by Tate James
Lucas placed his hand on my knee, giving me a reassuring squeeze. "It's fine; he wasn't a total dick about it. And I was curious, too. At least now we know that wasn't something my mom lied about."
I was still frowning, though. "Yeah but, how freaking early did you wake up?"
Lucas laughed, and Zed grinned.
"You do sleep like the dead, Boss," Zed teased. "Anyway, eat up. I've organized for Alexi and Bulldog to meet us over at the Anarchy training room. It's about time we ramp up Gumdrop's training and make him less of a target for Chase."
I couldn't argue with that fact. Luckily, Lucas's prior athletic training had him progressing with leaps and bounds under Zed's guidance. I was proud of him, but I still cringed to think how the day might turn out. If Zed had called Alexi and Bulldog for help, he was moving Lucas into more realistic attack situations.
"I'm excited," Lucas confessed with a small grin.
The gate buzzer sounded through the kitchen, and I jerked my face up toward Zed. "Cass and Seph aren't due to arrive until tonight."
He arched his brow, inclining his head. "Their flight should only just be leaving now." Because Cass was a dead man, he couldn't fly commercial. They'd needed to wait for a less legal means of travel in order to avoid detection.
Zed headed over to the security panel, which would give him a video feed of the front gate, and pressed the intercom. "Yes?"
"Delivery for Hayden Darling Timber," the woman at the gate announced. "I'm from Grove Gardens."
I recognized the business name as a florist in town but not why they were delivering anything to me.
Zed seemed to ponder for a moment, then pressed the gate release button to allow the florist in. "Wait here," he told me, and I arched a smile at him.
"Wasn't planning on moving," I replied, picking up my coffee.
Zed huffed a laugh and pulled a gun from one of his hiding places before going to answer the front door. One never could be too careful with unexpected deliveries, after all.
He was gone for a couple of minutes, within which Lucas and I ate our breakfast. Zed was seriously ruining me for the day I had to move back into my own place and survive off takeout again.
The door closed once more, and Zed strode back into the kitchen carrying an enormous bouquet of black roses. Immediately the food in my stomach soured, and I snatched the card before he’d even set the vase down on the counter.
"He never fucking lets up," I muttered as I ripped into the envelope and flipped the card open. "Dinner was sensational, Darling. I already feel so much closer to you."
"What does that mean?" Lucas asked, screwing his nose up at the morbid bunch of flowers.
Zed and I exchanged a long look, and I shrugged, tossing the card on the counter. "With Chase? Who fucking knows." Sliding off my chair, I grabbed the whole bouquet and carried them over to the trash. "I'll get changed, and we can go."
After the night I'd just had and the new connections forged with Lucas and Zed—most importantly with Zed—I refused to let Chase ruin that. He was trying to get into my head, constantly trying to stay in the front of my mind. I wouldn't let him. Not today.
I showered and dressed for work, making sure my carefully crafted mask was firmly in place. The bruising on my lip was still slightly puffy, but extra makeup covered it well enough that it wasn't noticeable.
Lucas and Zed were waiting for me by the car when I got back downstairs, and both of them watched me approach with the kind of predatory hunger that instantly made me reconsider the need for work today.
"Keep looking at me like that," I muttered as I reached for the passenger-side door handle, "and we're not leaving the house."
"Fine by me," Lucas replied with a grin.
Zed gave a frustrated sigh. "Wrong answer, Gumdrop. You wanna gain everyone's respect and be treated like an equal? You need to upskill enough not to need bodyguards. Get in the damn car."
Lucas pouted in playful disappointment but did as he was told, sliding into the backseat of Zed's Mustang. I couldn't help smiling at Zed as we took our own seats, and he shot me back a heated look.
"If you manage not to get your ass kicked too badly today," Zed continued, glancing at Lucas in the mirror, "I'm sure Dare will be open to rewarding hard work."
I gave a short laugh. "You pimping me out, Zeddy Bear?"
He turned on the ignition as the garage door rolled open, then leaned over to kiss my neck. "I told you, Boss. I like to watch... and be watched." His voice was low and husky, sending a palpable wave of desire rushing through me from head to toe. Fucking hell, working with Zed was going to be a whole new experience with these new developments.
