“Nothin’ better than a day off.”
“Our dads are taking us for ice cream,” Kinsey said.
“After they’re finished doing important biker stuff,” Alfie informed me.
“Biker stuff is very important,” I joked.
“Yo, Shadow,” Ethan called, setting his pool cue down and walking toward me. I tried not to chuckle at his attempt at a swagger. The boy had accidental game and it was fuckin’ adorable.
“Hey, bud.”
He gave me a fist bump, then crossed his arms. “Do you need more help on the greenhouse?”
My sister set Doc’s daughter, Chloe, on the floor next to her twin brother, and made her way to me.
“Not much I can do right now, but when I start up again, I’ll let you know,” I said.
Ethan nodded and headed back to the pool table, and I wrapped an arm around my sister. I did not like the nasty bruise around her eye. I stuffed the rage down and gave her a squeeze. “How ya doin’?”
“I’m good,” she said. “As you can see, I’m safe. I’m not happy I had to call in a sick day, but I’m here.”
“You tell your boss why you called in sick?”
“As a rule, it’s nobody’s business. But since it’s Melonie and she’s one of my best friends, yes.”
I rolled my eyes and caught sight of Nova running out from the hallway, Shutter following.
“Nova’s here too?” I asked.
“Darlene’s working,” Cat said.
I raised an eyebrow in Shutter’s direction, and he shrugged. Jesus, my brother was a good guy. He put up with a lot more shit from an ex than I would.
“Shadow!” Nova squeaked and came running to me for a hug. I bent, catching her and lifting her up high. She wrapped her legs around my waist.
“Hi, baby. You havin’ fun?”
She bobbed her head. “Uncle Shutter’s taking me for ice cream later.”
“Wow,” I breathed out. “That sounds fun.”
“Can you come with us?”
“I’d love to, sweetheart, but I have to work.” I set her on her feet, and she went to join the other kids by the pool table.
Shutter joined us and grinned. “You look rested.”
“When did you get babysitting duty?” I asked.
“Darlene’s got no one to watch Nova,” he said. “Willow offered to do it, so I’m on pick up and drop off.”
“You’re a better man than me.”
Shutter chuckled.
“You still gonna be able to make the run today?” I asked.
“Yeah, brother. It’s all handled.”
“She’s stuck, NoNo,” Cat piped in. “If Darlene was a bitch, it might be a different story, but you know she’s a sweetheart.”
I raised my hands in surrender. “Not my business.”
Cat patted my chest. “Yet, you have lots of opinions about it.”
I sighed. “Point taken.”
My sister grinned. “I have always appreciated the fact you’re a quick learner.”
Doom walked in and stalled. “What are you doin’ here? I thought you were helpin’ Posey out with her stove.”
“Bigger problem,” I said. “Is Rabbit around?”
“Yeah,” Doom said. “He’s back in the office.”
I nodded and gave my sister another hug before heading down the hall. Our historic barn had been converted into the clubhouse back in the sixties. Doc’s family had owned the land for centuries and rumor had it, it was a stop on the Underground Railroad back in the day. Doc’s maternal uncle had started the club and handed it off to Doc right before he died.
The building now housed a large communal space with a large kitchen, a bunkroom with a bathroom, another two bathrooms, several offices, and a conference room on the first floor. We recently finished the remodel of the third floor. All of the officers’ bedrooms were up there, each with private bathrooms, and a movie room. Our second floor now had nine bedrooms and a bunkroom with bathrooms. Doom and a few of us also tricked out the basement to act as a panic room should we ever need it.
I knocked on the door Rabbit used as his office.
“Come in,” he called.
I pushed in and found Otter sitting in one of the chairs, his woman, Shiloh on his lap.
“Hey, honey,” Shiloh said, standing to hug me. “How are you?”
“Been better,” I admitted, as I sat in one of the chairs across from Rabbit’s desk. “You got the day off?”
Shiloh was a registered nurse and she used to work a shit ton of hours, but ever since they’d had their baby, she’d backed off. Her having more time for Otter settled him and he was a lot more relaxed.
