Stealing a soft kiss, Mozzi let his hand slid to her waist and rest there before pulling back.
“Blackmoor Industries is our family business. We all hold some kind of stock and position. Kong, Audiemar, and Desiree pretty much run things. We make the big decisions collectively, though. Beyond that, it’s some Robin Hood shit. If it’s expensive and seemingly impossible to take, we figure out a way to do itanyway. It started when we were young. Art galleries, different museums, jewelry stores. I play a key role in dismantling security systems.”
“Like a hacker?” Coast queried.
“Yeah.”
“That explains all the video games,” she muttered, which made him chuckle. “How did you start doing that?”
“I was a kid, always infatuated with the how behind things working. I read all the technology books, spent hours at the library or our computer room at Haven House.”
Fascination carved into Coast’s face. She’d never met anybody like Mozzi. His intelligence mixed with his brashness was both sexy and intriguing. A half smile toyed at her lips, and she reached out to tug on his beard.
“What was the first thing you ever hacked into?”
“The security system at Haven House. Some of the older boys wanted to sneak out and go to some party they heard about at school. Some of them got stipends from working and helping Bee and Iggy out, so they paid me.”
“You knew Uncle Iggy?” Coast’s eyes glistened.
“Man, Iggy was one of the most solid, coolest OGs I knew.”
“Yeah. That was one thing I missed most when I came back here a year ago. That gold toothed smile, his laugh, and the way he could simplify the most difficult situations.” Coast smiled at the memory of him. “Even when I used to be out traveling the world, he would call and check on me. I’d be on some beach, or in a cafe in London, but he’d call. Sometimes I wasn’t able to talk, but he’d leave a message.”
“You and Bee wasn’t tight like that?” Mozzi questioned.
“Nah. It’s funny because I used to wonder how they were even married given how opposite they were. She’s up tight, a do-gooder, selfless as hell… Iggy was impulsive, he thought outside the box, and he didn’t play by the rules.”
“Tell me about it. The night I did that, shut down their entire security system for like five minutes, that was the night they called Audiemar. He walked into that common room, big as a giant as far as I could tell. I never really had heroes. Not Batman, Spiderman, none of that shit… but him… I thought he was one of the greatest. He walked in, smelling like power. He’d taken over Blackmoor Industries not long before that, so he was nowhere near as big as he is now, but I could tell he always knew he was that dude. Iggy told him if I was doing shit like that at that age, there had to be a place for me in Audiemar’s world.”
“So, you’re a thief?” Coast mocked.
Swiping his hand down his face, Mozzi paused.
“I don’t take anything from anyone who doesn’t deserve it.”
“Yeah, that wasn’t an answer, but okay.” Coast shifted in his arms, but Mozzi pulled her back in.
“I don’t ever want to put you in a position where you know too much and can get caught up, Trouble.” He brought his hand against the lower, hardened part of her belly. “I’ll disclose shit on a need to know basis, and this shit right here you don’t need to know. I can assure you that whoever did this to us won’t live to do it again.”
After freshening up, brushing their teeth and washing their faces again, Mozzi and Coast headed downstairs. He did have a surprise for her before he headed out to the farm and was anxious to see her reaction. Coming down the stairs with Coast behind him, he found it crazy how the house sounded like it did when Jane was alive. It didn’t happen overnight, but once they became a family, there was laughter, jokes, and music playing all the time. She loved to dance and sing in the kitchen while cooking, and often, her boys, as she would call them, joined her. Moose would sketch with Kong since they both like creating things, while Mozzi typically had his face in a screen.
“Damn, something smells good.” Coast’s stomach rumbled, sailing into the kitchen with Mozzi at her side.
Ayla stood at the island, apron tied around her, and Inari sat on the opposite side, tipping a glass of wine to her lips to finish off. Ayla’s glass was nearly gone, and they were on their second bottle. Two whole roasted chickens were arranged on trays, and Coast salivated while Ayla whipped the mashed potatoes.
“Hey! You two must have been tired. Dinner is pretty much done. I was going to call the kids down soon, but Audiemar called and said he was on his way back and so is Kong with Nayelli.”
“Say what?” Mozzi frowned. “The fuck she coming here for?” He walked over to the fridge to grab a bottle of water.
Ayla and Inari locked eyes across the counter, and Coast slid up to join them.
“Um, I don’t know. I guess Audiemar invited her to stay here since Dr. Roche is already making house calls for you two. I think he’s just trying to compensate Phoebe,” Ayla surmised.
“With her manipulative ass.” Shaking his head, Mozzi paused behind Coast and twisted the cap off his bottle. “Welp, Trouble, looks like we’ll be leaving sooner than I anticipated.”
“Wait, so you don’t like this Nayelli?” Inari questioned.
“That bitch been sniffing around Kong since high school, and you can’t tell me Phoebe ain’t the reason behind her delusions. Those are two peas in a crazy ass pod if you ask me. I try to keep the peace for Audiemar and Kong, and Jane used to constantly check me on how I treated them because Phoebe was her friend. Me, personally, I think that shit was one-sided. Jane was good to people, but she didn’t always get that in return. As far as I’m concerned, Phoebe was envious, always throwing shots at Jane because she was modest, and Phoebe felt like Jane wasn’t getting all she could out of Audiemar. For her, it was about the status and clout.”