I didn't reply but leaned into his touch when his hand found my knee.
"Well shit," Lucas drawled from the backseat. "I'm on board with that plan. Grumpy Cat probably won't be, though."
Zed and I exchanged a knowing look, remembering the way Cass had encouraged Zed to watch when he ate me out by the fire.
"I think you'd be surprised," Zed commented with a chuckle as we slowed down to wait for the front gates to open.
"That's weird," Lucas murmured, sitting forward and pointing through the windscreen. Across the road from Zed's main gates, another property had an ornate entrance, and it was opening as a car idled on the other side. That same property had been vacant for almost six months, the owner’s children being locked in an inheritance dispute.
"Huh," Zed huffed. "I didn't know anyone had moved in."
"Why does this give me a bad feeling?" I groaned, shaking my head. Zed glanced at me with concern but turned the car out of the driveway a fraction of a second slower than his new neighbor. The other car turned toward us, slowing as we started to pass, and the driver's window rolled down.
Zed immediately hit the brakes. My breath caught in my chest as the sick feeling peaked.
"What the fuck?" he snarled. Shooting me a pained look, he rolled his own window down.
"Good morning, neighbor!" Chase called out with a broad, smug-as-fuck grin on his bruised face. "Lovely morning, don't you think?"
"You can't be fucking serious," Zed snapped, his jaw ticking with fury.
Chase scoffed a laugh. "I never joke about a nice day, old friend." His one-eyed gaze shifted past Zed to me, and it sparked with excitement. "I trust you got my flowers, Darling? I'd love to stay and chat, but you know how it goes. Business waits for no man. See you round." With a cheery wave, he hit the gas and accelerated down the street.
Both Zed and I just sat there a moment, speechless. Then Lucas sat back with a long string of curses.
"I couldn't have said it better myself," Zed murmured, hitting the gas once more.
I had no words, though. Fucking Chase was still four steps ahead.
31
The groan of pain that escaped Lucas as he rolled back to his feet made me flinch internally, but I did nothing to intervene. Instead, I just nodded to Alexi, who'd grabbed a towel to wipe his sweaty brow.
"Go again," Lucas grunted.
Alexi sighed, then shrugged and tossed his towel aside. "You're tough, kid," he commented with an edge of respect. "Try to keep your left guard up a bit tighter."
"Boss," Bulldog spoke up, his voice strained, "mind if I sit this round out?" He was still hunched over in the corner with an ice pack to his groin. Lucas had caught him with a sly knee after I offered him some advice on fighting dirty.
I gave a sharp nod, then left them to it. Alexi and Bulldog had been kicking Lucas's ass up and down the training gym for almost two hours, but I felt like Lucas was learning a lot. So I'd let him make his own calls on whether he was okay to continue, and so far he wasn't giving up.
"I think I'm starting to like that stubborn little shit," Zed muttered, falling into step with me as I strode across the Anarchy grounds toward the offices.
I scoffed a laugh. "Starting to? You're so full of shit."
Zed didn't disagree, just arched a lopsided smile as he caught my hand in his. After a qu
ick look around us, he tugged me into his embrace. Two steps and he had me against the wall, his lips on mine as he kissed me.
"Zed," I whispered against his lips as his hands found my waist. "We're at work."
"I don't care," he replied. "I can't keep my hands off you." Or his lips, apparently, as he kissed me again softly. His tongue traced the seam of my lips, lightly stroking over the aching split and making me arch my body into his. Tossing professionalism aside, I kissed him back eagerly.
"Hey, Zed." Hannah's familiar voice jolted through the bubble we'd just constructed. "Have you seen—" She cut off as I jerked out of Zed's grip and cleared my throat. "Oh. Boss. Uh... Shit, this is awkward now." Her wide-eyed gaze darted between Zed and me.
I pressed the back of my hand to my lips, trying to chase away the lingering burn of Zed's kiss so I might be able to focus. "You're fine, Hannah," I replied, sweeping that same hand through my hair. "You were looking for me?"
