Page 99 of Spike

She leaned againstthe desk and settled her hands on her belly. “Why wouldn’t he?”

“Oh, I don’t know,maybe because I didn’t tell him I was having the boys go and raid his place andsteal his stuff without his permission?” I bit my lip and looked up at her.“Maybe he won’t like it.”

She reached overand squeezed my arm. “Trust me, honey. He’s gonna love it.”

“I hope so,” Ibreathed out.

The bell over thedoor rang, indicating Devlin’s client was walking in, so she took him back andI focused on the last few things I needed to finish up before I could leave.

Jenson walked hisclient through the velvet drapes about twenty minutes later and leaned over thedesk once she’d left. “Hey, sissy.”

“Hi. Your clientlooked happy.”

“She did.”

“She also lookedlike she wanted to jump your bones.”

He laughed. “Shemade that very clear.”

I wrinkled mynose. “How often does that happen?”

“You don’t want toknow.” He tapped his fingers on the top of the desk. “I want to run somethingby you.”

I stopped what Iwas doing and focused on him. “Everything okay?”

“Yeah. Ah, I wasthinking about prospecting with the Saints.”

I opened my mouthin shock, then closed it again because I wasn’t sure what to say.

“Shit, it’s a badidea,” he rasped.

“No.” I cleared mythroat, standing and making my way around the reception desk. “No, it’samazing!” I squealed, wrapping my arms around him.

“Really?”

“Yes.” I leanedback and met his eyes. “But what brought all of this on? Is it sudden? It seemssudden.”

“It’s not sudden.”He smiled, releasing me. “I watch how Spike is with you, and I watch how Ropesis with Devlin, and the way they helped Dad. Jesus, Chris, they bailed thatasshole out.”

“I know,” Iwhispered.

“He didn’t deservethat.”

I bit my lip. “I’mbeginning to agree.”

Minus signed offon Ropes’ agreement to pay the church back for every penny my dad stole. Inexchange, my father agreed to use his political influence at the club’s behest.His indiscretion would be kept out of the public eye, provided he never workedfor, or built, another church ever again. It was made very clear that if myfather should so much as start a men’s Bible study, the agreement would be madenull and void, and he’d be hung out to dry.

Of course, Jensonwasn’t privy to that information, and I couldn’t tell him, so until he was afully patched member of the club, I had to keep the first secret I’d ever keptfrom my brother.

“And then theymade sure Celeste had a place after Mom and Dad decided they couldn’t affordthe mortgage,” he said.

I nodded. Myparents had decided to rent their palatial house out and move to a smaller homein Baker City. I mean, this all took weeks. Without any consideration for us,they just pulled up stakes and left. They could have moved over the bridge toVancouver and found something smaller there, closer to Mattias and Ronnie,staying closer to me and Jenson, but, no. They moved over four hours away,touting the inability to find anything appropriate close by. Don’t get mewrong, Baker City was gorgeous, especially in the winter when it snowed, but myparents were not a reason to visit.

After Celeste hadbeen dismissed, Minus and Cricket set her up at their home. They had asprawling farmhouse on four acres (which had been expanded by another six whenthey bought the adjacent property two years ago). They’d been in the process ofbuilding four tiny homes and turning a rundown barn into a bunkhouse fortroubled youths, but one of the tiny homes was done and they gave it to Celeste,promising she’d have it until she either died, or chose to leave. Even if shedidn’t work for them anymore, she was welcome to stay.

To say thesepeople were generous beyond belief was an understatement.

“I know, that wascrazy, right?” I whispered.

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