Page 2 of King

My vice president had been given his road name because he was a fire expert. During his time in the military, he’d earned a PhD in Combustion Science and had become a pyrologist. He’d worked as an arson investigator but was also a demolitions expert. Occasionally, the government still called him for help with a controlled burn. His talents came in very handy when someone needed to “die,” or evidence needed to be conspicuously destroyed.

“Taking Echo and Kevlar?” I confirmed.

“Yeah. And a couple of enforcers.”

“Paperwork for that job is in the skiff room.”

We’d built a SCIF—a secure room or data center that protects sensitive security information from surveillance and leaks—when I took over as president and we started hiring out our unique skills. It also doubled as a safe for other things that we needed to protect.

Blaze lifted his chin in acknowledgment. “Let you know when it’s done.”

He turned and stalked from the room while Ash moved over to take his seat. “Wizard call you yet?”

I raised an eyebrow. “Something he told you that should have come to me first?” One of the pluses of being prez, my authority was absolute and I kept a tight fist on the reins. Some would have called it micromanaging, but that was how I guaranteed things were done in a way that I controlled. Everything was to be run by me. Then our failures fell on my shoulders…and our successes were shared by the club as a whole.

My men were completely loyal, which was why I gave them autonomy in the right circumstances. I knew exactly when someone needed freedom to complete a task. It let them know they had my trust and often boosted their creativity.

“Nah. Saw him gloating when I walked by his office earlier. Knew he was doing background checks, so I was curious.”

I shook my head, and one corner of my mouth lifted. “Gossiping like a little girl.”

Ash rolled his eyes and propped one ankle over his opposite knee. “Bullshit. Curiosity is what usually gets me the win on a case.”

“Can’t argue with you there,” I admitted. Ash seemed to know exactly where to dig for the right information to crush his opponents. Even if he didn’t know what he was looking for at first.

Before any of us could speak again, Wizard ambled into the office with some papers and his trusty laptop. With a self-satisfied grin, he plopped down into the chair next to Ash, flipped his reading glasses up onto his head and set his feet on my desktop, crossing them at the ankles.

I scowled and shoved them to the floor. “Feet off my desk or my boot in your balls.”

Noticing my agitation, Cerberus bolted off the couch to stand beside me, watching the hacker through suspicious eyes.

Wizard sat up a little straighter and glanced between Cerberus and me, muttering, “Noted.”

“What’s going on with the potential prospect?” I asked, my tone gruff. “Why are you wasting time if his background isn’t straightforward?”

“Caught the scent of something and had a feeling it could be good for us. Turns out, I was right.” He leaned forward and set the computer on the desk in front of me. “It’s fucking amazing for us.” He slipped his glasses back onto his face, then typed afew keys before spinning the computer around to show me the screen.

I read through the information and quickly understood Wizard’s attitude.

Matt Donovan’s full, legal name was Matteo Donovan DeLuca.

“You were confirming the relation to the family?”

Wizard nodded, grabbing his laptop and sitting back down. “Even talked to Fox,” he informed me, referring to the president of the Iron Rogues. Fox had gone to college with the Mafia boss, Nic DeLuca, and they’d worked together on some shared interests of the questionably legal variety. “And Fox put me in touch with Nic.”

“The kid is looking to prospect with us and not the Iron Rogues?” I was skeptical of his motivation.

“From what Nic told me, Matteo—his cousin and the younger brother of his enforcer, Enzo—didn’t want his ties to the family to be the reason he was able to join an MC. Apparently, he’s been riding since he was a teenager and felt more at home with clubs than the family business. He knew Fox would recognize him. Nic wouldn’t let him join an MC without approving of it. Fox vouched for us.”

I frowned. “Why us?”

Wizard chuckled and took off his glasses, stowing them in the inside pocket of his cut. “Couldn’t make this convoluted shit up if I wanted to. Pierce’s late wife was a DeLuca.”

“Get the fuck out,” Ash blurted.

“Family disowned her for something or other before she married Pierce, but she stayed in touch with Matteo’s mother.”

“Pretty weak association to join an MC,” Ace commented. “Laina’s been dead for how many years? It’s an entirely different club now.”

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