“Yeah,” she said. “A much needed one. Sounds like you might need a break too.”
“Yeah, it’s been a week.”
“Sounds like it,” she murmured, sitting back in Otter’s lap.
“You got somethin’?” I asked Rabbit.
“Yeah,” Rabbit said, handing me a file. “Slumlord is a compliment when it comes to this asshole.”
“Fuck,” I breathed out as I read the file. “The building doesn’t look that bad.”
“Substandard contracting, appliances with recalls that haven’t been fixed. Several residents have moved out and complained, but he’s got deep pockets, so he buries them in litigation and they eventually give up. He even made a hush payment to an elderly woman’s family whose range had caught fire, much like Posey’s.”
“Goddamn motherfucker.”
“You got enough to confront him with that, but if he gives you any shit, I’m ready to fuck his life up… electronically, of course.”
I smirked. “Of course.”
“You meetin’ with him today?” Otter asked.
“Sure am,” I confirmed, closing the file with a thwap. “He’s gonna wish he was never born.”
“The pool house is empty,” Shiloh said. “Doom just finished the reno. If Posey needs a place to crash for a while… or longer, she’s welcome to it.”
“My sister may need it,” I said.
“She doesn’t want it,” Otter informed me.
I sighed. “Did she happen to say why?”
“Nope.”
“Right,” I said.
“Posey really is welcome, Shadow,” Shiloh pressed.
“Thanks, sweetheart,” I said. “That takes a load off.”
Rabbit chuckled. “Let me know if you need backup.”
“Thanks, brother. I appreciate the info.”
“No problem. Good luck.”
I nodded and headed up to my room. After a quick shower, I changed, grabbed what I’d need for my shift at the firehouse, then figured I’d spend a little time with my sister before I headed over to Posey’s.
When I walked down to the great room, I found my sister sitting alone by the fireplace, reading a book. “Where’d everyone go?” I asked.
She looked up and smiled. “Ice cream.”
“You didn’t want to go?”
“A chance to sit by a fire and read? No, I didn’t want to go.”
I smiled, sitting beside her. “How’s your eye?”
“It’s fine, NoNo.” She closed her book and set it on the table next to her. “Is your girl taking Otter and Shiloh’s place?”
“My girl?”
“Don’t kid a kidder, big brother. Everyone’s buzzing about the girl you brought to family night.”
“I didn’t invite her,” I pointed out. “Quin did.”
“And yet, you monopolized her time the whole night.”
“Just how often do you gossip with Shutter?”
She chuckled. “Don’t change the subject.”
“What do you want to know?”
“Everything.”
“Well, you’re not gettin’ everything,” I said. “But she’s cool, even if she does do yoga.”
Catalina raised an eyebrow. “Is she a creepy yogi-type?”
“No,” I said with a laugh. “She’s cool.”
“Why aren’t you takin’ the pool house?” I asked.
“It’s too far from work. If, and I mean, if, I’m going to move, it needs to be closer to the airport.”
Otter and Shiloh’s home was the other side of Savannah, which would be a bit of a haul.
“You’re gonna move, Cat, but I get why you’d want to be closer to work.”
She rolled her eyes but didn’t argue with me. “When do I get to meet this mystery woman?”
“Soon,” I said. “We’ll set up dinner.”
“Wow, you really like her.”
“Yeah. I really like her.”
She smiled. “That’s good, No. I want you to be happy.”
“Same, sissy.”
“Do you have a shift this week?”
“Tonight,” I said. “I’m heading to Posey’s first to deal with her asshat of a landlord.”
“I heard.”
I frowned. “What haven’t you heard?”
She raised her hands in surrender. “All I know is that her landlord’s a slumlord. I know nothing else.”
I hummed in suspicion.
“Swear,” she said. “I get more information out of the women than I do Shutter.”
“Do you try to get it out of Shutter?”
