Total pages in book: 92
Estimated words: 94897 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 474(@200wpm)___ 380(@250wpm)___ 316(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 94897 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 474(@200wpm)___ 380(@250wpm)___ 316(@300wpm)
“Good,” Jagger said softly.
“He’s threatening to sell his half, but not to me.”
Jag got quiet again.
“I’m no lawyer,” she said. “I don’t know if he can do that, but it’s his and I suppose he can. And honestly, it might be better not to have to deal with Elijah. I told him this and that was what you walked in on.”
“You called his bluff and he lost it.”
She nodded. “I called his bluff and he went from ticked to out of his mind. Commence him getting up in my shit.”
“And your take on that?” he asked.
“He doesn’t want to sell. With half my rent on the store and the units, which, by the way, I give him money for my apartment too, he’s making five grand a month.”
“And maybe, he wants to be in on this with you,” Jagger suggested.
She looked confused. “What?”
“This was your grandparents’. Your mom’s folks. It’s a building, but it’s also a legacy. Maybe even a memory. And you’re his sister. I just met him, and he didn’t make a good first impression, but if he was an out-and-out prick who wasn’t worth your time, you’re the type of woman who wouldn’t give him your time. So there’s a bond, and my guess…it’s not just business. I’m sure the same goes for you. You’re his sister and he loves you. He doesn’t want to lose this because he makes good bill on it, but also because he’s in it with his sister.”
He got another warm look after he said that, and she sidled closer.
“I’m currently in denial about the fact you met my brother like you just did. Not to mention, all I’ve done pretty much is bitch about him. Because he’s not a dick. He can be a dick, but he isn’t a dick.”
Jag moved too, to hook an arm around her and pull her even closer.
He did this saying, “I get the distinction.”
“You guys will get along. Though, warning, I’m not sure you’ll be tight. Haley will love you. Dad will really like you. Eventually, after we get past this, Elijah will dig you, but you won’t pal around. He’s into sports, watching and playing, and he’s putting himself through law school.”
That law school bit was news.
“So he’s not lazy, he’s just conditioned to lean on you, and in some cases, that means taking advantage of you,” Jag remarked.
She nodded.
Right then.
They needed to move this along.
“Okay, you’re on with Mal’s mom,” he said. “But I think we should warn him that’s going to happen. If he’s not sharing with her, then he won’t want to be blindsided by that, because she’s probably gonna be all over it.”
“She will be,” Archie confirmed.
“And as for the group, I got an idea.”
She was running her hands up his chest and when she got to his shoulders, she held on and asked, “What’s your idea?”
“I think they should come to Chaos, to Ride. Meet the brothers. Field trip. Showing them another version of a tribe, how we work together, and I’ll figure out how to do the lecture about looking out for your people without making it seem like a lecture between now and whenever that happens. Do we have to get their parents’ permission for them to leave the store?”
“Yeah, I always tell them when we’re off to do something. But we have an email group so it’s easy. I can just pop a line to them. They’ll all be cool with it. They dig when the kids have something fun to do.”
“Great. Once you do that, I’ll arrange some brothers to come for pickups.”
She leaned some of her weight into him and said, “Awesome, boyfriend, now maybe we should talk about you being all alpha all over my storeroom with my brother, and incidentally, me.”
“Babe—”
She placed her three middle fingers over his lips to stop him from speaking.
“I’m not going to say that was the wrong call. I honestly don’t think I’ve ever seen Elijah that pissed. I don’t think he would have hurt me, but I was not okay with him being in my face like that. That said—”
He pulled her fingers from his lips. “It’s the guy you got.”
She did a perplexed blink. “Sorry?”
“Me, that’s the guy you got. I’m not gonna be okay with anyone up in your face, Archie, and I’m also not gonna hang back, let it happen and let you deal with it if I can do something about it.”
“You knew he was my brother.”
“I did. And as your brother and as a man, he needs to respect you.” He shook his head sharply when she opened her mouth. “Nope, babe. No. He never should have been in your space like that. If you gleefully shot his dog, I’m out and he can take his anger out the way he sees fit. You’re calling him on pulling shit, he doesn’t like it, he takes a goddamn breath and gets some control. He does not come to your space and get into your face. No. End of discussion.”