Chapter 7
SEVEN
THEA
Who knew a group of bikers would be so scared of a group of women?
By the time the day is halfway done, I’ve managed to get a feel of the security company. Eric is the jokester that keeps the place from feeling too boring and sterile; Shadow runs the show, and is the unofficial top dog around here that everyone defers to; Viper is the second in command, and he often defers to Shadow for larger decisions, but he’s also far more open and easygoing than Shadow. Bowie and Frost apparently work here too, though they aren’t in much, and from what I can see from the dust on their desks, they don’t do much around the office either; Hulk, who just showed up an hour ago is quiet, huge, but still friendly and welcomed me without so much as a blink in surprise.
Finally is Crypt, and he’s harder to read, but I think I’ve got him. He’s silent for the most part, working quietly on the computer, but from the constant breaks he takes from looking at the screen, and the pills he finally forced himself to take after a couple of hours, the man is either suffering from a hangover or a concussion. And from the concerned looks that a few have been giving him, I’d say it’s the former. When we met, he shook my hand, nodded at me, and then got to work without a word. There’s something about him that’s familiar, but I can’t place him. Shadow informs me he’s also former Special Forces, and he only got out a few months ago, so there’s a chance we’ve crossed paths.
Overall, the mood in the building is a positive one, and no one has said anything about my little confrontation with Sniper this morning. Not even Shadow or Viper, who both gave me curious looks when I came back in, but thankfully they let it be.
Most of the morning was getting my desk set up and getting onboarded with training videos and paperwork. It’s tedious, but expected. Once I’m finished, I glance around and see Theo is doing the same, though he’s a bit slower at it than I am. Which isn’t surprising since Theo’s never been one for computer work. He’s always been one for action.
Shadow and Viper also gave me a quick tour of the building, and I’m surprised they’ve been able to get so much in here. The lower level is a fully decked out gym and sparring area, with the main level being offices, conference room, washrooms, and kitchen complete with a large dining table, fridge and stove. Though from the look of the plastic still on the stovetop, I’d say that no one has ever used it. The top floor has a large work space with a huge computer setup for someone named Cryos, though apparently he doesn’t use it often, and a cool arcade and relaxation kind of space.
Honestly, I’ve never seen anything like it. There are a couple of leather recliners, one decently-sized leather sectional that faces a large screen TV, and a mixture of different arcade games that range from new to classic. There’s also a corner set up with a toy box and small table for kids to hang out. Which makes sense since I met Shadow’s girlfriend and daughter this morning.
I immediately liked Quinn, who was sweet and shy but also very warm and welcoming. And Macy, well, that little girl has her daddy on his toes. Especially after she found out that I am working for her father, her green eyes went wide and she asked, “Do you know how to break out of handcuffs? Daddy says that I’m not allowed to learn, but Uncle Viper says I’ll probably need the skills when I’m older.”
It took everything not to laugh, especially when Shadow’s eyes closed and he looked like he was trying to draw on every ounce of patience he had. Quinn just grinned, clearly accepting her daughter is going to be a terror when she’s older. “I might be able to help you out with that,” I told her. “But only when you’re older,” I added with a wink when Shadow glared at me. Thankfully, Macy accepted that and left with her mother while calling out a goodbye to everyone and high-fiving Eric as she went.
That little girl is going to be a heartbreaker, and I can already tell she has the men around here wrapped around her little finger.
The sound of a woman’s laughter pulls me out of my thoughts. I look over at the front desk and see a woman standing there talking to Eric, a huge grin on her face. She’s wearing a cut, so I have to assume she must be connected to the MC. I put her at five-seven, and her hair is a soft brown with hints of caramel and blonde that peek throughout. When I glance around, I see that most of the men have smiles on their faces, so she must be someone they admire and respect. Even Shadow and Viper come out of their offices to speak with her.
I turn away and get back to work on getting my desk set up the way I like it, but stop when I hear someone moving behind me. I turn and see the woman has made her way over, and give her a polite smile. “So you’re the one that sent Sniper off in a fit earlier,” she says with a grin, making me pause. Up close, she’s even more stunning than I thought. Her eyes are a caramel brown, and she doesn’t look a day over forty with how perfect her skin looks, though something tells me she’s older than that. “Tell me,” she continues as she leans in conspiratorially, “what’s the secret? Any time I try to rile him up, he mostly ignores me.”
I can’t help the wide smile that overtakes me. Oh, Sniper was in a fit? Isn’t that just perfect? “Probably has something to do with me calling him an old man and telling him he’s no longer my superior and has no say over my life. There were a few other things, but that was the gist of it,” I tell her.
“Wait, you called Sniper old?” Hulk asks suddenly, coming to stand beside her, a shocked look on his face. Then he chuckles. “Damn, wish I saw the look on his face when you did that.”
