Page 6 of Master's Rise
Web smiles like it’s a done deal. “He hooked up some insurance guy and is running annuity death bonds or something. It’s legal but maybe not so moral and just so we can get the Club settled.”
“Shit, don’t explain it to him or we’ll be scraping for cash,” Raid tells him like I’m not sitting right here.
I elbow him and watch the screen. I’m not sure I want to know. Death bonds and insurance means you’re just waiting for people to die to collect. Annuity bonds means you can pull full payouts before the bond is settled. It sounds like a scam but I know Banks won’t go illegal. He has too much to lose.
“What’s that?” Raid points at a building. It’s probably the annex HP left.
“Old hospital. Closed eight years ago when the new one opened in the next town. A charter school had it inspected four years ago but it was more room than they could fill. No major issues listed on the inspection but they lowered the price after the school pulled out.” How the hell does he read all that so fast?
“Where is it?” Raid asks.
“By the lake.”
What? I watch the map and laugh. Raid looks at me as if I’m crazy. “My house is on the next road.”
He thinks I’m kidding. Web pulls satellite view up and smiles. “On the lake. Look at this, an old clinic or something.” He types and a large adobe styled building appears with stats on the side. “It’s a best-offer deal. If you want the Club separate, this will do it.”
My birthday just passed, but this feels like a present. “Get these up to Amos and Banks. Maybe they can work some magic from Colorado.” Keeping Club chicks out of our work area works for me.
Web thinks I’m crazy, or his look is saying it. “You want to look at other places first?”
“No. The Club and offices within a mile of my house works. I want them to make it happen.” Close, shielded and out of the way. I’m five minutes from the town center. Our new heart will serve us well.
“It’s like it was put there for us. At least it feels like it. I bet Brothers will find houses just as easily.”
Now that Web gives Raid ayou’re crazylook, I stand up feeling good about this. “Let’s get the rest of this shit done so I can deal with my house.”
“You got it, Boss.” Web makes me smile. His hands never stopped typing.
Getting my laptop off my desk and booted takes a minute. Running through files and matching Brothers to jobs is easier than I thought it would be. The questionnaire was a good idea. We finish when my stomach makes feed-me noises.
Hade follows us two towns over to the steak house. We get our Enforcers added and plan time tomorrow to get HR staffed. We have plenty from the old Club that followed but there are a lot of new names from other Clubs showing. I’m surprised and honored that they are, but wonder why they would. Raid isn’t worried. He’s got the backgrounds from the other Clubs and only a handful of those won’t make our work-force.
With that done, we ride across the lot to a furniture store.The authentically dressed cowboy has me worried until he shows me a good living room set. I follow him to dining room and bedroom sets, nodding automatically. Shopping is not my thing. Other than a box from Jules and one from my Dad’s house, I have no house decorations. The cowboy calls his son out and he eyes us curiously. “You’re Indian? Samoan?”
How the hell would he know that? I don’t look Samoan or Indian. “My father was, I’m mixed.”
He nods. “Norwegian. Your build and coloring are interesting but not unusual for this area. A lot of Irish is mixed with Samoan here too.” Cowboy Jr. looks right at Raid and I laugh.
“Do me.” Hade has us all laughing. “Nationality, assholes!”
“Cheyenne and French.” Jr. is good if a little odd with the spurs on his heels.
Personally, I think Hade has Samoan somewhere in his line, but he says no. He’s too tall for an Indian though. I put it aside and focus.“I need my house finished. I don’t shop and wouldn’t know how to match curtains to furniture.”
His hand goes up and I want to hit him. Raid holds my arm, calming me while the little runt corrects me. “Curtains don’t match furniture, but you don’t need to know that.” He opens a book and I see looks that I like. “I can bring accents out that match your furniture but I’d need to see the house to decorate.”
Raid steps in. I bet he thinks I still want to cold-cock our jingling little runt. “He has pictures.”
I hand him my phone with the house file open. “This is good. Can you send me the file and your budget?”
We settle the furniture and decorating shit and walk out with a promise for furniture delivery tomorrow and house shit by Friday. Today has been perfect.
“That was almost too easy. I need a house and I’m coming here too,” Raid says as he swings his leg over.
“What’s with the cowboy garb?”
Hade laughs. “They’re on the circuit and work the store when they’re home.”
“Bull riding?” Raid asks, getting a nod.
I guess everyone needs full-time work. Furniture is as good as any to supplement.
