Total pages in book: 69
Estimated words: 68892 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 344(@200wpm)___ 276(@250wpm)___ 230(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 68892 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 344(@200wpm)___ 276(@250wpm)___ 230(@300wpm)
Each man nodded.
“I have a few businesses that you can choose from,” I said to the men. “I own a strip club that’s newly opened outside of Kilgore city limits. For that place, I’m in need of a bouncer that’ll work the door, but also be my eyes and ears at the club. A manager when Bruno nor I can be at the club. That one is about forty-five minutes from here. I own a bar that’s right off the lake. I’m in need of a bartender/manager there unless you want to straight up buy it from me. I also own a private investigation firm that’s missing a couple of private investigators. Now, I have a couple of suggestions where I think you all would fit, if you choose to work for me.” I paused and set my eyes on Hunt and then Zach. “You two, I have need of your services full-time. Both jobs will appear to be legit, you’ll get a tax return, you just won’t be doing the actual job that the IRS thinks that you do.”
Both men nodded, not saying a word.
“You can all work the rest out amongst yourselves. I’ll be happy either way it goes.” I murmured, then turned to Trouper. “I might need you to fly to shit places. That okay with you?”
Troup’s eyes lit up like the Fourth of July.
“Yes,” he said.
Outwardly he appeared calm, but you could tell with just one look that he really liked the idea of flying something. Anything.
I knew he would.
“I don’t want to treat y’all like prisoners,” I said. “I want you to live your life. I know y’all are good men. I know that you’re tired of being locked up for shit that should’ve been taken care of through other means. But I need you to keep your noses clean. I can clean up some messes but getting yourself on national news is going to make it hard to do that.” I crossed my arms. “I have your parole officer advised of things. He won’t expect you to check in, but he is going to know where you all are. Most of you got out on ‘good behavior’ thanks to the strings I was able to pull. Don’t think that they won’t put you back in there. I might not be able to get those strings pulled a second time. Not if I want to keep this operation anonymous.”
All of them nodded.
It was Trouper who spoke up.
“I want to spend some time with my woman,” he said. “I’m tired of not being able to live with my family.”
My lips twitched. “I already told you I wanted you to live your lives. You’re not my slaves. I just need help. And what better way to get that than by the people I know that will do the wrong/right thing, even if it takes them away from who they love?”
Trouper looked taken aback.
“You don’t care?” he asked. “That I almost killed someone?”
I tilted my head slightly. “You don’t care that I have killed multiple someones?”
Trouper’s lips twitched.
“Hey, Woody!” I heard my woman call. “I’m fuckin’ starving. What the hells bells is taking so…” She trailed off as she finally made her way into the room. “Oh.” She blinked when she saw the room full of men. “This the new team of badasses?”
None of them cracked even a small smile.
She moved closer to me almost automatically.
“This is them,” I confirmed. “Patrick is in the corner on the left. Standing up behind him is Hunt. Laric you know. Bruno you know. Absinthe—Sin—is at the opposite side of the room in the corner. Zach is closest to you. Trouper is the one with the scar nearest to you leaning against the wall.”
Six waved at them all shyly.
“I’m just gonna go…” she said as she darted out of the room.
“She’s cute,” Hunt said. “She looks familiar.”
“You met her during school. We all went to the same middle school,” Bruno offered.
Hunt nodded his head in understanding. “I think we sat at the same loner tables a time or two.”
“We did,” Bruno confirmed.
“If you so much as hurt her, I’ll kill you.”
We all blinked at Laric’s words.
And they weren’t directed at any of the men that I’d just gotten extracted from prison. They were directed toward me.
“Okay,” I said. “But I hope I never give you reason to think that I hurt her.”
Laric nodded once, and that was the end of that.
“What’s first on the agenda?” Sin asked as he leaned back in his chair. His strong arms crossed over his black t-shirt-covered chest.
“That would be finding my stepfather,” Bruno said. “Which is what I’m currently trying to do.”
“Why can’t you find him?” Trouper asked.
“Because he’s a slimy weasel that hides when the going gets tough.” Bruno paused. “Or when he knows that I’m looking for him.”