The woman gives me a thoughtful look and then snickers and says, “No wonder Shadow and Viper tried to ban me from the building today. I have a feeling you and I are going to be great friends, honey. I’m Rose, Bullet’s Old Lady.” She holds out her hand for me to shake.
I shake it. “I’m Thea. And why would they ban you from the building?” I can’t help but ask. Is that a common thing they do around here that they ban women from entering the building?
“Because we don’t need her recruiting you,” Shadow announces as he walks over. “And so you had a day to settle in before the women showed up here and overwhelmed you.” He gives Rose a pointed look, and she just gives him a sunny smile in return. “Surprised the rest of the Coven didn’t join you.”
It suddenly clicks in my head that this is the group that Eric told Theo about and who Bowie and Frost mentioned at the apartment last night. I grin and say, “I hope to meet them at some point. Been a long time since I’ve heard about a group of women striking such fear and respect in a man’s heart.” Rose laughs, while Shadow and Hulk just stare at me. “I almost want to see what the requirements are to join.”
“Jesus Christ,” Shadow groans.
Rose grins wickedly. “We’re a welcome to all kind of group,” she explains. “Most are Old Ladies, but we have a few honorary members who aren’t too. I’m sure we can find you a place.”
“You end up in jail, you’re paying your own bail,” Shadow warns me, before turning and stalking away.
I look at Rose questioningly, but she just shakes her head and says, “I’ll explain another time. I just stopped by to say hello and welcome. And get under Shadow’s skin a bit.”
Hulk snickers. “Rose, you do that by existing. He’s already ticked at you for telling Macy she needs to learn how to trick people, especially boys, and that she should impart those skills on her soon-to-be baby brothers or sisters.”
“And was I wrong?” Rose demands, throwing her hands up. “I mean, men are assholes on a good day, so better she keeps them on their toes now. She’s going to have a hard enough time when she’s a teenager trying to date for the first time with you lot around. She’s going to need every skill she can get.”
I have to agree with her. Hulk just rolls his eyes, leans down to kiss her cheek, and then walks away. Rose turns to me and asks, “Which one is your brother?” I point him out and she grins when Theo walks over, all charm and swagger. “Oh, now, aren’t you handsome?” she flirts shamelessly. “I’m Rose.”
He shakes her hand and says, “No one told me we’d have a stunner in here today,” he flirts back. “And I also hear you’re going to be putting me through my paces as a Prospect.”
“Oh, don’t listen to them.” Rose scoffs. “And anything they tell you about me or the other Old Ladies, it’s all lies and exaggerations. We’re really not that bad.”
“They’re worse!” Viper calls across the room.
“Woman, get your ass out here,” Bullet’s voice suddenly says loudly as he stalks into the room, an exasperated look on his face. “Should have known you were going to come this way and not get that coffee you talked about.”
“I wanted to say hello to Thea and introduce myself to Theo.” Rose sniffs, but her eyes are bright with mischief that makes me grin. Damn, I’m starting to see why the men are clearly wary of this woman. Something tells me she’s a bit of a wildcard.
Bullet stops behind her and then looks at Theo. “You have a chance to talk to Viper yet, Prospect?” he asks Theo directly.
Theo shakes his head. “No, Sir. He said we’ll talk shortly.”
“Good,” Bullet says with a nod. “And none of this Sir shit. It’s Prez for the most part.”
“Got it, Prez,” Theo responds with a grin.
Bullet looks at him for a moment and then sighs. I hear him mutter something about smartasses, but can’t quite make it out. Rose, however, does and her grin widens. Then Bullet looks at me and his cold blue eyes hold mine for a moment. “Hear you pissed off my VP this morning. Am I going to have to worry about the two of you at each other’s throats?”
I shrug. “As long as he listens to what I said, we should be fine.”
“And what exactly did you say?”
“That I no longer report to him, he is not my superior officer, and he needs to leave me alone. Or did he not tell you he showed up at my apartment last night and told me to report here at eight AM sharp?”
“No, can’t say that he did,” Bullet replies, a thoughtful look on his face. “Well, welcome aboard, and let me know if you have any issues with any of these bastards.” Then with that, he grabs Rose’s hand and pulls her away.
Rose shoots me a wink over her shoulder and I smile before going back to my desk. Something tells me that Bullet isn’t one for many words, but his wife makes up for that. “I like her,” Theo announces with a grin, then heads back to his own desk.
Before I can get back to work on straightening my desk, Shadow calls out, “Thea, you up for a consultation with a potential client? We need to make a quick stop at the club’s bar on the way and drop some stuff off for Cryos there.”
“Sure,” I say easily. “Need me to bring anything?”
“Just something to take notes with. It’s only going to be a day job, but it’ll be a good way for you to figure out how you want to handle it since it’ll probably be you doing the job. You good with that?”
