He muted the conversation in the other room, but made sure she saw how he did it, so she could turn it back on should she wonder what they were saying. He took his seat again. “Prostitutes. I don’t think they hold women in high regard.”
She considered the validity of his statement, and tilted her head. “They hold the women they love in high regard, but you have a point about other women.” She didn’t want to explain the sweetbutts, but she’d seen them being used enough, she couldn’t tell him he was wrong. “What information do you have about prostitutes?” She asked. “Street girls, or, like, a whorehouse setup? I’m sure that isn’t what they’re called. Brothel, maybe? It seems crass, either way.”
“I have high resolution satellite images from an angle, and pictures taken as someone drives by, but the surrounding area isn’t conducive to an investigator sitting still and watching. It’s an old hotel, so I suppose the brothel term fits, but I haven’t been able to find out much. The Birmingham chapter has one as well, and Chief Brown tells me that johns must specifically ask for what they want, which means the police department hasn’t been able to successfully prosecute the MC or the girls. If their undercover officers ask for sex, it’s considered entrapment.” He shrugged. “For what it’s worth, he says the women are fiercely protected by the MC, and the johns don’t get rough with them for fear of what the bikers will do to them if they hurt one of their working girls.”
“What else does Chief Brown say they do? The illegal stuff.”
“No drugs, which surprised me. There are rumors of selling illegal guns, but they’ve never been able to make charges stick. Also, they know they’ve killed people, but are almost always unable to prove murder in a court of law.”
“Almost always?”
He nodded. “If you google them in news stories, you’ll see the details. You’ll also see their many charity events, but I’m not certain I want the company to get in bed with them, even for charitable reasons.”
“Then don’t.”
“I may underwrite a portion of their police and fire competition this spring, but personally, not through the company. Enough so I can see their financials, and have an excuse to spend a few days with them. Would that be acceptable to you?”
“Yes, Daddy. I’d love for you to take the time to get to know them.” She’d warn Danny about the financials bit, though.
Chapter 28
McGyver scanned Iris’s body language and expression when she returned with her father. The soundproofing was good enough between the rooms, he hadn’t been able to make out their conversation. While she seemed troubled, she wasn’t upset.
He’d watched Bubbles struggle with how to handle Lexi’s mother a while back. Her mom wasn’t at all good for her, and frequently caused deep emotional pain, and yet… how do you protect someone from a loved one? He was glad Iris’s father didn’t appear to be out to punish her for daring to see someone the man obviously didn’t approve of.
“What have you resolved?” Wendel was clearly asking his head of security, so McGyver stayed silent.
“Mr. Franklin has made good decisions so far. None of us approved of him taking Iris to the motorcycle club’s compound the other night, and yet, I can’t argue it was the fastest way to get her to safety in the middle of a car chase. He drove skillfully on roads he isn’t familiar with, and he found a secure place to take her. I believe we’re going to have to trust his judgement in the future, too. Aaron Drake clearly does, and I have the utmost respect for Aaron.”
“So, the resolution is what, exactly?”
“To make sure Mr. Franklin is in direct communication with her security team when they’re together. We’ll schedule a meeting with Aaron Drake and the attorneys, to be sure you’re covered legally if the MC breaks the law to keep Iris safe.”
Wendel nodded. “Next up on the agenda, I’d like to set up a scholarship fund — one for every person killed in the blast, funded for at least fifty years. Each family will be able to decide the criteria for the scholarships given in their loved-one’s name, within reason, of course. I’d like the PR people and attorneys to hammer out the details and then take it to Iris. She has a way with words, and I trust her to finesse it. I’ll get the final say, of course, but I don’t foresee making any changes so long as all of you sign off on it.”
“Jake had three kids. I’d like to make sure all three have a scholarship waiting for them when they’re ready,” Iris told him, her voice soft.
McGyver scented her sadness and guilt, and he wrapped his arm around her. “If your father won’t do it, I will, but you need to remember it wasn’t your fault.”
“Aaron Drake is covering him and his family, and Mr. Franklin is correct — you aren’t to blame for his death, or anyone else’s. I’ll check with Aaron about the scholarships, and if he isn’t handling it, I will.”
McGyver ran with his Blueberry again after the meeting. His wolf was happy for the cold, fresh air, and it appeared his girl needed it, too. This time, she followed the run with a swim in the indoor pool, and McGyver joined her in the same borrowed swim trunks. He’d be better prepared if he was invited back. He also wondered if maybe he should consider buying the empty lot beside his house and installing a pool. He didn’t want to enclose it, but he could heat it in the winter.
The man knew people were likely watching the camera feeds, but the wolf didn’t care, so when she swam to him and went to kiss him, he pushed her back against the wall and kissed her breathless.
She liked rough sex, and she loved being held against the concrete-and-tile pool wall and kissed like a woman should be kissed. He held her in place and devoured her until her heart raced and her breath was thready, and then he gave her small kisses just under her ear, where he knew it drove her crazy.
When he finally pulled back, her scent told him she wanted him to do a lot more than kiss her, but he pushed his wolf down.