Her big brown eyes darted between Zed and me again, then she squared her shoulders and refocused. "Yes, sir. I need to discuss a few things, if you have some time?"
I nodded, stepping away from Zed. "Absolutely. Zed, go back and make sure Lucas is still alive."
He gave me a sidelong glance, then scrubbed a hand over his short hair. "Sure can, Boss. I'll see you later, then?"
Not answering him, because it was a stupid fucking question, I led the way into the admin building with Hannah tight on my heels. Not that I had a proper office at Anarchy, but we had a security office and it wasn't currently in use, as the venue wouldn't be open until much later in the day.
"Okay, what's new?" I asked my new assistant as I sat down and indicated she take the other swivel chair beside me. The various security screens showed all different angles of Anarchy, and I deliberately tried not to look for Zed on them—or for the feed that would show the inside of the training room where Lucas was getting his ass kicked.
Hannah perched on the edge of her chair, the picture of professionalism. "First of all, sir, I hope you're feeling better today. Zed mentioned you were quite unwell the other day."
I needed to bite the inside of my cheek in an attempt to stop my face from coloring as I remembered how Zed had called in sick so we could fuck all day.
"Much better," I replied with zero inflection to hint at anything untoward. "What's happened while I've been out?"
Hannah bobbed a nod. "So, someone has been getting in the ear of print media," she informed me, cutting straight to the chase. So to speak. "A journalist for the Shadow Grove Gazette called looking for an interview yesterday, and this morning I had calls from both Cloudcroft Daily and Rainybanks Post."
I arched a brow in interest. "What do they want an interview about? The explosions?"
She shook her head. "No, sir. They want to talk about how the Timberwolves are still a functioning crime syndicate who’ve been operating in the shadows for the past five years. They asked to interview Hayden Timber, not Daria Wolff."
Anger flashed through me, but I quickly got a handle on it. "Chase," I muttered with a small sigh.
"Um, what?" Hannah tilted her head in confusion.
I grimaced. "My ex. Chase Lockhart. He's using the alias Wenton Dibbs and making my life fucking painful right now. This has his name all over it."
Hannah's eyes widened, and she nodded slowly. "Let me guess, a violent abuser who can't take no for an answer, no matter how long it's been?" She wrinkled her nose. "That is something I can understand. Don't worry, sir, I handled the journalists. I just thought you should be aware."
I offered her a smile. "I appreciate it. You're fast becoming invaluable, Hannah. If Johnny Rock is still being a problem—"
"I've got it handled," she assured me. "But thank you. It means a lot. You know, it's funny, people are so scared of you, but you're one of the nicest people I know."
My brows shot up. "I think you're confused. I've got a hair trigger temper and more blood on my hands than a serial killer."
Hannah shrugged and smiled. "Yeah, but I stand by my statement. Anyway, the other thing I need to discuss is the missing 7th Circle staff." She pulled a tablet out of her purse and powered on the screen. With a few swipes she brought up a few employee-intake photographs. "These three have been unreachable since a few days after the building burned down. We've tried contacting them multiple times about new shifts at other clubs but got nothing back. Zelda in the head office said to give up, that they probably just found work elsewhere, but..." She trailed off with a shrug.
Curious, I leaned forward and took a closer look at the three employees she was concerned about. They were all back of house—sex workers—so it wasn't out of the question that they'd taken work elsewhere.
"Your gut tells you otherwise?" I asked, handing the tablet back.
She inclined her head. "Yes, sir. I just have a bad feeling. Would it be okay if I stopped by their listed residential addresses?"
"Go for it," I agreed. "Follow your gut. But take backup with you, just in case. Alexi can assign someone he trusts to shadow you."
Hannah gave a tight smile. "Absolutely, sir. Thank you."
Motion in one of the security cameras caught my eye, and I leaned in to get a better look at what was happening. When I recognized the guy climbing off one of the motorbikes that had just pulled up, I frowned.
"What the fuck does Roach think he's doing coming here uninvited?" I murmured, forgetting for a second that Hannah was still there with me.
"Um, that's the third thing I wanted to discuss," she offered with a cringe. "But I guess he decided to come and speak with you in person."