“As long as you are comfortable with me handling it solo,” I reply.
“No worries on my side, but if you think you’ll need a second person after we do the consult, we can figure that out. You bring your car?” I nod. “Alright, I’ll ride with you. You know where the bar is?” I shake my head. “I’ll direct you. Be ready to leave in five minutes.” Then he goes back into his office.
I quickly find a small notebook and pen and then make sure I’m logged out of my computer and ready to leave. He’s prompt at the five-minute mark and we head out of the building to my car. Shadow slides into the passenger seat and I put in the address Shadow gives me for the bar into the GPS before pulling out.
I figured Shadow would be quiet for the ride, but he surprises me by saying, “Now that it’s just the two of us, I need to make sure you actually want to be here.”
I look over at him in surprise and find him watching me intently. “You mean because your VP ordered me here? I was considering working here anyway, but no, Sniper isn’t why I’m here. I’m here because Theo asked, no other reason. Sniper can think all he wants it’s because of him, but it’s not.”
Shadow doesn’t reply at first and then relaxes slightly. “Good. I don’t know what the deal is with you two, but Sniper isn’t involved in the day-to-day workings of the business. That’s Viper and me, so you shouldn’t have to run into him much.”
“Are you telling me that so I don’t quit if he shows up?” I ask drily as I head out of the downtown core and to the outskirts of the city.
“That and I don’t want to risk you shooting him and causing a whole problem the next time he pisses you off,” Shadow replies drily. “I already have to worry about bailing out the women in the club, I don’t need to worry about your ass too.”
I smirk. “I’m more of knife person myself, so the most you’d have to worry about is me cutting some vital parts of him, but I’ll make sure to clean up the mess.”
Shadow shakes his head. “I knew you were going to be trouble,” he mutters. “But damn it all if we don’t need you.”
“Why is that?” I ask curiously. “I mean, surely there are plenty of people who’d want jobs here.”
“We want former military members for the most part working for us. Not only to help vets find a job where they can use their skills, but that comes with the challenge of finding ones that aren’t too messed up to do the job, or can handle it without losing themselves in the process. It’s a delicate balance. Not to mention, the majority of the people who apply are men, and some don’t want to be associated with a biker club, even if we are legit.”
Yeah, I can see that. “And you haven’t had any other women apply?” I ask curiously, taking the next turn that leads us down the road leading to the bar.
“We had a few but most of them found out about the MC and weren’t interested.” He gives me a sideways glance. “I’m sure working with nothing but men and those in an MC would be intimidating to most women. And I probably should make sure you’re good with that too, but I understand if you’re not. We don’t have a separate locker room for you, but we can set up a rule if you’re in there that no one else goes in with you, and same thing with any other spaces you think would be a problem. And if you use the gym and the showers down there, there is a separate room that has a lock on the door. We can set that up to be your own personal space and everyone will leave you be.”
I don’t answer right away. He has no idea how much those offers soothe something inside me. It’s not like I never had those options before when I was in the Forces, but well, things don’t always work out that way, do they? “I don’t need any special treatment,” I assure him. “Well, other than maybe the shower, but that’s more out of respect for the fact that I don’t think your wives and girlfriends would like knowing that I was showering around you at the same time if we’re using the gym or are back from a job. As for the locker situation, I don’t need anything for that. If you want me to stay, I just want to be treated as an equal team member, not just a girl that is part of the team.”
Shadow nods. “No problem there. And just so you’re aware, the only ones with Old Ladies are me and Viper so you don’t have to worry about any Old Ladies coming in and giving you a hard time. They’ll be in to meet you and drive the rest of us crazy at some point soon though.”
“Why are you all afraid of them?” I ask curiously.
“Afraid?” Shadow snorts. “We’re not afraid of them. We just know that they’re going to get themselves, or us by extension, into trouble when they all get together. Rose? She’s the ring leader and you’ll figure it out yourself soon enough.”
I snicker. “Yeah, no, sounds to me like you’re afraid of them. You don’t want them all together, and when they are, you plan for the worst. Sounds like you’re afraid of them to me. But it’s okay. Most men can’t handle strong women.”
He narrows his eyes at me as I pull into the bar’s parking lot. “You know I’m your boss, right? That I can fire you if you’re going to be a pain in my ass?”
I park the car and shrug. “You could, but we both know you’re not going to. Besides, the moment you need someone to deal with them, or watch them, you’ll be asking me so you don’t have to do it.”
The truth of it is on his face, but he says, “Might as well come in so you get a lay of the land in case you need to work here.” Then he smirks. “And let’s just see how big of a reaction out of Sniper you get, huh?” Then he climbs out of the car and I slowly follow, scowling at him.
Asshole. If he wants a show, I’m not going to give it to him. I’ve already said my piece to him and that’s it. Anything else is his problem.