Page 7 of Havoc

A deep voice came from the doorway behind her. “You still interested in the job?”

I glanced up at the tall, well-groomed man standing about ten yards behind her. He had dark hair, ice-blue eyes, and an air of authority about him. This was Storm, Zoe’s husband, and the president of the Dark Slayers MC.

“Of… of course I am. I’m not afraid of difficult clients. Everyone is teachable if you show respect, listen to their goals, and help them find the motivation they need to be successful.”

When I glanced back at Zoe, she was wearing a broad smile. “I told you, she’s the one—the only person I know who can get Havoc on the right track.”

Shock roiled through my gut. “His club name is Havoc?”

“Yeah, but he doesn’t have anger management problems. That’s one thing you don’t have to worry about when working with him.”

“Alright, I’m in.”

Zoe and I joined Storm in his office and settled down in chairs on the other side of his desk. He dropped down into his office chair and shoved a pile of paperwork to the side.

Storm began telling me about the issues they wanted me to help Havoc with.

“First of all, your services will be covered by the club because I’m making working with you mandatory for Havoc if he wants to remain an active member of the club.”

“It’s that bad?” I asked. “So bad that you’d really put him out of the club?”

Storm stared at me for a brief moment before answering. “Let me explain something to you. Most of the men in this club are former military. No matter what branch of service we’re from, our mantra has always been that no man gets left behind. That’s also a deeply ingrained core belief for our club. I vet all our prospects before letting them prospect for us. They have to prove to me that they’re good, decent men. Havoc passed all our rigorous vetting and earned his patch.”

“That’s good information to have. Thank you for sharing it with me.”

Storm took a deep breath and continued, “What I need you to understand is how fucking desperate we are to help get our club brother back on the right track. He’s as good as his name when it comes to wreaking havoc. But he’s also a fine, upstanding human being—loyal and smart in his own way. He’s generous and down-to-earth. I’d hate for him to have to leave the club, but right now we can’t trust him to help with club business.”

Zoe chimed in, “What my husband is trying to say is that we don’t want to change him. Havoc is a great guy. We like his core personality and value system. We’re hoping you can help him become a better version of himself, less of a loose cannon.”

“I’ll certainly do my best,” I assured them. “It would be helpful if you can tell me what kind of behaviors are problematic. Or just point me in the right direction to figure it out. For example, is he too rough with the club girls, does he have difficulty keeping a job, or issues with interacting appropriately with others?”

Storm shot to his feet and leaned over the desk to glare at me. He made a wide, sweeping gesture with one arm and turned to Zoe. “I told you this wouldn’t work, I don’t want some uptight therapist coming in and judging my men.”

Zoe reached out and touched his hand. “I know this is an emotional issue for you, but you need to dial it down a notch. Riley is just asking questions, you know?”

He flung himself back down into his chair and gestured in my direction. “I just told her what a great guy he is, and she jumps straight to some really shitty potential issues right off the bat. How the fuck am I supposed to feel about that?”

Zoe walked around the desk, and Storm whirled his chair around and pulled her down into his lap. She cupped his face in her hands and told him, “You should feel angry about that. It’s insulting to think Havoc could be capable of the behaviors she suggested. But just hear her out, she doesn’t know him like we do, okay?”

“Yeah, I get what you’re saying, babe. I just didn’t know if this is the right way to go. I want Havoc to feel respected, and that isn’t gonna happen with some high-class, prissy woman who’s gonna make him feel less than. We already get enough judgment from outsiders.”

I came to my feet and leaned over the desk and snapped my fingers to get their attention. “Hey, lovebirds. Stop talking about me like I’m not here. The reason I’m suspecting the worst is because you’ve told me everything except what the actual problem is. When I have to dig this hard to get a glimpse of why someone needs a life coach, it’s usually because there’s something to hide. Now, you two are either going to be straight with me, or I’m walking the fuck out of here.”

I expected them to explode, but Storm was smiling, and Zoe threw back her head and laughed. She got up from his lap and returned to her seat.

Storm’s expression turned rueful. “I can tell you don’t usually curse because the word sounds forced when you say it out loud.”

I snapped back, “I curse a lot in my head, if that matters.”

Zoe said, “Aw, I think it’s cute that you’re giving Storm back the same energy he’s giving you and talking like a biker to get through to him. That’s pretty smart.”

I sat back down in my seat and said, “Let’s start again. Tell me what Havoc’s doing that’s so troubling to you that you might put him out over it.”

Storm steepled his fingers together and took a moment to order his thoughts. “We’ll start with the most recent and work our way back. Five nights ago, he was fucking around with the electrical system, trying to fix a flickering light. He accidentally set off the fire alarm and all the sprinklers in the building. The damage to our building was significant. It took our entire club working in unison to clean up the mess, and we’re still waiting on replacement widescreen TVs, computers, and server equipment to arrive. Our security system just came back online today, which means our club was vulnerable for three whole days.”

I said, “Understood, Mr. Storm.”

He frowned at me. “It’s just Storm. No need to add ‘Mister.’”

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