“Except for Scar. I hadn’t been able to find him until recently. But I have it now if you need to see it.”
Steel shook his head. “No. I need to see mine.”
Keys’ head popped up over the monitors. “Yours? Why?”
“Because clearly there’s something in my past that I am not thinking significant enough or have completely written off that someone is coming back at me for. I need to see my file to see if I can remember something and figure out who is after me before he, or she,” he added offhandedly, “hurts someone I actually care about or tries to pin another crime on me.”
“Um, yeah. I can send it to your tablet?—”
“Paper,” Steel ordered. “I want to be able to write and highlight as needed.”
“You can do that on your tablet,” Keys insisted. Steel just stared at the kid until he swallowed nervously and lowered his head back down behind the monitors. “Yeah, paper. Um, I need to find a printer, I guess, but I’ll have it for you soon.”
“Good,” Steel said before turning to go. “I assume you were listening in on the conversation from my office.”
“I mean, ‘listening in’ is a bit harsh—” Steel stopped the kid’s defense of himself with a single look over his shoulder. Keys flushed. “Yeah, I was listening in.”
“Then you should already have surveillance on Ollie.”
“I do. He’s still at your house with Jenna and your sister.”
Steel nodded once. “I want things back to normal by tomorrow.”
“I’ve got him, Steel. Don’t worry. I swear I won’t let anything happen to him.”
His hand on the doorknob, Steel paused but didn’t turn around. “Don’t waste any resources on me. Do you understand me, Keys? Do what you need to do to help us find whoever killed Dixie Gilbert, but do not waste your time protecting me. Jenna and my kids are the priority. Have I made myself clear?”
He heard Keys swallow. “Statistically, you’re the one who is the most in danger?—”
“Have I made myself clear?”Steel repeated through gritted teeth.
Keys clearly hesitated and then said in a small voice, “Crystal.”
Steel nodded once, said, “I expect my file by this afternoon,” and then left.
CHAPTER 3
TWO MONTHS LATER
The holidays came and went. As promised, Steel took Jenna to the Bahamas for Christmas. She was not allowed to lift a single finger regarding the club’s annual Thanksgiving or Christmas festivities. In fact, Steel bought her a massage chair that was placed in the seating area of the clubhouse for Jenna to stay in while she directed everyone else.
Following the shell casing bringing no new leads—Ranger and Star had swapped out the real casing for an identical one that would not match any rifle in the database—the DEA had been forced to drop their interest in Steel. Toni Anderson, the club’s criminal attorney, had even gone as far as to demand a letter of apology from Agent Strouse, which had pissed the man off to no end. In truth, Steel hadn’t needed it, but he’d sure enjoyed the seething look on the man’s face when he’d handed the letter to Steel.
In the past two months, the only thing of disturbing significance that had been discovered was evidence of two sniper perches outside the club’s property. They were in two different areas, but both had a clear line of sight to Steel’s house. Theclub took measures to protect their property and destroy the perches. Unfortunately, there was no way to remove all the trees surrounding the property, but Keys had already purchased the land across the street to build his new security firm on. He took down the trees he needed, as well as some ones he didn’t, to prevent such an easy line of sight to the club.
Additionally, he created an electric field around the club’s property. While such technology would not stop a bullet, it could—theoretically—slow it down or change its trajectory. The field wasn’t on all the time. It activated at the sound of a gunshot or when it sensed something moving towards it at over five hundred feet per second.
So far, it had never been activated outside the tests the club had done to ensure what the brothers were calling Keys’ Mad Science Experiment actually worked.
Darrin and Viktor, the club’s prospects, sole responsibility was to protect Jenna. They were on her like white on rice, much to Jenna’s annoyance. Steel didn’t care, though. She could be annoyed, so long as she was safe.
No one new had appeared in Ollie’s life, nor was there any backlash from Dixie’s murder. It was like that month had never happened and Dixie had never returned. Keys did not drop the surveillance on him, or any of their other kids.
Ghost took the presidency on the first of the year, though technically he could have claimed the title two weeks earlier when Steel and Jenna had departed for the Bahamas. After months learning everything Steel had to teach him, Steel was more confident than ever that the club had voted correctly. Ghost was a natural leader, and Steel was proud of the man.
Ranger had been voted in as the club’s new Enforcer. No one was surprised by this. Ghost and Ranger were inseparable, as friends and brothers. There was no doubt that, when Lucky was ready to step down as VP, Ranger would take his place.
Technically, the house Jenna and Steel had lived in for the past eight years was the club President’s house, per the bylaws. Unlike the others who owned their plots of land and the homes they built on them, Steel and Jenna rented their house at no charge from the club. When Steel had announced he was stepping down, he’d offered the house back to the club. The Officers, including Ghost as the Enforcer, had refused to hear of it. Jenna and Steel could remain in that house as long as they wanted, regardless of who held the title of President. They’d even signed a legal document so no one could insist Steel vacate the property. The gesture was sweet, and appreciated.
