Before I get a chance to respond, another message follows up on the first.
Actually, my offer was accepted. The house won’t be mine for another week or two until the papers are final.
And she thought to tell me first.
I toss the property bills on top of my laptop and push it to the side, then kick back in the chair beside the fireplace. The nights grow cooler as we head toward winter, and sometimes it’s nice to give myself a headache with the less glamorous parts of club life in a more comfortable setting than at my tiny desk in my room.
Did they give you my number as part of the deal?
I hit send and set the phone on my lap, staring into the flickering flames. It feels good to be playful with someone. To pretend I’m somebody else for a second. Fuck knows the past week has been one revelation after another. What, with Matthias and his sister stirring the pot, the Amish wanting somewhere to store machinery on site, which calls for more building, and now Vanessa’s stepfather has been spotted meeting with the local evangelical college.
Everyone calls the Kings of Anarchy the troublemakers, but it seems to me we’re the least of their worries.
Funny. No. I used my privileges at the council to find that.
I huff a laugh, earning a curious glance from Darko, who sits in the far corner, doodling on his iPad.
Pretty sure that’s against the privacy policy or some shit. Maybe grounds for dismissal.
Are you threatening to get me fired?
If it means you show me what you really do for a living.
Maybe that was too forward? Fuck. It’s been far too long since I tried flirting with anyone. Not that I should be flirting with Kyra. She’s a critical connection to the Sheriff—that’s all.
Subscriptions start at twenty bucks a month. But you’ll probably want to jump up to the top tier to get the best content.
My heart starts pounding in my chest. I glance at Darko to make sure he’s not watching and thumb a reply.
Is this you saying you’re gonna tell me your handle?
She doesn’t need to know that I already have it. I want to know if she feels comfortable enough with me to share it.
I’m not going to make it that easy on you. Anyway. You never congratulated me on the house.
Congratulations. How am I supposed to work it out? I don’t get special work privileges like you do.
It’s a cute two-story, three-bedroom bungalow. Thanks for asking.
A grin curls my lips.
Three bedroom, huh? Plenty of space to turn one into a room for filming content.
You know, a woman could think you’re only after one thing with the way you’re behaving.
Not just one thing. But I definitely think it’s a perk of the package.
The phone falls quiet for a while. A far too long while. I tuck the device beside my leg and pick up the laptop and paperwork as our chaplain, Flinch, enters mid-conversation with one of the prospects, Tease.Now I remember why I prefer my room.I love my brothers, but goddamn it can be like living at a frat house. Or at least, what I imagine living at one would be like, considering I never stood a hope of going to college.
Hence, the headache as I try to work out which insurance policy is best for our property.
“Anything I can help with?” Flinch sits his aged ass down in the chair that faces mine, elbows to the rests as he leans forward.
“Unless you understand legalese better than me, nope.”
He shrugs. “Perhaps, but I think I rescind my offer if that’s what you’re dealing with.”
I peer at him over the twelve-page policy in my hand and smile.
