Page 15 of Pain
"I was trying but you wouldn't stop talking." Xander stretched his arms over his head. "Damn comfortable recliner you have. I need to get one like it for my place."
Matt shook his head, confused by how casual Xander seemed to take everything. If he was the one who actually went after people, he had to have a more serious side than he'd shown so far. "That's a lot of money."
"It's a risky business." Xander smiled at him.
"And that is the reason you need to think all this over. Once you decide, then we can let you know more details, set you up somewhere safe to work from. Let your home be a safe place again."
"I can't work from home?" Matt wasn't sure he wanted to do this anywhere else.
"It's not recommended. We have a house we work from. It's secure, and you'll have me and two others working with you most days. Xander and the others come and go as needed. Staying here puts you in danger if you're compromised. Your home should be your safe place. The one place you don't have to be watching over your shoulder all the time." Carter stood.
"And if we find Faith?"
"She's our first priority. We drop everything else and we go get her," Xander promised.
"I need to think." Matt also stood, closing the distance between them before offering his hand first to Carter, then Xander. "Thank you."
"No, thank you. I'm sorry we're meeting under the conditions we are, but I'm glad we've met. If you choose to join us, your skills will really bring us a lot of help. Sadly, there's more work than most of us can handle."
Matt glanced at Xander. "Even for you?"
"Especially for me." Xander's steel blue eyes met his. "I hope you join us." He tapped Carter on the back. "Can I have that smoke now?"
"Go, I'll meet you outside." Carter rolled his eyes as he tossed the car keys at Xander. "Don't smoke in the car."
"Yes, Boss." Xander flipped him off again, but smiled to soften it as he nodded to Matt before heading out the door.
"Are the rest of the group like him?" Matt asked.
"Ha, no, Xander is one of a kind, but so are all the others. We're a very mixed group of people, but we are family and we take care of each other like family. If you join us, you won't ever want for anything. We take care of our own." Carter's expression softened. "I'm really sorry about your daughter. I can't even imagine what you must be going through. Even if you don't work with us, if you need anything, just someone to talk to or yell at, call me." He pulled a business card from his pocket. "You can also call if you make a decision before we get back with you."
"Thanks." Matt took the card, rubbing his thumb over the engraved lettering. "Thank you for everything."
"Good luck, Matt." Carter turned and started to walk out.
Matt cleared his throat. "Hey, Carter?"
The tall man turned around. "Yeah?"
"Am I still safe here? I mean, you found me." He needed to know he wasn't going to have anyone else showing up at his door.
"As far as I know you are. I wouldn't worry. Few are as good as I am, and most of them work for our side. If anything seems off or you don't feel safe, call and we'll be here right away."
"Thanks." Matt didn't take much comfort in that. If one person found him, another could.
"No problem. Talk to you soon." Carter headed out the door.
Matt didn't follow him. He heard the door click closed as he sat back down, trying to sort through everything he'd learned. There was a part of him that had wanted to agree to everything right off, but there was another part, the part that needed to get Faith home, that worried getting involved with all of this would make his search for his daughter harder.
Unsure what to do, Matt set the business card on the desk to deal with later. Right now, he had a daughter to search for and bring home.
CHAPTER SEVEN
"Wake your ass up!"
The sound of Dyson's voice calling for him was the last thing Xander wanted to wake up to. He rolled out of bed, pulling his sweatpants on as he stumbled to the front door. He flipped the lock open and didn't even bother to open the door before turning back toward the kitchen. "What the fuck do you want?"
"Nothing. Figured I'd just come over, wake your ass up for the hell of it, and see how pissed I can get you," Dyson said as he let himself in.
