Page 43 of Inglorious
I grabbed that too and took my haul downstairs, catching King. “Hey. Would you do me a favour and deliver these to Kya, please?”
King looked shamefaced. “Nanci, I forgot the kid had shit here.”
“We all did, King. Kya got lost in the shuffle, but it won’t happen again. Protecting her and making Kya our priority is important. We’re not going to lose her now we’ve got her.”
“Yeah. I’ll take them over. Kya was always carrying that rabbit about,” King replied and took the items from me.
I turned and spotted Chill lurking in a corner. He was staring straight at somebody with an arrested expression on his face. When I followed Chill’s line of sight, my mouth dropped open in surprise. Meadow had lifted the serving hatches up, and Chill had a full view of her bustling around the kitchen.
Meadow was completely unaware of Chill observing her as she put together several huge platters of sandwiches and salad.She went about her business, and I was about to warn Chill off when something stopped me. Chill was actually showing interest in a woman, and it wasn’t a casual dalliance. He was fully watching. I knew Chill well. If it had been about sex, he’d be in there flirting and doing his hardest to get laid.
The fact that Chill wasn’t doing that meant he wanted Meadow for more than a lay. Chill was trying to work shit out, and knowing him, he probably didn’t even realise he was smitten. Currently, Meadow was a mystery, and one Chill needed to unravel.
A smirk crossed my face as Meadow suddenly looked up and her gaze focused on Chill.
A blush hit her cheeks, and Chill straightened and hurried away. Meadow’s eyes followed him. Well, now, the attraction wasn’t one-sided! Damn, we might just have a budding romance on the cards!
Inglorious
I smiled as Nanci finally noticed Chill’s fascination with the new cook. Chill had arrived for lunch on the day that Meadow started work and was struck dumb. I’d almost choked on a sub as I watched how Chill’s eyes widened, and interest flicked across his face. It was even more amusing when Chill turned on the charm and Meadow stared blankly in response.
Meadow had suffered; that was obvious, and she clearly wasn’t in the market for anything. But my brother was smitten, as Nanci would say.
When Chill set his mind to something, it was hard to persuade him otherwise. I was unsure if Chill realised he was interested or if he thought it was a passing fancy. Whatever the reason, Chill’s attention to Meadow was growing. His interestsoothed me; it meant Chill was healing and looking to the future. I kinda envied him that, but was overjoyed it was happening.
We’d been through so much. Chill and Razor deserved a happy ending. If Meadow was Chill’s—and it was a long shot—then I would do my best to make it happen.
Chill scurried away, and I turned my attention to Nanci. She was smiling as she headed into my office. I followed and entered without knocking.
Nanci scowled as she looked up from where she was reading a report.
“Don’t knock,” she said.
“This is my domain, Nanci. I’m not knocking. Are you checking the finances?”
“What’s it to you if I am?” she demanded.
“Because whether you like it or not, this is still my MC, even if I’m not fit to run it right now. And I understand what good looks like, and you don’t,” I replied.
Nanci huffed and sighed. “Pull up a chair, asshole,” she said, but there was no heat in her words.
An hour later, I was frowning. The figures for the vending machines weren’t adding up, certainly not against the stock levels that had been replaced. Someone had been skimming the books. I pointed out to Nanci the discrepancies, and her frown joined mine.
“Who collected the money?” Nanci inquired.
I didn’t want to admit I’d no idea, but I hadn’t. “Razor will know.”
Nanci bit her lip, but held her tongue and sent Razor a message to join us. He arrived five minutes later as I scoured the financials for the HVAC business.
“What’s up?” he asked, entering the office.
“Who was collecting the money from the vending machines?” I asked.
“Party.” Razor looked at us and let out a dry laugh. “Let me guess, asshole, skimmed the books?”
“To the tune of fifty thousand,” I replied.
“That little fuck. I should have guessed,” Razor drawled.
