Page 3 of Maverick
Blade flipped to another page in his notebook.
“The numbers look promising,” he began. “There’s nothing else like it here or in the neighboring counties. Demand would be high. I think we’d benefit from visiting a couple operations to see how they run. I’ve put a few feelers out to ally clubs. The Lost Saints have one in Virginia Beach that is doing well, so that could be a fun one.”
I nodded. “Set it up.”
Selling guns through my shop had been my dad’s game, and then it was passed to me. I didn’t hate it, but the world was a different place than it was twenty years ago. Cops didn’t take bribes as easily as they used to, and the penalties for getting caught were a lot stricter. I’d been considering getting out of business, but the money was too good. But with the gambling den, I might be able to.
I looked down at the napkin I’d scrawled my agenda on. “We’ve got a couple protection runs this month. Since Tracker’s still out, have the brothers get with me about the schedule.”
Our primary money maker was our protection business. We provided neutral security to other organizations for handoffs and exchanges as well as shipment protection. We kept our clients safe from traitors and rivals and kicked ass as needed. Our road captain Tracker was some kind of navigation savant and always found the best routes and locations to stay clear of law enforcement. Unfortunately, he was still recovering after getting stabbed a few months back.
I scanned the table of officers. “Any other business?” No one spoke, so I banged the gavel.
We filed out of church and headed to the bar. The hardwood floors gleamed and the tables shined, a sharp contrast to the sticky, dirty mess we had before. At mid-afternoon, we were between the lunch rush and dinner crowd. The bar was fairly empty. Just Pixie and a brown and white Brittany Spaniel.
“Noodle?” The dog ran over to me, wagging her stub of a tail. I looked around, not seeing her human. I rubbed her back and scratched her ears. “Where’s your pa, sweet girl? Where’s Larry?”
Pixie walked over holding a leash. “She showed up around half an hour ago on her own. I figured Mr. Larry would be close behind. I went ahead and gave her some water and treats, but he still hasn’t shown up. I’m getting worried. It’s not like her to run off without him.”
I took the leash and clipped it to Noodle’s harness. “I’ll take her back. I was headed that way anyway.”
Bear walked into the bar, handing me a five-gallon bucket. Pixie turned a light shade of green.
“I told you not to bring that inside my bar! It’s not sanitary!”
I looked down at the bucket and shrugged. It had a lid. We weren’t total psychopaths, but she was still new to our world.
Bear wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her close. “And I told you not to worry about it.”
“Did you at least wash your hands?” she hissed. “I swear, if you touchedthat,then touched me, I will—”
“Prospect!” Bear shouted while hoisting Pixie over his shoulder. “Take over for a bit. I’ve got to have a little chat with my old lady!”
Pixie squealed, pounding Bear’s back as he took her upstairs. “You are such a caveman! Stop being so ridiculous!” But her laughter gave away her true feelings.
I sighed, turning away from the lovebirds. Sometimes I envied what Bear found. A woman just for me. A ride or die on the back of my bike. The idea had a lot of appeal. We had several guys who had old ladies. Hell, some even had kids. Seeing the change in those guys had gotten me thinking.
But then I remembered I was VP of the most feared MC in the state, if not the entire Southeast. And until Sinner got out of prison, I was also acting president, taking on the two biggest roles by myself. My brothers were great and stepped in where they could, but it wasn’t the same as having a president and vice president who were both present in person. Assuming there was some amazing woman out there waiting for me, where would I find the time to treat her properly? No, I was better off scratching that itch with the club bunnies, but I hardly had time for even that these days.
I opened the door for Noodle and started toward the path through the woods. This was my life. Returning a lost dog and feeding frozen body parts to pigs. It was no wonder I was single.
3
Kat
“Oh my Katie girl, thank goodness. Can you get me out of here?”
Dad sat up in his hospital bed, pulling the gown over his shoulder where it had slipped down. His hair was disheveled and sticking up in all directions. My chest tightened. When was the last time he had it cut?
“That’s the plan.” I plastered on a smile. “How are you feeling?”
“Great, just ready to go home.” His eyes darted around the room and he leaned in with a whisper. “They’re keeping me here against my will. I had to fight one of them last night. I don’t know what he was trying to do to me, but I wasn’t about to let it happen.”
“You fought with someone? Again?” I rubbed the sleep from my eyes. It was 9am, but it had been a long twenty-four hours. After I hung up with the doctor yesterday, I’d gone back to Becky and signed the paperwork for six weeks of family leave. Not allthe fluffy changes the firm had made were bad. Along with the silly job titles, they’d added a slew of benefits to help with work-life balance.
My workload was reassigned to the senior financial manager, giving her a temporary jump in status. I’d offered to work remotely, but my CEO turned that down. Said she needed someone completely focused on the budget presentation, and if I was dividing my time between that and taking care of my father, I might make mistakes. That stung. Had working fifty-hour weeks for the last five years not proven my dedication? I could have handled both.
But I respected her decision and briefed the interim CFO. Then I went home and got my townhouse in order. Not that it required much. With no pets, roommates, or living plants, all I had to do was double check the security system and ask my busybody neighbor to do what she does best: spy on my place and report anything unusual. She was thrilled.
