
“You’ve been mine since the day I walked into the shop with Hammer. No doubt about it, baby. I fought the pull of you for two and a half seconds, then went all in.”
I flatten my hand on his chest. He covers it with his own. I’ve spent years dreaming of a moment just like this, and there’s so much I want to say, but saying anything at all seems unnecessary when I feel his heart beating in unison with mine.
* * *
Thunder
Ileave Rosie with Risk when Guard calls and asks me to meet him and Orion at the club. I know she’s in good hands, yet I’m still reluctant to leave her. Rosie is busy decorating her new shelves and seems to be focused on her task.
Before leaving, I kiss the shell of her ear and murmur, “Take it inside. Risk is keeping watch and I’ll be back soon.”
“You got it, Captain,” she says with a sly grin, giving me a salute.
It’s a short drive to the club, where I find Orion and Guard waiting for me in Guard’s office. From the stack of paper spread out on the desk, I can see that Orion’s been busy.
“How’s Rose doing?” Orion asks.
“Better than I thought. I think seeing her shop ready to reopen soon is distracting her from the other shit.”
“About that other shit, Orion’s dug deep. Maybe you can help make sense of this,” Guard says.
I nod and take a seat next to Orion. He picks up some papers from one of the piles, rummaging through to find a photo. “Does this guy look familiar?” Orion asks. I look at a mug shot of a man who resembles a street hood. He wears his oily slicked-back hair in a ponytail, has close-set eyes and a crooked nose. He looks like he’s been in too many street fights. Yet, I don’t recognize him.
“No. Should I?” I shake my head.
“Think back, man. Maybe hanging around Clarissa?” Orion says. I study the photo again, but I get nothing.
“Sorry, no. Who is he?”
“He was a local pimp from the same city Rose and her family lived in when you were dating Clarissa,” Orion says.
“He’s now deceased,” Guard adds.
“Murdered,” Orion continues. “They never found the killer, although I don’t think the police looked too hard. John Harvey pissed someone off pretty good. He was shot execution style, telling me this was a mob hit.”
“What’s this got to do with Rosie?”
“Clarissa was working for John Harvey. She was his prize prostitute. After she left town, she hooked up with this guy and turned tricks. Clarissa was arrested several times in the time she worked for Harvey, and each time, he’s the one who bailed her out,” Orion tells us.
