Series: Sean Moriarty
Total pages in book: 114
Estimated words: 113805 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 569(@200wpm)___ 455(@250wpm)___ 379(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 113805 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 569(@200wpm)___ 455(@250wpm)___ 379(@300wpm)
“What the fuck for?” James asks.
I frown at my surroundings. “Because they’re bare and they have nothing in them. Everything is old, used, and needs updating.”
“I’ve been working on that, you stupid fuck. I swear to fucking—” he starts to rage at me before I hit the disconnect button.
I’m about to slip my phone into my pocket and walk back to Eden when it starts ringing again. I look down at the Caller ID this time and see that it’s Simon.
“Business never ends, it seems.” I sigh before pushing connect and putting it to my ear.
“Just leave then,” Eden hisses.
Lucifer’s smooth, deep voice comes through the line. “Jude.”
Dammit.
I lean back against the counter. “I thought Simon was calling me.”
Simon sighs. “I’m here, too.”
Great.
“Wonderful,” I say out loud.
“Why are you at one of the employee’s home, Jude?” Lucifer asks, and I can feel the trap door swinging open.
“Why is James blowing up my phone with texts, threatening to murder you?” Simon asks next.
Laughing quietly, I say, “It seems my secret has not remained such.”
“No, I suppose not.” Lucifer chuckles in return. “Please leave nothing out in your explanation.”
“I met Eden at the club. She was a waitress the night we were sent to take over business operations,” I explain, sidestepping the whole issue of her seeing me partially amputate a man’s hand.
When I don’t say anything further, Lucifer laughs loudly.
Simon swears a small, very hypocritical oath, if you ask me.
“So, what does that mean?” Simon asks.
“She’ll be moving into my home tomorrow,” I answer.
“Like hell I will!” Eden bursts out.
“Ah, young love.” Lucifer sighs as if he’s reminiscing happily. “Very well, but you need to be in the office the day after tomorrow for an evening meeting. It will be at the compound. Bring your blushing bride. I do hope she can be trusted and is safe with you.”
“She’ll be happy to join us,” I say.
“Go fuck yourself,” Eden snaps at me and gives me the middle finger.
“See you then, Jude. Have a good evening,” Lucifer says before I hear him disconnect.
“Jude,” Simon says, staying on the line. “Why was Nathaniel there with you?”
I walk towards Eden and Abel. “Ah, our son seems to have come down with an ear infection.”
“The fuck?” Eden hisses and pulls away.
“Hmm, Andrew’s child has one as well. I’ll make sure to restock Nathaniel’s supplies. If your son will allow it, try a warm, damp rag against his ear,” Simon says. “We need to talk about what happened to Rodney. We’ve permitted him a week off to heal up, but he’ll need to be back in the club as soon as possible.”
“I agree. We can’t watch over the club for that long and it needs to be run by someone who the staff is familiar with during the transition,” I say.
“Lana,” Eden says absentmindedly as she gets up from the couch and heads to the kitchen.
“What was that?” Simon asks.
Pushing the speakerphone button on my phone, I follow Eden’s delightful wiggling ass.
She pulls a clean bottle from her tiny dishwasher.
Is everything small or old here?
“What did you say, Eden?” I ask her.
“You said something about needing someone to take over the club during the transition.” She turns and opens a cabinet, pulling out a can of formula one-handed. “Lana. She knows everyone and doesn’t do drugs or deal.”
“That could work…” Simon says thoughtfully, and we can hear the tapping of a keyboard in the background. “Jude, call me tomorrow afternoon, around one. We need to talk about some irregularities in the books Rodney had going.”
“Certainly,” I say, then add as an afterthought, “Give my best to your family.”
Simon pauses for a moment before hanging up. “And my best to your new family, as well.”
“We’re not your family, Jude,” Eden says, but this time I don’t hear the same fight in her voice.
She’s tired and she’s worried about Abel, but she’s wearing down to the inevitable.
“You are, Eden. The moment your eyes met mine,” I quietly say to her as she pops the full bottle into Abel’s mouth. “You should have never come back to Rodney’s office in the first place, but the fact that you did just seals the pact. You were meant to come back there, and it was meant for me to catch you watching.”
Which makes my mind want to trace back all the minutes and hours of the past two days.
Why did she come back there? Why did she search us out? Was she simply being nosy? Or was it an honest mistake?
Eden blinks, the wheels inside her brain obviously moving. But instead of saying anything, she just closes her eyes for a long moment and then opens again, as if she’s wondering if this is all a dream.
Moving around me, she heads into the living room and sits back down on the couch.