“Pacino, any update on the SUV?” Jethro asks.
Shaking my head, I sigh. “Just a shit ton of shell companies. I’m about forty-three in, and I still have no fucking idea where it originated.”
“Mob,” Capone says. “No one else would go that far to hide a vehicle.”
That oneword says it’s the truth. If we’ve both come to the conclusion—with our histories—there’s no other option. “But which one?”
“That’s a you question, brother.”
I snort. “Phoebe’s not involved with the mob. Trust me. I looked into her. She’s remarkably unremarkable. There’s literally nothing that ties her to any nefarious businesses. And before anyone asks, there are no drugs. I fucking searched through her shit.”
“You did?” Zep asks, fighting his smile.
“Yeah, I needed to find out if there’s something altering her to be that fucking cheery. It’s… completely natural. Just the way she’s programmed.”
“Maybe it’s topical?” Kannon offers. “I mean, no one is that happy without some shit altering their brain.”
I shrug. I literally searched everything she has. “Nothing. I can’t figure it out, either.”
“Are you losing your mind?” Penn Calloway asks. “I mean, it’s gotta be hard being with someone literally the complete opposite of you.”
Narrowing my eyes, I turn in my seat to face him. “What does that mean?”
“Well, I just mean that she’s… you know… happy. And you’re… not.”
“I’m not happy?”
Everyone bursts out laughing, and even I have to crack a smile. No one would ever describe me as happy.
As annoyed as I come across, I can’t deny that it’s been nice having Phoebe at the house. More than that, I’ve heard her moans in the middle of the night, and I don’t think she realizesshe does that in her sleep. It’s helped me jack off to hear her most nights.
“It’s fine,” I say.
“I love the food, don’t get me wrong, but should we even be involved?” Rooster asks. “This isn’t really a club thing, is it?”
And there it is. I knew it’d come up eventually. “You guys don’t have to do anything if you don’t want to. She’s a client of mine, so—”
“We’ll handle it,” Jethro jumps in. “It’s club adjacent.”
He gives me a look that says something I don’t quite understand. Does he think there’s something more going on between Phoebe and me than there is? Just because I’ve never let a woman into my home before doesn’t mean we’re dating.
We just get off in separate rooms of the house. I can only hope she’s thinking of me as she does, same as I think of her as I do.
My phone rings, and I see Scotty’s name. “Yeah?”
“SUV’s back at the bakery. We got a bunch of kids inside here, Pacino,” Scotty’s voice comes through on speaker.
“Let’s go,” Jethro says, slamming the gavel on the table.
I lead the way to the bakery regardless of the proper formation. I just hope nothing has happened. Scotty’s taser won’t do much good to protect a room full of kids if there’s more than one person. Not to mention what Phoebe would likely do to protect everyone.
Pulling into the lot, the SUV peels away, and I notice the plate is different. Capone manages a photo on his phone, and I hope it captured the entire number. Maybe it’ll lead me to the owner this time.
“I got the kids out safely,” Scotty says, meeting me outside. “But Sarah’s freaking out. What the fuck is going on?”
“I don’t know,” I tell him with full honesty.
There is nothing I can find that would explain Phoebe being in danger. She’s clean. Cleaner than clean.
