Chapter 8
CHAPTER EIGHT
“ M oon! Did you hear what I just said?”
Moon jumped at Viper’s yell. “I heard.”
Viper folded his arms over his chest. “Then what did I just say?”
Moon gave the brothers sitting in the den a look, hoping one of them would divert Viper’s attention from him.
“Brother, you’re on your own,” Rider mumbled out of the corner of his mouth.
Clueless as to what Viper had been saying, Moon decided to wing it. “What? Are we in sixth grade again? Why don’t you ask Rider if he was listening?” If the brother didn’t want to help him out, then Moon had no compunction about throwing him under the bus.
At his flippant reply, Viper strode forward to where he was sitting on the couch and stared down at him imposingly. Moon was perceptive enough to know he was about rip him a new one.
“Maybe because Rider doesn’t know the answer to the question I asked you .”
“Sorry, Viper, I must have tuned out for a second. What did you ask?”
Viper wasn’t mollified, but he did step back. “I asked you if you finished with the inventory at the factory.”
“Almost. All I lack is the refrigerated section.”
“Fuck. Shade’s waiting for the numbers so we can compare to last month’s figures. What’s the holdup?”
Moon sat up from his relaxed position on the couch. “It’s taking so long because those seed packets are a bitch to count. I’ve busted my balls for the last three days to get the inventory done for you. Sorry I decided to take a night off because all I could see was numbers when I closed my eyes.”
Moon expected Viper to have at him again, but he was too tired to give a damn. If Viper wanted to give the job to someone else to complete, he could. Shit, he didn’t need the money from the overtime pay that badly.
As the words floated through his mind, he remembered the promise he had made to Echo and knew he was fucked. He was going to need that overtime money when they came to him with their wish lists.
Viper began nodding toward Puck. “Puc—”
“I’ll have the figures to Shade by six,” Moon cut him off.
Viper turned back to him. “If not, Puck’s getting the job, and he’s going to get paid for doing the whole inventory.”
Moon clenched his jaw to keep from smarting off to Viper. Viper paid enough that the brothers competed with each other as to who would get first pick of either taking the overtime or turning it down. Doing the inventory was easy, and he had jumped at the chance when Viper had offered it to him. He had to get his mind back on track and put last night on the back burner.
“I’ll get it done.”
Viper gave him a curt nod before he continued with club business. “When Shade has the numbers, we’ll be able to compare them to the ones Wizard sent over and see if any of the changes we implemented have made a difference in the losses we’ve been experiencing the last four months.”
Moon met Viper’s eyes. “I told you what I think.”
“I know what you think—the losses are coming in transit. But the drivers have cameras mounted in their vehicles, both in the cab and cargo area. We have all looked at the footage. Unless you or anyone else is seeing something I’m not, then the losses have to be coming from the factories. Have you?”
“No.” Moon shook his head. “It’s a gut feeling.”
Viper didn’t dismiss the way he felt. Frowning, he rubbed his jaw, as if thinking, before he dropped his hand. “All right, then if the inventory comes back with another loss, we’ll continue monitoring the factories using monthly inventories, and we’ll give each delivery truck an escort of two brothers.”
The brothers all groaned.
Viper ignored them and continued, “The Ohio brothers won’t be pitching in to help with the delivery trucks from Ohio to here. I want to keep them in the dark as long as I can, other than Wizard, Puck and Jesus. He wants to wait and see which factory is losing more inventory.
Rider’s boot dropped from the coffee table it had been propped on. “That’s pretty damn convenient for him. We’ll be the ones having to make the rides. You want two of us to ride all the way to and from Ohio with each delivery?”
“For a month,” Viper confirmed.
“Damn. Why two escorts? One should be enough,” Rider argued. “What’s being stolen aren’t high-ticketed items.”
Viper’s expression became grim. “Because the amount of losses we’re experiencing has been increasing. Whoever is stealing from us is getting more confident. I’m not going to make the same mistake I made with Reaper. Each one of you will have backup, and you won’t know which one of you will be riding until Shade gives you the go.”
