Page 11 of Devil's Deal

“Guilty as charged.”

I held up a finger. “And Cameron is a partner now, too, right?” Glancing at the faces staring at me curiously, I said asked, “Is he here?”

“No.” Omar pointed at the chair to Christian’s left. “Have a seat.” Then he sat across from me. “Cameron worked all day, so he wanted to get home and spend some time with his boy.”

“Plus,” another man with thick black hair said. “They’re entertaining some of Indie’s friends, including my boy, Joey, and Chip.”

Staring at him, I snapped my fingers. “You must be Tucker.”

He nodded. “In the flesh.”

“And Chip works for you, correct?”

He smiled, nodding. “He sure does. He’s a great guy.”

“That he is. I’m so happy he made his way here,” I said sincerely. With my career, having a forever boy had never been in the cards for me, but Chip had been adorable, and I’d wanted the best for him.

“So am I,” a deep, gravelly voice said from behind me. Turning in my chair, I looked up, then up some more. “You must be Ollie.”

He stuck his hand down, and we shook. “I am. It’s nice to finally meet you.”

“Is it?” I asked suspiciously.

He chuckled, then took the seat next to me. “It is. Omar’s had nothing but positive things to say about you, and my chocolate Chip credits you with him giving me a chance.”

I hadn’t seen Chip since the weekend I met him all those years ago so that didn’t make sense to me. “How?”

“Being with you for that weekend gave Chip the confidence and motivation to find himself a full-time Daddy,” Omar said.

I thought of the pictures that piece of shit Harry had under his bed of Chip and those other young men and felt a fresh wave of rage through me. “It doesn’t sound like that worked out all that well. Didn’t you say that piece of shit he found abused him?”

Ollie growled low in his throat. No wonder this guy was the head bouncer here. He didn’t intimidate me, but I bet he scared the crap out of anyone he turned his anger on. “He did, but my boy’s memories of how well you treated him were enough for him to give me a chance, and I’d die for that man.”

“Good.” I clapped my hand on his shoulder. “I’m happy to hear it. He deserved that kind of protectiveness.”

Apparently, I’d kill for Chip, too, but that wasn’t because I loved him or anything so foolhardy as that. I rarely stepped outside of paying jobs, but when I’d heard what Harry had done to Chip, I’d known he deserved a visit from me sooner or later. It never paid to hurt someone I’d taken a personal interest in. “So that asshole’s never bothered Chip again, right?” I asked, like I didn’t already know the answer.

“No, thank goodness,” Tucker said. “We’ve never seen or heard from him again.”

The ease with which he said that answered my biggest fear about showing up here. It was a relief to know they hadn’t been checking in on Harry. Not that I thought Omar would’ve ever guessed that I’d been the one to slit the bastard’s throat, but still… It would’ve felt awkward sitting here with them while they talked about his case being an unsolved murder.

“So, how long are you in town?” Ollie asked. “Chip would really like to see you.”

Surprised, I whipped my head toward him. “Seriously? And you’re okay with that?”

All the men at the table chuckled. “Why wouldn’t he be?” Christian asked.

“They’re as solid as you get,” Omar added. “Sorry, my friend, but you’d be no competition for stealing Chip’s affection from Ollie.”

Tucker huffed. “That’s for sure. He’s head over heels for this big lug.”

I wasn’t sure I’d ever seen someone as big and tough looking as Ollie preen like a freaking peacock. It was hilarious. Apparently, he was just as smitten as Chip was, and that was all I wanted to know. “Yeah, we’re tight. I have no concerns that you’re going to try to run off with him or that he’d go if you did.”

Waving my hands in the air, I said, “Most certainly not. I’m not a commitment kind of guy.”

“That’s because you’re a workaholic,” Omar said. “Surely with all this consulting you do, you can stick around for a week or two. Hang out with us a little, take a breather, and get to know everyone.”

If this was anywhere but Takoda, I’d probably take him up on it. I had plenty of money to live out the rest of my days. But, alas, Takoda wasn’t a safe place for me to be. And I really didn’t want Omar, Nigel, or Chip to ever find out who I really was. “Ah, I get stir-crazy when I’m not working. If a job comes in, I’ve got to be ready to go.”

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