“Um, no it’s not bad,” Duke reassures her, stepping back so she can get closer. “In fact, I’d say it’s pretty fucking good.”
“Holy shit,” Em exclaims, eyes wide with surprise when we’re greeted with piles of money. Still in surprisingly good condition considering. “That’s a shit ton of money.”
“It really is,” I agree, rubbing a thumb over my chin. I think of all the ways we’re going to have to clean it. They’re old bills but still legal tender.
Duke moves to the other side and opens it up. There’s the same amount in there.
“Best you tell the boys where the other compartment is darlin’.”
Em stares wide-eyed at me before she shows Maestro and Duke the other hiding places. At the end of the night, she’s got just over a million dollars from the hidden compartments in the Mustang. She’s reeling and trying to figure out where he got it.
I had my suspicions that he was doing side jobs and hoarding the money to get them away from the club, but then he’d been put in prison and the car put in the impound lot. It was just lucky that it had ended up in our scrapyard.
“What the hell are we going to do with all that money?” Em asks us, looking worried.
Maestro and I share a look. “We’ll clean it, darlin’ and then there are a couple of business propositions we can discuss. Unless you want to do something else with it?”
“Will whatever business you need it for benefit the club?” she wants to know, eyes darting between me and Maestro.
“It will,” he assures her. She nods.
“Okay, if you can get it clean because I’m not about to report us finding this and opening a whole can of worms that none of us need. The only other thing I want is to keep some to put aside for Poppy and Ford's college.”
Maestro’s gaze softens as he looks at her. “We’ve got that sorted, Em.”
“Then use some for a scholarship or something. It will make me feel better if it’s used for good,” Em says.
“We can do that, no problem.” Cash assures her with a smile.
She inhales a relieved breath and lets it out with a gusty sigh. “Guess he really did have a treasure hidden away. Stupid idiot.” She shakes her head before continuing, “If you are all good here, I’m going to head to bed.”
“We’re good Em,” Maestro assures her. “We’ll get together tomorrow and Dad and I’ll fill you in on the business we’re looking at.”
She beams a tired smile at him. “I look forward to it.”
“Come on Em,” I wrap an arm around her shoulders and turn us toward our home. “Let’s get you home.”
“You won’t hear me complaining,” she says, letting out a loud yawn. Looking at my watch, I’m surprised to see it’s gone one in the morning. No wonder we’re exhausted.
Tomorrow would come soon enough for us to make plans.
CHAPTER 11
EMILY
Yesterday had been an eventful day…scratch that; it had been an eventful few months. But I wouldn’t have it any other way. After years of existing, I felt like I was finally living.
It was still early and considering the early hours of the morning we’d gone to bed, we should still be sleeping. Instead we were lying here discussing what we’d found last night and enjoying an early mug of coffee.
Deck was running his hand up and down my back, and it was both soothing me and turning me on. I’d moved in the night towhat was fast becoming my favourite position. Not only was it comfortable but I liked to hear his heartbeat under my ear.
“What I don’t understand is why didn’t he tell me? He knew how much I’d struggled after he went down.”
Deck tilts his head to look down at me.
“My guess?”
I nod and tilt my head so that I can see his eyes. “He was protecting you. He knew that the car would be taken and if you’d been found with all that cash then it would have raised questions. He did the right thing…mostly. He still ran his mouth in prison and put you in danger and that pisses me off.”
