Chapter Six
Wolf didn’t like distractionswhen he worked, or anything that pulled his focus away from the task at hand.He used to conduct team meetings in private rooms, behind closed doors.He preferred a controlled environment.
Tonight however, he chose to have his team meeting at a table in the middle of the clubhouse floor so he could keep a close eye on Jade.There was no reason to, Jade wasn’t in any danger, but still, Wolf liked looking at her every now and then.
Music thumped low in the background, loud conversations and laughter mixed with the scent of alcohol and leather.Wolf tried to ignore the noise and focus on the meeting with his two teammates for the job, although it wasn’t easy.
“We hit the delivery at 9:00,” Rafe said, tapping a finger against the table in a steady rhythm.“Same route as last time.No surprises.”
“Driver?”Wolf asked.
“We’ll use Marco, same reliable guy we used before,” Rafe told him.
Wolf nodded once.“What about security in the area?”
“Light,” Briggs added.“It’s a small shipment.Nothing worth making noise over.”
The job was simple and easy, the sort Wolf preferred.There were no complications, or unnecessary risks.
“Timing stays tight,” Wolf said.“We don’t linger.We don’t improvise.If something feels off, we pull back and reassess.”
Rafe nodded.Briggs seemed to be in agreement, but he looked distracted, which annoyed Wolf.Sure, the job was easy, but at the very least, Briggs should be paying attention.Briggs was looking around the room.
“You got that, Briggs?”Wolf had to ask, keeping the irritation out of his voice.
“Can you explain something to me?”Briggs asked.
Wolf didn’t look up from the mental map he was building.“Explain what?”Wolf asked.
Briggs gestured loosely around them.“This.We’ve got a perfectly good back room,” he continued.“Quiet.Private.No ears where they don’t belong.”
Wolf said nothing.
“Now?”Briggs went on, glancing toward the bar.“You’re running meetings out here all of a sudden.Why’s that?”
Rafe snorted softly under his breath but didn’t add anything.Wolf finally leaned back in his chair, moving his gaze past Rafe and Briggs, and zeroed in on Jade.
Jade moved through the room seamlessly with a tray balanced in one hand, the other steadying it as she weaved between tables.She’d learned fast and had adjusted quickly to her new environment.It had only taken her two weeks, and she looked like she belonged here.
Well, that wasn’t exactly true.He knew Jade still resented being here, but she’d proven time and time again she could hold her own.She didn’t invite trouble but didn’t run from it either.Now and then, he’d caught a glimpse of that familiar fire in her eyes, the defiance he’d glimpsed the first time he knocked on her apartment door.
Jade paused at a table, setting down drinks, her expression neutral, controlled.One of the men said something, Wolf couldn’t hear it over the noise, but she didn’t react beyond a short, clipped response.Jade appeared professional and yet distant, untouchable almost.That was how it needed to stay.
For a brief moment, her gaze met his, then she looked away, back to business.Wolf had insisted on escorting her back to her apartment after every shift.They even shared a couple more kisses, but it never strayed from that.
Wolf’s attention stayed on her a second longer than it should have.God knew he wanted more, to do dirty things to her that would make her scream out his name, but he held back, because that was the right thing to do.
