Page 16 of Royal's Reign
“Thank you, sweetheart,” I flick the opener around until I’m holding the blade between my fingers and offer up the handle to her. “Now be a darlin’, and give him a call. Tell him the president of the Saint’s Outlaws would like a quick word with him.”
The call is made, and within a couple of minutes, a dude who must be six foot five, solid build, dressed in a gray three-piece suit and pink tie comes and stands in front of me. His skin is dark, eyes the deepest brown that stay firmly focused on me but are well aware of the two enormous men standing at my back.
“Nice to meet you, Royal,” he greats, hand held out towards me. I hesitate for a moment, a little stunned by the fact that he knows me by name.
“You seem to have me at an advantage,” I take his hand in mine. “You know who I am, but I have no idea who you are.”
“Rikki, but most people call me Mister T.” The fabric wrapped around his upper arm strains when he flexes his biceps while shaking my hand.
“I can see the resemblance,” I nod in acknowledgment of the shaven sides of his head, wide strip of dark fuzzy hair that runs down the center. The thick beard and ‘tash that continue up his cheek with a band running above his ear and beyond. “And you know me how?”
“Nytro.” He names a brother. “I’ve known him for years. Not seen him for a while. We kind of lost touch not long after we both left the military, and with him being in the club and all. You know how it is, but I still keep my ear to the ground, see how my old army buddy is getting on in life.”
“Surprised you didn’t follow him into club life if you were such good buddies.”
“Yeah, well, that wasn’t happening. Wrong skin color for a start.” His demeanour shows that he’s not holding the slightest bit of resentment about this, but to be honest. It kind of pisses me off.
“Times have changed, certainly has in my club. If you ever change your mind, we’re always willing toconsider new members. If you’re anything like Nytro, you’d be an asset to us.”
“No offense, but I’ll rather stick with the quiet life and the regular pay check.”
“It’s your choice, buddy, but if you ever fancy a change of pace, you seek me out.” This man is quality, exactly what any MC would need. Looks hard as fuck, but has a sensible, softer side too. “Now, this is the reason I’m here.”
I explain that I want to implant Manny and Frank into the building. Monday to Friday, nine to five as bodyguards, security, whatever you want to call it, but purely for Giorgia. They will accompany her to and from the office. One will constantly be within reaching distance throughout the day. The other will be staying in the reception area. All I ask is that they are made aware of anyone coming into the building who isn’t an employee of the company. Anyone who isn’t on the company payroll. That means couriers, outside business associates, and all that will access the level that Gio is working on.
Rikki agrees in principle but will still have to sell the idea to his superiors but is confident that he won’t have an issue as they work for a legitimate security company. If they had been Saints, then that might have been a different story.
“When do you want to start?” he asks after I introduce Manny and Frank to him officially and they all greet each other.
“Well, it’s nearly the end of the working week. Soprovided Miss Moore gets the go-ahead from her boss to return, then shall we say Monday?”
“Sounds good to me.” Rikki gets his cell phone out of his pocket. “Let’s swap numbers in case we have a situation. Hopefully not, but I’m sure you’ll want to be informed if any do come on the radar.”
“Sure. Contacting these guys is fine. If you need me, just send a single-word text, and then I’ll ring you back on a secure line.” He raises an eyebrow at me. “Sorry, but that’s the way it has to be. I can’t risk being compromised by some asshole tapping into my calls. I go through burners like a rugrat goes through diapers.”
With that, we take our leave. Grinder has his back to us while he paces the sidewalk, waiting impatiently for our return. As soon as he sees us, he quickens his step.
“Everything in place?” he asks. He’s as eager as I am to get his sister out of the clubhouse, even if it is only for the time she’d be working. It will give us both some space and a chance to breathe, especially if we know she’s got two very capable men giving her close protection.
“It’s all good.” Grinder smiles and gives me a firm slap on the back as we walk back towards our rides. “Roll on fucking Monday,” I snigger before slinging my leg over the seat, kicking off the stand and firing up the engine.
Chapter
Six
Royal
Hallelujah! Monday is good, but I still had a nervous gut, worried that I should have done more to ensure Gio’s safety. On Tuesday, I relax a little. Wednesday, I feel like I can breathe. I can’t deny that I miss her at times, but soon slap that shit out of me.
It seems to be doing Gio the world of good too, by the way she comes flouncing in at the end of the day, tired but exhilarated. She’s got some of her freedom back, normality, that she’s been missing in her day-to-day life. Sure, she grumbles about having two men shadow her every move, but Grinder has come down hard on her, affirming that it’s our way or back to total lockdown. We boththankour lucky stars she’s finally accepted the new setup.
It’s Friday afternoon and I’m taking my last chance to watch one of my favorite films, The Blues Brothers. It might be old, but it’s a classic. I’m not usually into movies where they break out into song, but this is different. The music is awesome, and the car chase, albeit implausible, is incredibly entertaining.
Jake has just kissed the face of the mystery woman played by Carrie Fisher and dropped her to the floor, when the door to my apartment flies open, and in walks Gio.
‘Take it easy’ Elwood’s voice filters from the TV. I know without even looking that they walk away, leaving the women behind in the mud.
“Fuck!” I grit out at being disturbed mid-movie, not loud enough for Gio to hear. “You’re home early.”