“I’m thinking we’ll head straight downstairs when we make it to the compound tomorrow,” he told her, his lips to her ears.
“I don’t know if I can wait until tomorrow. Fuck Danny. I want you.”
“You have me, Blueberry.”
Those beautiful blue eyes gave him a mock glare, and it almost made him come undone. “You know what I mean.”
“I do, and the feeling’s mutual.” He kissed her forehead, pushed away from the wall, and drifted away from her. “Do we know when the plane is taking us back tomorrow?”
“No. I talked to Daddy again last night, and asked him to consider moving me into an apartment. I can’t have a gun in the dorm building, and I’d feel better with one on my nightstand while I sleep.”
“Why don’t you stay with me a few days? I don’t like the idea of you being afraid at night.”
“I’ve decided she’s right about the dorm.” Her father walked into the room in swim trunks, and immediately made his way down the steps into the shallow end. “Also, her security can post themselves inside an apartment, whereas the university only allows for this if it’s a female guard.” He looked at Iris. “I found a beautiful three-bedroom on the riverfront. You won’t be able to walk to classes, but you won’t need someone to rotate your clothes in and out of a tiny closet anymore, either. The second bedroom can be turned into a closet easily enough, and the third into a workout room. It’s two floors. The bottom floor is open and would allow you to entertain small groups, and the bedrooms are upstairs. Since your friend Gen is a Realtor — I can arrange for her to show it to you, along with a few other possibilities, though nothing you’ll like is within walking distance of your classes.”
“Thank you, Daddy.”
“When you decide upon an apartment, you should sign the lease in your name. You have a bank account in your name already. I’d like you to begin using it, instead of the credit card, which you should consider an emergency fallback from this point forward. I’ll put six thousand dollars a month into your account, and I’d like for you to pay your expenses out of that account. We�
�ll consider this a testing period, to see how you do between now and your birthday. You’ll have your car, and I’ll continue to pay for your insurance and your security team, but you’ll need to take care of gas, oil changes, and any other required maintenance. I’ll also pay your tuition and books next semester, and we’ll keep your phone on my account. However, all clothing, food, entertainment, apartment rent, utilities — you’ll need to budget for those things and make sure they’re paid on time.”
“I get to pick my apartment?”
“With Drake Security’s approval, yes. Just make sure you can afford whatever you choose.”
“Thank you for…” Iris stopped, took a breath, and started again. “Thanks for seeing me as an adult, Daddy. I won’t let you down.”
“Your last shopping spree in New York was nearly forty thousand dollars, Iris. Six thousand a month means you’ll have to watch your funds. The nice apartment I found is over two thousand a month.”
“I understand, Daddy, but I have income from my social media accounts too. My videos are bringing in a decent amount of revenue. I’ll need to create a budget and be careful, but I can do this. Thank you.”
A forty-thousand-dollar shopping spree? What the fuck kind of clothes did she buy?
Chapter 29
Six weeks later
* * *
Iris zipped her main suitcase closed and sat on the bench in the center of her new closet. She’d be in Birmingham five days, and she had two huge suitcases plus a garment bag because her father had her attending so many parties with him.
And she needed a different designer outfit for each party. She’d pulled it off only because she had clothes she’d purchased in the past she hadn’t worn yet. However, she didn’t have a spare in case he surprised her with an outing, and that made her nervous. It couldn’t be helped though. Besides, she probably had something in her closet at home she could scrounge into if she had to. Sure, they were last year’s styles, but she’d manage.
And Danny was downstairs. He wanted her to stay with him for Christmas, but she couldn’t.
Danny had his friends, but Iris’s father only had her. Surely he’d start dating again eventually, right? To her knowledge, he hadn’t yet, and she didn’t think it was her place to bring it up.
She started down the steps with one suitcase and the garment bag, but Danny met her near the top, took them from her, and carried them down. She went back up to get the other suitcase.
“You’d hate it,” she told him. “Lots of social stuff, and I know you can handle yourself, but you’d hate it.”
“You’ll be home on the twenty-sixth, and we’ll wake up and do our Christmas morning the twenty-seventh. It’ll be fine.”
“You don’t go home to your family anymore?”
“My sister has to stay human most of the time, now that she has kids, but Mom and Dad can live as wolves now, and they usually do. I’ll drive down tomorrow morning, give everyone their gifts and spend the day and night with them in the woods, as wolves, then drive back the next day. I love being able to buy gifts for the kids, but the adults don’t need much. My true family now is the club, so that’s who I spend Christmas Day with.”
And she was spending it with her father. Still, she wanted to know more about his parents and siblings. “What did you get your Alabama family?”
“Clothes for when they’re human and need to go into town. Also, some salt and other seasonings. They live simple lives, Blue. I bought the kids lots of age appropriate toys, coats, jeans, socks, and boots. I have them set up with solar panels and enough batteries to run their electronic toys and some LED lights. The wood stove handles heating and cooking. They’ve started using the lights instead of candles, which is safer.”