“No. And I know him well enough to know that he wouldn’t tell me anything if I did.” She laughed. “Bossy britches.”
I grinned. “Guilty.”
“I miss you, Nolan,” she admitted. “We’ve spent no time together all month.”
“I know.” I squeezed her arm. “How about I take you out to dinner next week?”
“Like our brother-sister dates before we became adults?”
“Exactly. Only, we can drink now.”
“Well, legally,” she reminded me.
“True.”
“I would love dinner,” she said. “I’m working Wednesday through Sunday, but normal people hours, so I should be home by six. Five-thirty if traffic cooperates.”
“Okay, I’ll find out which day I’m working and we’ll go from there.”
“Can’t wait.”
“You good?”
“I’m good,” she said. “When will I be released from my ‘protective’ detail.”
“When you’re dead,” I retorted and rose to my feet. I leaned down to kiss her cheek, then climbed on my bike and headed over to Posey’s.
CHAPTER TEN
Posey
I DRAGGED MYSELF up to my apartment about half an hour before Shadow was due and took a quick shower. When I stepped out, I noticed a puddle of water on the floor that had never been there before.
“Crap,” I snapped, grabbing a towel, and dropping it on the floor just as my doorbell pealed. I snagged my phone off the nightstand and texted Shadow.
Me: Is that you at my door?
Shadow: Yeah
Me: Give me a sec.
I wrapped a different towel around my body and rushed to the door, still checking the peephole, before pulling it open.
“I’ve got a leak,” I said, and headed back the way I came, confident he’d follow.
I heard the door close and Shadow’s heavy footsteps behind me. “What kind of leak?”
“I got out of the shower and stepped in an inch of water. I have no idea where it’s coming from.”
“Okay, baby, you get dressed, I’ll have a look.”
“Did you bring your tools?”
“Like what?”
“A hammer, maybe?” I asked.
He chuckled, stepping into the bathroom. “No need for swinging a hammer today. Unless it’s the one in my pants. Happy to show you that later, but I wouldn’t want to put a hole in your wall.”
I rolled my eyes even as I bit back a laugh. “Just don’t break any of the tile.”
“Fuck,” he growled, and I peeked my head into the room.
“What?”
“Pipe burst. Do you know where your water shut off is?”
I bit my lip. “Um…”
“I’ll find it,” he said, and headed out of the room.
I scooped my hair into a messy bun on top of my head and moved to follow him, but he returned before I could. “Water’s off.”
“Thanks. I’ll clean up.”
“Don’t. I want that asshole to see the damage.”
I could feel rage pouring off of Shadow and I frowned. “You okay?”
“No, I’m fuckin’ pissed. Your landlord’s a piece of shit, and he needs a lesson in manners.”
“I always thought he was nice.”
“Well, he’s not.” He sighed. “Come on, I’ll show you.”
“Wait.” I grabbed his arm. “I have yet to be properly greeted.”
“Sorry, baby.” He smiled gently. “Come here.”
He pulled me close and kissed me sliding his hands to my butt.
“So handsy. I like it,” I retorted, cupping his face. “I thought you were coming in your uniform?”
“I figured my cut would be more intimidating,” he said, kissing me again.
My doorbell rang before he could show me whatever it was he wanted to show me, so we headed to the front door where he positioned me behind him. “I’m gonna take care of this.”
I tried not to let out a quiet squeal of excitement as he pulled open the door. Never, not ever, had I had someone take my back like this.
“Ah,” Mr. Calloway stuttered. “Who are you?”
“I’m Posey’s man.”
My stomach fluttered.
Hell, yeah, he was my man.
“She’s not authorized to have another person on her lease.”
I scowled. Maybe Mr. Calloway was a dick.
“I’m not livin’ here,” Shadow growled. “I was hired to fix the damage caused by your defective stove.”
“Where’s Posey?” Mr. Calloway demanded.
“I’m here,” I said, stepping out from behind Shadow. “Hi, Mr. Calloway. Come in.”
