Total pages in book: 82
Estimated words: 78237 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 391(@200wpm)___ 313(@250wpm)___ 261(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 78237 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 391(@200wpm)___ 313(@250wpm)___ 261(@300wpm)
My heart goes out to Maven. She seems torn up by it all, and now she has to answer questions about a shock she never saw coming.
Ace nods. “Did he ever mention anything to you about hackers?”
“Computer hackers? No, he doesn’t even like to use his phone to make payments when we go out.” She lets out a bitter laugh. “He talked about work a little but only about the change in commission fees and who he beat out at work. Nothing about bikers. That would have set off alarm bells for me.”
Ace strokes his chin and nods. “Anything you notice about his demeanor before Nogales came into your shop?”
“He’d been a little on edge lately, but until those bikers came in, I thought it was about work. His actual day job, not some biker gang shit.”
Ace’s lips twitch. “All right. Has he ever mentioned any names to you? Friends or family or coworkers?”
“None,” she sighs and drops her head forward. “Which, now that I think about it, is a pretty big sign that things weren’t as on the up and up as I thought.” She palms her face with a growl. “I’m such a fucking idiot.”
Ace sighs, and to an outsider, it might look like an annoyance, but it’s helplessness. Our Prez can handle a lot of shit, but dealing with emotional women isn’t his comfort zone.
“You’re not an idiot. He let you see what he wanted you to see. That’s not your fault.”
“It is, and it’s fine. It’s a mistake I damn sure won’t make again.” She crosses her arms at her waist and leans forward. “Anything else? I really just want to go home now, please.”
So much for playing nice. She’s not going to like the next part of what Ace has to say.
“Going home isn’t a possibility right now. Sorry,” he says in a tone that doesn’t sound like he’s sorry at all.
“What?” Her gaze swings to mine. “You said to tell you what I know, and I did, so now it’s time to go home.” She turns back to Ace. “What about work? I need to work. It’s my business and my responsibility.”
Ace sighs. “You can go back to the bakery, but only in the daytime and only with surveillance and protection. You’ll need to close early for the foreseeable future.”
“What?” The question comes out on a shriek of outrage and disbelief. “That is unacceptable, totally fucking unacceptable, Ace. I’m sorry, but what good is a business that’s failing?”
Ace stands and leans against the wall, his gaze fully focused on Maven. “Wilder says Cyrus saw you with Wilder, and he didn’t like it. You think you’ll be safe without us?”
Maven is stubborn as hell, and with every passing second, her confidence grows. “I think you’re the reason I’m not safe in the first place, so why should I trust anything you say?”
I step between her and Ace. “What other choice do you have?”
“I could take my chances.”
“Stubborn woman,” I mumble. “You can, but would you really rather die just to spite us?”
“Oh, Jesus. Seriously? I want to run my business without interference from a biker gang. I want to go back to my life, where my biggest worry was what the day’s special would be. Not…this bullshit.”
“I get it, but, Maven, this is about keeping you and Willow safe. And your business.”
“Fine,” she growls and holds her hand out. “Whatever. Just give me my phone, so I can call Willow.”
“So, you agree?” Ace asks for confirmation.
“Reluctantly, but yeah, I agree to your terms. My only caveat is that Wilder be the one to protect my shop. I already know and trust him more than I trust the rest of you. No offense.”
“None taken,” Ace says with a smile.
“My phone?”
“Only Willow,” he growls. “Shit is about to hit the fucking fan, and I don’t want either of you to get hurt. Call your employee and no one else, got it?”
“What about my parents? If I go a couple more days without calling them, they’ll start to worry and call Angel Harbor PD about a welfare check.”
I smile. Of course, she still talks to her parents weekly. Maven is a feisty one, but she’s also got “good girl” written all over her.
“Let’s just see how it goes for the next few days, okay?” Ace sighs and rakes a hand through his hair. The stress is getting to him. “I’ll talk to you later.”
Maven nods, and when we’re alone again, I close the distance between her and grip her shoulders. “I’ll keep you safe and make sure your shop doesn’t end up as collateral damage in this war.”
“War? As in war war? I mean, you just mean you guys are gonna like fight, right?”
I smile and wrap an arm around her. “Sure, Maven, that’s exactly what I mean.”
But we both know that it's going to be much more than just a fight. And I have a feeling that Maven is going to be right in the middle of it. Whether she likes it or not.