Iris knew Danny had built them an actual house. At nine hundred square feet, it was tiny, but it wasn’t the two hundred square foot lean-to he’d grown up in. Anything bigger would’ve just taken more wood to heat in the winter, and he said the cabin seemed like a castle compared to what they’d had before.
“Will you take me to meet them? I mean, not during Christmas, but maybe after the first of the year?”
He shook his head. “Are you sure you don’t want me to drive you to the airport?”
“Wait. Was that a no? You don’t want me to meet your family?”
“Fuck, Iris. Can we not do this right now? My family is feral. You won’t understand them, and they sure as hell won’t understand you. Nothing good can come of that.”
“And if we get married someday, none of your family will come to the wedding?”
“My family is the club, and every damned one of them will be at the wedding.”
“But not your parents or your siblings?”
“No.”
She shook her head. “Okay. We’ll talk about it later.” She’d exchanged gifts with the other women in the club the night before. There was nothing else to tell him. “I’ll drive myself to the airport. Parking’s right outside the private hangars. It isn’t a hassle, and this way I’ll have my car when I come back.”
She wore wool leggings with a crocheted dress and boots, and he pressed her against the wall and grabbed her girly bits. Heat suffused her lower body and an involuntary moan escaped, despite the fact she was so tender it might kill her if he fucked her again.
“Sore?”
“You know I am.” Damn, she sounded all breathy and shit.
“So long as you remember who you belong to while you’re at all those parties, we’ll be fine. Have fun, my beautiful Blueberry.”
Iris expected security would gather her from the airport and take her home, but her father was in the back of the car.
They hugged and cheek-kissed, and Iris waited for her father to speak once they were under way. He obviously had something to talk to her about.
“I need you to meet someone. He’ll be staying at the house with us, but in my wing, so he won’t be close to your room.”
She tried not to sound as annoyed as she felt. “You promised not to set me up with anyone, Daddy.”
“And I intend to keep that promise. This is different. I’ve been holding out hope I could hand the company over to you, eventually, but I’ve had a Plan B in the works. Since you were a toddler, I’ve groomed a number of young men and women with the prospect of them either stepping into the role or working under you as a support system. They know the business inside and out, and they are fiercely loyal to me. I found a few in middle school, but most in high school, sent them to college, and then hired them as interns. Out of thirty young men and women, nine are now high up in the organization. Most of the rest work in other professions and are still invaluable to us — attorneys, an accountant, public relations specialists, and an anchor for the local news station now, but she’ll eventually move up to the national level. Also, a city councilor I will one day help become mayor.”
Iris sighed. Her father liked owning people. “And who am I meeting?”
“Knox Bannister. He’s twenty-eight, and if things go as I believe they will, he’ll be in my will in the next five to eight years. You’ll be in it as well, but the preponderance of my company shares will go to him.”
Her father seemed both wary and confrontational. The old Iris would’ve seen this as a challenge and gone on the offensive, but the new Iris decided to focus on the notes of caution she picked up in her father’s demeanor.
“It would be easy to get my feelings hurt, but that’d be silly, since I’d see all those shares as a huge responsibility I don’t really want. If Knox is capable and you feel good about the direction he’ll take the company, you should of course make sure he’s able to do the job, and that means he’ll need a controlling interest.” She blew out a breath. “Part of me wants to ask if he’s the son you always wanted, but I don’t think that’s what this is about. I look forward to meeting him.”
“You took that better than I expected. I started to fly up and talk to you a few weeks ago, but then I worried you wouldn’t come fo
r Christmas, and I think it might break my heart if you weren’t here on Christmas morning.”
“Eventually, we may need to change our Christmas. Maybe you can come to me instead of me coming to you, or… I don’t know. We’ll figure it out when we get there. I mean, Christmas isn’t the same without mom, but…” She shrugged. “Are you ever going to start dating again?”
“Let’s have that conversation another time. Dealing with Knox is enough for now, I think.”
“Will he be here Christmas morning? I’ll need to buy him a gift. Any ideas? Can we stop and shop now, while I have you to help?”
“I bought a bottle of Bunnahabhain twenty-five year Scotch. I know you prefer to do the wrapping yourself, so it’s waiting for your special touch. It’s his preferred brand.”
And cost around eight hundred dollars a bottle, so it was a nice gift. “Thank you. What do I need to know about him?”
“He’s dating someone and is considering popping the question, so you don’t have to worry about him hitting on you. She’s overseas at the moment. Long story, but please don’t bring her up. He’s quite private when it comes to her. He runs marathons, and has been biking and swimming in preparation to begin training for a triathlon in the spring. The two of you may enjoy waking early and going for a run. He has both an accounting degree and a business degree. He also took every contract law and business law class he could fit in.”
“No medical degree?”
“He took classes for how to run a medical practice. He’s learned enough medical terminology to have the conversations necessary, but his strong suit is his business acumen. He’s put together a medical team who advise him on the latest breakthroughs in medicine, procedures, and treatments.”
Her father had a medical degree and a business degree, and she’d assumed his replacement would need both, but perhaps not.
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