Page 22 of Drifter
“Gotta go to the shop this morning to finish a job for a client. He’s picking up his bike tomorrow, and I’m making some last-minute adjustments.” Lee’s with you today, and War will be arriving sometime this morning. He’s not much of a talker, sunshine, but I’m sure he’ll appreciate fresh coffee if you have the time. He’s here to keep you safe, and when he gets into a job, he becomes pretty focused, so don’t get offended if he isn’t into chatting.”
“I have a ton of reading to do for this new project I’m on. Not to worry, though, coffee and muffins will be plentiful for War and Lee,” I return with a grin.
“Another thing, sunshine. I’m meeting your brother at noon. Not going to lie to you, this meeting is hopefully to form a plan to take your father down. I’ve got a gut feeling that he’s into nasty shit, and I don’t like that he’s dragging you and Simon into his plans. I’ll have more information when Orion and Wildcard get back to me. They’re in the Pride like War. Good, solid men. Orion is a master when it comes to technology. Best damn dark internet hacker there is. Orion says that if there’s even a crumb left behind, he’ll find it, and the man’s always been true to his word,” he says, then adds, “Not sure how you feel about this, but if you want to come to the meeting, I’ll swing by and pick you up.”
“I want to be there. This involves me too. I can drive over to the shop and save you some time.”
“Lee will bring you over. War will keep working, and when we’re done with your brother, I’ll help War finish up so he can get an early start for home in the morning. The man doesn’t like being away from his family for long,” he says.
“You make him sound pretty scary.” I grin. “His wife must be some woman.”
“She’s Maddie from the Smoking Guns. One of the sweetest women you’ll ever meet. She’s nothing like War, but they make it work and are so mad about each other, it’s ridiculous.” He laughs.
I cover my hand with his. “I’m mad about you. Does that make me ridiculous?”
“Nah, babe. That makes me the luckiest man alive.” He lifts my fingers to his lips and kisses my hand.
Not long after our chat, Lee arrives, and Drifter heads out. Lee eyes the donuts sitting on the counter, licking his lips.
“Go on. They’re all yours,” I tease.
I stick to my morning routine and settle into my yoga exercises, then sit at my desk, poring over the documents emailed to me by the Mirac Corporation. It’ll take hours to go through it all, but I’m lucky that I don’t officially start programming for a week. That will give me plenty of time to get caught up. A knock on the door pulls me away from the words on the screen and the countless notes I’m making with questions I feel are necessary to make sure we’re on the right path.
Lee has already answered the door, and the largest man I’ve ever seen is standing in my entryway. Drifter is close to this man’s height, but War is even broader in the shoulders and chest, making him a giant of a man.
“Hey,” the big man says.
I give a little wave. “Uh, hey. You must be War.”
“I must be.” He grins, but that doesn’t make him any less scary. “Going to stay out of your way, but I’m going to need to get into your office at some point. You’ve got a decent system, but it’s not good enough. Drifter said maximum security.”
Yup, a man who is direct and to the point. I figure I’ll be straight up too. “I love the Smoking Guns. I know every song by heart. Maddie is sublime to listen to. I hate to be a nuisance, but seeing that you have an in with Maddie, do you think you could get her to sign one of my albums? Yes, I buy albums because retro is the way to go, and I like the sound of vinyl.”
War bursts out laughing. “She’s got a new one coming out. Expect a signed copy. Lucien Bardon’s on it too. He’s a brother. I’ll get him to sign it too.”
I know it’s dorky, but I can’t help myself and do a little happy dance. War laughs louder, shaking his head.
“Coffee’s coming up, big guy.” With a little skip to my step, I trot to the kitchen and set about getting War a mug and putting out the muffins for him and Lee to nibble on.
War gets right to work, and that’s my cue to do the same. It’s not until Lee pops his head into the den and tells me it’s time to go that I realize that hours have gone by. I get that way when I’m working, totally losing myself in the intricacies of the project.
As we drive off, War gives us a two-finger salute. Lee insists we take his SUV and delivers me safely to the shop, where Etain is waiting for me. Hawk and Etain will join us when we meet up with Simon.
Drifter and Hawk come to meet us, their expressions serious and unyielding. I want to ask, but I have a feeling this isn’t the time for sharing.
Drifter
I was admiring my handiwork on the bike I was working on when Hawk came around and asked me to follow him into his private office at the club. Moving to Hawk’s office means it’s serious business.
“Got a text from Guard. Orion’s got news to share, and he wants us to call ASAP.” Without delay, Hawk pulled out one of our burner phones and put it on speaker. A secure, untraceable connection solidifies the severity of the situation.
“Hello, Hawk?” Guard’s voice asked.
“Yeah, and Drifter’s with me. You said untraceable, and here we are,” Hawk replied.
“Right. Orion’s in the other room. Let me get him,” was his response. We wait for what seems like eternity, but I’m sure it wasn’t more than a minute or two. “We’re back.”
“We’re listening,” I said.
