Page 10 of Seven

“Shouldn’t be a problem.”

He whipped around in his chair and began typing once again. In a matter of seconds, he’d pulled up a high-tech navigation program. He scanned through endless streams of maps and satellite images. He wasn’t just a guy who knew how to hack into things; he had a mind that could process information faster than anyone I’d ever known.

“I get that you want to stick to the back roads, but most of them in that area are either dirt or private property. Getting through without anyone noticing is gonna be tricky.”

“How tricky?”

“Nothing we can’t handle.” He zoomed in on a section of the map and highlighted roads I didn’t recognize. “This route should work, but we’ll need to prepare for any unplanned guests along the way.”

I watched the screen as Shep plotted out the route. “What about cameras or security systems? Are we gonna be in the clear?”

“This route will keep us off the radar for about ninety-five percent of the trip. Some of these roads are out in the middle of nowhere. Worst you’re gonna run into is an old farmer with a shotgun.”

“Sounds good to me. I’ll plan to do a run-through tomorrow.”

“Want me to tag along?”

“Probably not a bad idea.”

“Then, I’ll be there. I’ll send the detailed map and coordinates to our phones.”

“Sounds like a plan.” As I started out of the room, I told him, “Headed to the Vault. I’ll be back first thing in the morning, and we can hit it.”

“I’ll be sitting on go.”

“Appreciate it, brother.”

I left there and drove straight to the club. It was well after opening, and the parking lot was already filling up. I knew the girls could handle it without me, but I liked to be there to supervise, especially at open. Too many things could go wrong—like one of the girls not showing up or the truck delivery running late. It was my job to make sure things didn’t go off the rails, so I parked and headed straight inside to check on things.

When I walked through the front door, I was pleased to see that everything seemed to be running smoothly. Ghost and Gash were covering the entrance and watching intently as Casey made her way to the stage. Skid and Zeke were monitoring the back and watched Stella as she finished her set. Jen was behind the bar, and Misty was taking orders at the front tables.

Since I didn’t have any fires to put out, I grabbed a soda from the bar and headed over to Skid and Zeke. I couldn’t help but notice that Skid was looking a little deflated as I approached. I had no idea what was up with him until I heard him tell Zeke, “I don’t get it, man. I thought I had it locked down.”

“Clearly not,” Zeke chuckled.

“I don’t know what happened.” Skid glanced over at Jasmine, one of the new strippers, and sighed. I knew then why he was struggling. She was a beautiful redhead, tall and slender and stacked, and she could have her choice of any man in town. Andfrom the sounds of it, she hadn’t chosen Skid. “One minute, she was eating out of the palm of my hand, and the next…”

"Dude, she was literally five feet away from you.”

"She was playing hard to get.” Skid shrugged. “What can I say? I like a challenge."

"She’s more than a challenge, brother. She’s more like a no chance in hell.”

"You don’t get it. She’s probably just shy."

"Shy?” I scoffed. “She shows her tits and ass for money. She’s far from shy.”

We all laughed, but Skid was staring off into space, clearly still replaying the awkward interaction. "She told me she needed to go ‘take care of some stuff.’”

“And we all know what that means,” I laughed, as we continued ribbing him.

“It don’t mean shit,” Skid snapped. “She has a set in half an hour.”

"It doesn’t have anything to do with the fact she ain’t interested in picking up what you’re laying down?”

“You know what?” Skid’s eyes narrowed. “Screw you. She’s just playing hard to get.”

“Hard to get?” Zeke nearly spit out his beer. “Brother, she’s playing ‘never gonna happen.’”

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