I tugged on Shadow’s leather vest, pulling him away from the door. He stepped back and Mr. Calloway stepped inside and immediately stalked to my kitchen.
“This damage is far worse than you inferred, Miss Walker.”
“And that’s on you,” Shadow said.
“I don’t know who you think you are—”
Shadow grabbed a manilla folder, opening it and slapping it on the peninsula. “Let me tell you exactly who I am. I’m a Savannah firefighter and I’m also a contractor with a long list of projects under my belt. I understand what kind of damage fire can do and I also understand how to fix it. Did you know there was a recall on this stove—and be real careful how you answer that, because I already know the answer, so if you fuckin’ lie to me, you’re gonna be in a world of hurt.”
Mr. Calloway stuttered out a few unintelligible words and Shadow leaned toward him which made Calloway step back.
Shadow flipped a few of the pages in the folder and held one up to him. “Here is an email that you received two years ago warning you of the recall.”
“I never saw that.”
“You wanna retract that?” Shadow warned, picking up another piece of paper.
“Ah…”
“That’s the work order, that you signed, replacing the range in your daughter’s apartment because hers was recalled.” He jabbed a finger at a squiggle at the bottom of the page. “You fuckin’ signed it and it references the unit, and all units made in that batch, were recalled.”
Again, Calloway sputtered out words that didn’t make sense.
“Right, so now Posey has a leak in her bathroom because there’s a busted pipe, so let me tell you what’s going to happen next,” Shadow said. “You’re gonna let her out of her lease. In fact, you’re going to return her security deposit, plus twenty percent due to the fact she lost work. You’re also gonna give her back this month’s rent, considerin’ it’s the second day of the month and the place is unhabitable because I had to shut off the
water, because she has a busted pipe.”
I bit my lip. I had nowhere to go, so moving out was going to be a bit of a problem, but Shadow was on a roll, so I just let him go with it.
“I, ah,” Calloway stuttered again.
Shadow pulled out yet another piece of paper and slid it in front of him. “I have taken the liberty of having a contract drawn up that outlines exactly what I just said.”
“You did?” I whispered.
“Lyric did it,” he said. “So, you’re going to sign it, Posey’s gonna sign it, and I’m gonna witness it. She’ll be moved out by Saturday, and you’ll have her money to her no later than the Monday following her move out.”
“I—”
“You don’t know who I am but let me remind you that I can make your life very uncomfortable if you don’t make this right.”
“Did you really know these ovens were recalled?” I asked Mr. Calloway. “Sharon is elderly. If her range caught fire, she’d have a hard time navigating those stairs to get out quickly. She could be in danger. I thought you were a nice man. A man who took care of people.” I bit back frustrated tears. “This is not okay.”
“I want you out by Friday,” he snapped, signing the paper, and storming out my door.
“Sign it, baby, then you can melt down.”
I signed the paper, Shadow followed suit, then he wrapped his arms around me, and I burst into tears. “I don’t have the money to move, Nolan,” I said on a sob. “I also don’t have anywhere to go. Why did you do that?”
“We’ll figure it out.”
“How? I have only three days to ‘figure it out,’” I snapped, pushing away from him. “What right do you think you had to blow my life up like that?”
He crossed his arms and watched me as I paced my soon to be ex living room.
“Jesus Christ, I fucked you once and you think you have the right to make decisions for me? You just fucked everything up!” I threw my hands in the air. “This is why men are a fucking waste of time. This is why men are a fucking pain in the ass.” I jabbed a finger at him. “I knew you were trouble, waltzing in here with all your ‘muscles’ and ‘manly help,’” I sneered, using air quotes as I put emphasis on different words. “I was doing just fine before you chose me as your ‘project.’ And now you’ve come in and given an ultimatum to the man who’s responsible for my shelter, not to mention, pointed out that Sharon is in imminent danger. Because of you, I have to figure out how to make sure Sharon is safe and then find me a bridge to live under!”
Fanning the Biker's Flame (Dogs of Fire: Savannah Chapter Book 8) Page 7