Page 91 of Rook

“Yeah, that’d be good. And maybe figure out what his brother is up to as well. If he’s been holding down the business, I can’t see Saint coming to work for us.”

“On it.”

You know… in the morning. After spending a night tangled in the sheets with Tessa.

Then maybe planning what she would bring to her next visit with my mom. Each time she went, it seemed like the items she brought—and, of course, the continued balancing of her meds—brought her back little by little.

I knew that, even if she did get well enough to be released, I likely wouldn’t be allowed to move her to Shady Valley. Nancy would have shit to say about how my mother was, in a way, part of the reason for my crimes, so access to her would—I dunno—make me more likely to reoffend.

It was complete bullshit, of course. But Nancy was, well, Nancy. And I didn’t see that changing anytime soon.

But I could move her somewhere relatively nearby and have members of the club keep a really close eye on her. And Tessa, of course. I could even sneak there for a long-awaited visit here or there when I was sure Nancy wasn’t watching me.

I was probably getting ahead of myself, but I’d even been looking at some properties within forty-five minutes of Shady Valley, trying to find one that was just right for her. Somewhere with a town in walkable distance, but with her own yard, so she could fiddle in the garden and put up a million birdhouses.

It didn’t hurt to be prepared.

My mom’s bipolar could swing violently from one end of the spectrum to the other. And state facilities didn’t want to hold onto someone any longer than they had to; those beds were coveted.

I needed to have somewhere for her to go when the time came.

And it would.

I was more sure than ever before.

Ideally, I’d love to move her to Shady Valley. But that, like buying my own damn place to live, was going to need to wait until I was off parole.

“Rook?” Slash called, making me glance over, realizing I’d been so lost in my thoughts that I hadn’t been paying attention to church at all.

“Yeah?”

“You think you can get me that info in… less than three days?”

“Probably. Why so fast?”

“Because that’s when Saint is getting out. Yeah, I know,” Slash said at my surprised look. “We’re usually more on top of it than this, but he slipped through the cracks, given his charge.”

Slash was trying to build our numbers in general, sure, but he was also trying to pad our club with various experts when and where he could.

Like with me. A hacker was a valuable asset to any criminal organization.

Colter’s prior military background meant he was good at taking orders… and knew a lot about weapons.

Judge’s history with organized crime made him valuable as well.

And we already had four or five guys marked to offer an invitation to who were getting out in the next few years, each with their own unique skill sets.

“Alright, yeah, I can head out now and get some work done before Tessa gets home.”

A couple of the guys shared a look. Because while we were still insisting the marriage was one of convenience, it was clear something was growing between us. Something everyone could feel. Even if Tessa wasn’t quite ready to admit that yet.

In time, I reminded myself.

“Appreciate it,” Slash said as I got up and made my way to the door.

Not seeing Tessa’s car on the street when I got back to town, I let myself into the karate studio and into the office that Tessa had decorated with twinkle lights and matching desk decor, despite the fact that she never actually used the desk.

It was unexpectedly nice, though, to see reminders of her all around as I slowly slipped into work mode.

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