Reaper’s coffee cup hit the table. “That’s not going to work. I’ve got a wife who’s expecting and a kid I can’t leave at a moment’s notice.”
None of the brothers were happy about it, yet Reaper being Viper’s brother was the only one brave enough to speak up.
Viper wasn’t having it and gave Reaper a stone-faced expression. “You are the last person to complain. Ginny has seven brothers to stand in for you when you can’t be there. The rest of us aren’t as lucky. Everyone is going to pull their weight as escorts.”
“ Everyone ?” Razer asked.
“Everyone,” Viper stated. “That includes Knox, Drake, King, and me. Train, you and Killyama can follow along as escorts together in a vehicle if you want to include her.”
Train shook his head. “Sorry, count Killyama out. With her expecting, we’ve both agreed she’s going to stay close to Treepoint for the time being.”
“No more riding to Jamestown anytime one of the bitches calls?” Cash joked.
Train wasn’t amused. “I’m not worried about the bitches, but she can’t help inserting herself in one of Hammer and Jonas’ cases. The only riding I want her to do is on the keyboard. Killy’s going to work with them remotely while she finishes her degree.”
Cash raised a skeptical brow. “How’d you get her to agree to that?”
Train’s face went impassive. “None of your fucking business, but she agreed, and she’ll keep her word.”
“Good luck with that.” Cash still seemed unconvinced. “Killyama isn’t going to be able to resist running to Hammer and Jonas anytime they call any more than Rachel does when her family calls.”
Train’s expression didn’t change. “We’ll see.”
Cash just shook his head at Train. “Yes, you will.”
Moon watched the byplay between the two men. “You two crack me the fuck up.” He looked back at Viper. “Can we get back to the meeting? I’d rather be counting seed packets than listening to this. Where are the brothers I rode with who knew how to lay down the law on their women? You all just hand over your balls with those wedding rings? God Almighty, you don’t want them to do something? Fucking tell them. They don’t do it, divorce their ass. Move on. Simple. Problem solved. Can we move on, or are you going to be paying me that overtime, Viper, for the fucking time I’ve wasted listening to their horseshit?”
Viper’s lips curled in amusement. “Brother, when you can practice what you preach, we’ll take your advice. Until then, I wouldn’t be spreading those pearls of wisdom.”
Moon shrugged, uncaring if they took his advice or not. He would never find himself in their situation. “I’m just saying it like I see it. You’ll never hear me saying ‘we agreed.’ My word will go. If not, then she can.” Moon rose from the couch. “We done here?”
“We’re done.” Viper gave him a tight-lipped smile before gesturing to Shade and Rider to stay. “Train, I left my laptop on Jewell’s desk at the factory; do you mind getting it for me?”
“No problem.” Train walked out of the den with him as they headed to the factory.
“I’d be careful if I were you,” Train said as they went out the front door of the club.
Moon gave Train a sideways glance. “About what? You don’t want to take my advice about Killyama, then don’t. I could give a rat’s ass—”
“I’m not talking about your advice where our wives are concerned. You can’t keep track of what woman you fucked last night, much less maintain a relationship long enough to get married.”
Unwilling to show Train he had hit the mark dead center, Moon restrained himself from faceplanting the brother in the snowy mud. He needed to finish the inventory, not fight on the front lawn.
“I was talking about Viper. You’ve been pushing his buttons lately, and Wizard is just as fed up. They’re not going to keep giving you special treatment much longer. If you don’t chill, you’re going to find yourself without a club.”
He had been provoking both Viper and Wizard more than usual, despite telling himself to chill. He was unhappy with his personal life, and it was bleeding over to his club life. Last night wasn’t going to help, either.
With both Echo and Ember taken out of the equation, that only left Jade and Stori. Jewell had been with Rory. Or maybe she hadn’t? He would check with her first. If she got angry, she wouldn’t go for his wallet—she’d go after his ass.