“Interesting, because I don’t remember my security cameras going off.”
“That’s because she said,‘No, Cub can’t even put my hair in a pony. I guess normal pigtails will do.’Sorry, dude.”He shrugs like he didn’t just sink my heart down to my toes.
“Damn, she’s getting harder to impress. It used to just be painting some nails, having a tea party, and watching princess movies from sunup to sundown. Now I’ve got to learn a whole new skill set.”
“Welcome to the club.”
After we eat and finish catching up on the past week, I leave him to his work. Ethan, one of our best friends and also one of his employees walks in as I’m walking out. He daps me up, and we make quick plans to all grab drinks on Friday after work before he saunters inside to piss Dieter off for the day. Don’t get me wrong, we love Ethan, but when you’re together as much as they are, I’m surprised they survive being stuck in this hot-as-sin garage all the time.
I have to get some actual sleep before going into the bar tonight, so I shake myself awake as I make my way to my bike. Leaving the bar at four in the morning just to be at my brother’s shop at six is the worst part about Mondays, not that I’d ever tell him that. No one else is on my sleep schedule, which means I end up deprived of it most of the time. I’m unwilling to miss out on shit just because my job has me nocturnal.
Shaking the sleep fog from my brain, I pull my helmet on and start my bike. I pull away before turning down the street beside the shop and heading down the road to my house. I pass Lee’s house and peek to make sure nothing noisy is happening. All is quiet, just like every other morning, so I continue on to my house.
About a dozen driveways separate mine and my sister’s house, which is just how I like it. Dieter’s house is the next street over, and one of these days I’ll convince Annie to settledown here too. Pulling up into my driveway, I’m shocked to see a bike identical to mine pulled up to the curb in front of my house. The only difference being the colors of the bikes, Declan’s burnt orange to my midnight blue. Colors that couldn’t be further from each other… much like the owners of the bikes.
Pulling into the now open garage, I shut off my bike and take my helmet off. I’m not even turned to face him yet when Declan grabs me by the forearm and spins me around, almost knocking me off balance. Rage and what looks like concern shines in his emerald eyes.
“What thefuckis that?”
5
Chapter Five
Declan
Icame here because I saw him walk into Dieter’s shop earlier sporting that giant bruise on the side of his face. I was going to play it cool, but that was until I saw it up close. You can see fucking knuckle marks on his jaw. Taking his chin between my thumb and forefinger, I tilt his head to the side to get a better look. He lets me in for just a second before he shoves me away from him in the next moment.
“It’s none of your business, asshole.” He glares at me.
I’d almost believe him if I didn’t see his fingers tap against his thumb out of my peripheral vision. It’s how I’ve always been able to tell if he’s full of shit or not. It’s his tell.
I make an obnoxious buzzer noise, “Try again.”
“I don’t owe you anything, Declan. I’m none of your damn business, and you’re none of mine. So go find some low levelthugs to intimidate instead of me.”
Any other time his tantrum would make me smile, but right now I’m feeling too murderous.
“Jake, I’m serious.” I’m practically vibrating with anger.
“I own a fuckingbar. Sometimes people get stupid and I catch a stray.” He’s staring at me incredulously, but there go his fingers again.
“Whatever, you’re right, you don’t owe me shit.” I throw my hands up and turn on my heels to get back on my bike. Turning back to him once my helmet is on and my bike is started, I see him mouth to himself,‘Fucking Beast.’I smile behind my helmet. Damn, haven’t been called that in years.
Pulling away from Jakob’s house, I ride into the city. He’s not wrong. I do have business today, and a lot of it. My first meeting is actually with his father about whoever is causing problems within the borders of both our territories.
Dead bodies have been popping up on both of our streets for months. At first I thought it may be the Germans until the leader over there, Karl Schwarz, called Rowan to ask what the fuck we were doing. Spoiler alert: It isn’t us. So now I’m on the way to meet Fischer and his boss, Henry Wolf, to figure this shit out. Owen, my second hand, is meeting us at the office.
Over the past three years we’ve moved more into a legitimate business direction. I guess the wives got tired of their men being shot at weekly. So now we have a handful of legitimate offices and businesses outside of the clubs and restaurants we’ve owned longer than I’ve been alive. One of the biggest ones is ‘AGC’. Adien’s General Contracting is a business we started when we realized a lot of West Side was being built up. We employed the best GCs in Jersey tomake sure the business the city would bring to us stayed local. There’s a few conference rooms and offices in the building. That’s where I work out of during the day and where we tend to meet up for meetings now instead of seedy bars or abandoned warehouses. We’re legitimate now, after all.
Pulling up, I note that Owen’s standing beside his silver Aston Martin waiting for me. Parking right beside him, I pull off my helmet and hang it on my handlebars before running my fingers through my hair, trying to tame the helmet hair that I know is prominent. Shaking off any last remnants of Jake and his bruised face, my focus centers on Owen.
Owen has been my second since my Da started putting me to work at fifteen. When I was off at college he moved into my spot,‘keeping it warm for me’as my Dad would say. He’s the perfect second, really. He’s thirty-three, no kids, single, and knows when to offer his advice and when to shut the fuck up and pull the trigger.
“Boss.” He nods as I lead us into the building. We’re still a little early, so the others aren’t here yet, which is exactly what we always aim for.
“Owen, what do you have for me?” Before I can swing the door open, Cormac pushes it open for me and nods in acknowledgment as he gruffs out a ‘Boss’. He’s my security when Kieran’s otherwise occupied. I don’t really need a guard, but it makes Kieran feel better so I go along with it.
“Lukas Fischer and Henry Wolf this morning to talk about our little pest control issue. After that is a meeting with Rossi, a couple of other appointments, and at the end of the day you’ve been asked to meet your brothers at the club for a five in the afternoon tee time.”