The security office was near the main entrance, so I pushed to my feet and headed outside to meet the new Reaper's leader myself.
"This is unexpected," I commented with an edge of reprimand when Roach approached. Two other tough-looking fuckers trailed a step behind him, obviously backup, which only made me more curious. Why did Roach feel the need for backup?
"Hades, sir," the young Reaper leader greeted me. Tension held his posture tight and his brow furrowed deeply as he seemed to be visibly forcing himself not to lose his cool. "I apologize for the intrusion, but this matter is urgent. A business in my territory was targeted in the early hours of this morning, front window smashed in and the entire interior vandalized. Not a single piece of furniture or equipment was left untouched."
I arched one brow. "Sounds like a gang dispute, Roach. How is this my problem?"
His eyes tightened further. "Because the business destroyed was Nadia's Cakes. Considering your recent altercation there, I can't help thinking this was your fucking fault." There was a bitterness to his voice that made my anger heat.
"Watch yourself, Roach," I responded, cool as ice despite the agonizing guilt running through me. "You'd be a very, very stupid man to come here and throw around accusations."
He met my gaze, his nostrils flaring, but he kept his mouth shut.
After a moment, I breathed out a calm breath. "Is Nadia okay? Was she hurt?" Because Cass would kill me if his grandmother got hurt in my war with Chase.
Roach shook his head. "She's fine. A couple of my guys have been camping out at her place this week, but the damage was just to her café."
A small sigh of relief ran through my chest, and I wet my lips. "Good. Make sure she stays protected. I'll send my team over to clean up her café and repair the damages. Please let her know she has my apologies for the inconvenience."
Roach gave me a puzzled look. "Th-that's it? Just... like that?"
"Did you expect less? Nadia's is a Shadow Grove institution, Roach. It's in everyone's best interest to get her back on her feet. Was there anything else?"
His lips moved, but no sound came out. Then he swiped a hand over his shaved head and gave me a tight nod. "Thank you, Hades. Nadia will appreciate it."
"You can leave now," I told him. "And next time you want to show up at one of my venues outside of business hours and start making accusations? Don't.
You're fast running out of leniency with me, Roach. Cass's endorsement of you as a competent leader only goes so far."
Roach stiffened, and his face flashed with anger and regret. "Well, he's dead now, so I'll have to stand on my own two feet. I appreciate your support." He stalked away with his shoulders tight, and his backup followed silently like they couldn't get away fast enough.
It was kind of nice to see I hadn't lost my edge with the Reapers. I was starting to think my guys had softened me too much. Or that Chase was succeeding in making me look weak. I worried that I'd lost the hard-won fear and respect I held from the criminal component of Shadow Grove.
But the fearful glances one of Roach's guys flashed over his shoulder warmed my cold heart. I still had it... for now.
32
Thanks to the development with Zed's new neighbor, we were forced to make some changes to Cass and Seph's arrival home. I couldn't take the risk that Chase would see them. Either of them. Even though I knew I couldn't keep Seph hidden forever, she'd never accept that.
I kept myself busy patching up Lucas's scrapes and bruises, rubbing peppermint bruise balm into a solid three-quarters of his body. He tried to convince me to join him for a nap, but I was way too keyed up and anxious.
Sometime around midnight, Zed took pity on me and dragged my ass into the gym. Running me through training drills helped keep my mind off the worry of Seph and Cass making it back safe and gave my body something more useful to do than pace a hole in the floor.
When the gate buzzer finally sounded through the house, I was stunned to see two hours had passed.
I tried to run for the door, but Zed tripped me, the shithead, and I crashed to the training mat with a groan.
"What the fuck?" I demanded, glaring up at him.
He scowled back at me. "Slow the fuck down. We don't even know if it's them." With a pointed look, he stalked toward the foyer and grabbed a gun from one of the many, many hiding places. He checked the video intercom, then smirked and pressed the gate release without even speaking.
"It's them," he confirmed, his grin spreading wide. He'd taken care of the new travel arrangements for Seph and Cass, coming up with a plan to have them arrive here undetected. Supposedly. I had no idea what that meant, and he hadn't let on.