Total pages in book: 49
Estimated words: 45131 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 226(@200wpm)___ 181(@250wpm)___ 150(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 45131 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 226(@200wpm)___ 181(@250wpm)___ 150(@300wpm)
Ace snorted softly, shaking his head as he flipped through a file on the conference table. “I don’t know what’s scarier—the idea of Blaze writing poetry or Rebel actually knowing what poetry is.”
Wizard didn’t look up from the tablet he had balanced on his thighs, his voice flat and bored as usual. “Pretty sure Blaze’s poetry would consist of two words: fuck off.”
Blaze chuckled, his eyes gleaming with amusement. “Hell, Wizard, that’s my everyday greeting just for you.”
Kevlar cracked a dry smile, glancing at our treasurer. “Still better than the love notes Ace scribbles all over his precious account books.”
Ace lifted his head slowly, the corner of his mouth curving into a dangerous smirk. “Jealousy isn’t a good look, Kev. If you wanted a poem too, all you had to do was ask.”
King cut in smoothly before Kevlar could respond, his voice cool and firm. “Enough bullshit. Cross, fill Rebel in.”
Cross pushed off from the wall, stepping forward and shifting his stance slightly. He crossed his muscular arms over his chest, his voice deep and serious as his expression shifted back into business mode. “Had a customer at the garage today, a local real estate agent who brought his bike in for a tune-up. When I finished up, he pulled me aside and told me about an abandoned industrial site in Cedar Hills that was sold to a private security training company recently.”
My spine straightened, my attention fully snagged. That had bullshit written all over it. A company like that, choosing property on the outskirts of Riverstone? It raised every damn red flag in my head. “We know anything else?”
Cross pulled a thick file folder off King’s desk and handed it over to me. I flipped it open, skimming the pages while he continued. “Just the basics. But the real estate agent said something about it rubbed him the wrong way. The guy didn’t handle the sale himself, but he did some digging, and he passed along the details.”
Kevlar shifted his weight slightly, his mouth curved into a thoughtful frown. “Could be legit. Could be a clusterfuck waiting to happen.”
I nodded, taking in the photos and documents in the file. Cedar Hills was barely a stone’s throw from Riverstone. Firmly within our territory, even if it wasn’t technically inside the municipal lines. Our influence extended past official borders, and everyone in the area knew damn well that anything suspicious came to us first.
King’s voice was low as he picked up the explanation. “Whatever they’re doing out there, they kept it quiet enough to avoid notice until now. But it still caught local attention, which means something’s off. Could be nothing, or it could be a situation we need to shut down before it becomes a real problem.”
Wizard glanced up from his tablet, his eyes narrowed thoughtfully. “We don’t need any bullshit like that operating unchecked so close to home. Especially not if it’s shady enough to raise red flags for locals who usually mind their own business.”
Ace leaned over his shoulder to scrutinize something on the screen. Wizard tried to shrug him off, but Ace just pressed in closer, his eyes narrowed as he tried to focus on the tablet.
“I suggest you stop trying to cuddle with me, asshole.”
“Fuck off,” Ace grumbled as he rolled his eyes. “Just want to look—” He reached for the tablet, and everyone held their breath. Touching Wizard’s shit without permission was practically like waving a red flag at a bull.
Wizard jumped to his feet, pressing the device close to his chest as he snarled, “Best watch your sticky hands, Ace. I’d hate to make Poppy a widow before you’re even married.”
Ace glanced at King who shook his head with a “you’re on your own” expression.
Wizard looked practically homicidal. “Prez ain’t gonna keep saving your ass if you keep doing the same stupid shit.”
King had talked Wizard off the ledge a few times before when Ace had overstepped Wizard’s boundary. In the past, whatever Ace ended up showing Wizard after manhandling the tech genius’s electronics had helped soothe his ire. But being right would only get Ace so far for so long.
Ace arched a brow and leaned back against the couch, crossing his arms over his chest. “I’m the fucking money guy, brother. Nobody is gonna put my ass in the ground.”
Wizard growled, and a wicked smile spread across his face. “You don’t need your balls to crunch numbers.”
“Like Poppy would let you anywhere near my balls,” Ace scoffed.
Wizard opened his mouth, then snapped it shut—the wind clearly taken from his sails because the asshole had a point. Pissing off one of the old ladies was a very bad idea.
My jaw tightened slightly as I closed the file and dropped it onto King’s desk. “I’ll head out there tomorrow and take a look around. I’ll clock the security and see if I can cobble together an idea of what their system looks like.”