Page 28 of Roam

A tearful voice murmured yes.

“Well, my back could use one too. We can either continue this tomorrow because I’ve got time open, or we can take a short break. Fifteen minutes and then start again.”

“Pencil me in for tomorrow. I should have listened to you when you said it would hurt a lot more on my ribcage. I feel like a pussy.”

Rascal patted his client’s shoulder. “Dude, we all have different pain tolerances in different places. No reason to feel like a pussy. Let me cover what we’ve done and then I’ll get you on the schedule for tomorrow.”

Roam waited until the client had left and then asked the question. “So what’s your name? I realize we didn’t exactly introduce ourselves.”

“Booker. It was...”

“Don’t listen to him give you this whole convoluted story about how his name is something to do with accounting. It’s because his nose was always stuck in a book on deployment,” the man coming in the door joked.

“These are my brothers and they’re just like real ones. Sometimes you love them and other times you want to beat them with whatever is handy,” Booker said, rolling his eyes.

Sprite paused tattooing as they all laughed.

Roam held out his hand to the two new men, “Roam, happy to meet you.”

“This is Dex. He’s a deadeye with a gun with either hand, and I’m Twist.”

Roam shook both their hands. “I notice we didn’t get an explanation about your name.”

“He doesn’t like to talk about himself, just everyone else. He’s freaking fascinated with storm chasing but can also tell you when bad weather is coming. He’s saved our butts more than once,” Booker said.

“Glad to have you here. Well, I had a client cancel, so I have some time. Do you want me to show you where you’ll be staying while Sprite finishes Booker up?”

“That would be great. I wanted to buy some stuff at Regina’s but don’t have any more room in my saddlebags.”

“Let’s head over there. I’m sure Rascal has already let the welcome committee know.”

“Of course.”

Roam motioned to the door and said his goodbyes and followed them out. “We’re heading back out to the highway, then up the big hill. Compound sits right off the road.”

Roam started up his bike and then took off as soon as they were ready. Working beside Sprite was going to be an adventure. When she bent over the tattoo chair, her short hair fell forward and left even more of her delicate neck exposed. It was one of his favorite places to kiss her because she always trembled afterwards. He’d asked her if it was too sensitive and she’d replied with, ‘don’t you dare stop kissing me there’. So it must be a good kind of shiver.

He pulled into the compound, backing his bike in right in front of the clubhouse. Once they’d parked, he pointed out their garage, the driveway leading to the gun range, and the fence, which kept just anyone from getting to where all the houses were located.

He pulled open the double doors and remembered how he’d thought the clubhouse was the size of a warehouse when they first walked in. He was a lot bigger now. The clubhouse was a good size. He and War had discussed if their families kept growing and they continued adding members, they might have to look at some type of construction to have everyone at meals.

“So, main room here. We all always meet for Sunday lunch. My mom, Regina, has a list for people to help each week, so we all take turns with helping before and cleaning up.”

He showed them the kitchen, the laundry room and then looked at the key board in the kitchen, trying to decide which rooms to put them in.

“Oh, Roam, I’m glad I caught you.” He turned at the sound of his mom’s voice. He pulled her in for a hug then turned and introduced his mom to the guys.

“Mom, this is Twist and Dex. Guys, this is my mom, Regina, who is the queen of all you see.”

The guys laughed and thanked her for having them.

“I was just deciding where to put them.”

She grabbed three keys, handing one to Roam and handing the others to each guy. “I think these will do best. I don’t want to put anyone on the other side of Clara. Cannon and she seem to be having a little bit of dust up.”

Roam chuckled. “Clara has been a pseudo grandparent to Sprite’s kids, and she moved when Sprite moved here. She’s in her seventies, and instead of choosing one of our small houses, she wanted to experience the clubhouse. She’s even bought a Property of Cannon shirt she wears to lunch.”

The guys laughed.

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