Page 84 of Average Joe

Marco cleared his throat. “Lilly told me you did time. You sure it’s Harper we should be worried about?”

Frank dropped the lid on the grill and pointed his tongs our way, looking taller than a pine tree and meaner than a grizzly. “My brother here took a life to save a life. Nothing more to be said on that subject. You got a problem with him, leave. We’ll deal with this shit on our own. But hear me loud and clear. I’d rather have this guy watching my back than any other fucker on the planet.”

Marco stared right through me, working something out in his head, I assumed.

Singleton laughed, leaned back in his chair, hands clasped behind his head, and sized me up. “Who’d you kill?”

I needed these guys on my side. How much of my soul could I expose without scaring them off? “The man who beat my aunt for the entirety of their marriage.”

And because my brothers always had my back, Con spoke up, “Any of us would’ve done the same and, again, no more to be said on that subject.”

Singleton and Marco exchanged an unspoken communication, then Marco turned, his lip curled at the corner. “What’ve you got in mind?”

Bridget busted through the back door. “All right, boys, I’m here. Let’s get down to business.” Donned in full work attire, hair pinned up, face art flawless, and a shiny black leather briefcase hanging from her shoulder, she maneuvered the steps of the back deck with grace and purpose. “We doing this out here?” she asked.

“Bridget fucking Cross.” Singleton shot from his chair and captured her in a one-sided embrace, kissing her cheek and holding her too close for comfort.

“Hey, Isaac.” Bridget tried to dodge his lips with no success.

Interesting.

Con barked, “Hands off my sister, man.”

Singleton let go and stepped back, his gaze glued to Bridge while she found her balance. She straightened her red blouse, shot Singleton a sideways glance, and turned to ask me, “We doing this out here?”

“Yeah.” I opened an empty chair and set it to my left, putting her between Con and myself. “Unless you need the table.”

“Outside is perfect. I need some vitamin D.” She toed off her heels and sat, raising her pretty face to the sky.

Isaac Singleton could not take his eyes off Bridge, and I made a mental note to Google the hell outta that fucker later, although I’m sure Frank was already running a background check from his cell.

I cleared my throat, drawing Singleton’s attention my way. “She’s off limits, bud.”

The fucker chuckled. That guy thought everything was funny.

“First off,” Bridge said, ignoring the horndog and placing a hand on my thigh like a mother about to break bad news, “let me start by saying I’m not sure this is a great investment. Risky if you ask me, but—”

“It’s a great idea, Bridge, and you know it,” I interrupted, defenses up. “Your issue is that my proposal is small potatoes compared to your everyday dealings.”

Bridget Cross was rumored to have the most lethal glare west of the Cascades, but I’d developed an immunity to her female wiles years ago, and her death lasers fizzled at my feet.

The woman knew I was right and didn’t argue. Instead, she pulled folders out of her briefcase and handed one to each of us. “I assume Joe has filled everyone in?”

“Not yet,” Frank grunted, dropping a Spanish chorizo into a cut up rustic baguette.

Again Bridge glared at me. “Joe. Really? I’ve got less than an hour to get this shit signed.”

“We were getting to that before you busted through the door. How’d you get in anyway? I never gave you a key.”

“I have my ways.” She winked. “Now, let’s get to business.”

Step by step, I laid out my business plan, took a shit-ton of ribbing as I’d expected, but after a heated debate over pros and cons, my future took shape. I had something to look forward to, something tangible to call mine. I’d only had to auction off four pieces of Alice’s old jewelry to make enough money to finance the endeavor on my own but, gotta admit, felt good to have this group of men on board.

Bridget stood and collected signed documents from each of us, grabbing mine last. “I can’t believe we’re doing this.” She rose on her toes to kiss my cheek.

I wrapped her in a tight hug. “I owe you.”

“Oh, yes, you do.” She said her goodbyes and headed toward the house.

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