Page 53 of Chill’s Chance

“I have some contacts that I can reach out to, see if they have any information about Stone and who he’s working for.” Avery suggests.

“Sounds good. Now let’s go look at the property we bought. I want my house.” Puma says, standing to his full, impressive height.

EPILOGUE: HUNTER

It doesn’t take much of an imagination to envision Puma’s dream. While the land where we stand is nothing more than scrub brush, I can see the potential. Puma and Spock point out several spaces, describing their future state. A circular road cutting through with homes on either side. A guardhouse with fences to keep the place secure. But at the center, the heart of the subdivision, an extensive park protected on all sides so little ones can play without risk. After Puma identifies which lot he wants, he spends more time talking about what he wants to build for the kids. His kids and all the others he hopes his members will have in the future. He even plans for when Elina, Mal and Slade are older. Which, of course, includes a basketball court. I smirk at the glances between Alisa and Chill and imagine neither is buying his insistence that it’s only for the kids.

“So, what kind of house do you like?” I ask Chill as she, Slade and I sit on her bed looking at various home plans on her computer. We’re spending the morning in bed and relaxing. It feels like it’s been years since I’ve been able to sit and do nothing. I know it won’t last long. Being a prospect means I won’t have too much time for myself, but with Puma out of town and everyone on lockdown, we have the time to just chill.

“I never really thought about it. Never planned on having a home.” Chill says. “What about you Slade? Any thoughts on the type of home you want to live in?”

I love watching Chill and Slade connect. I was worried he would feel some resentment over my finding someone new so soon after his mom’s death, but then Chill told me how his mom had already prepared him for our being together. Nicole and I may not have loved each other, but we cared. And we both loved Slade. I still feel regret for not being there when she needed me the most, but I have to cut myself some slack. After all, she never told me she needed me. I wish she had. Maybe she would still be alive and Slade would have her as well as Chill and me.

“Are you two going to have more kids?” Slade asks and I glance at Chill in time to see her gulp.

“Yeah, are we?” I ask her, grinning when she scowls at me.

“Because you should.” Slade continues. “That means we’ll need a big house. At least six rooms.”

“Six rooms, huh?” I say, holding back my laughter at the look of horror on Chill’s face. “That might work. That gives us room for at least five more kids. Maybe more if they share rooms.”

“Hold on.” Chill protests. “Five kids? No. Not going to happen. I’ll give you one, maybe two, but that’s it.”

“Two? Really?” Slade asks. “That’s great. I was thinking you’d only agree to one. Two would be great.”

“Then why six rooms?” Chill asks in confusion.

“I figured we could each have a playroom.” Slade explains. “Like what Mal and Elina have here. I guess we can make do with just one playroom, but it has to be big enough for all of us to play in.”

Chill falls on her back, shaking her head. I lean over to kiss her and whisper. “Can’t wait to work on the first one.”

She scowls at me, rising when someone knocks on her door.

“Come in.” She calls out.

Dice opens the door and steps in with Avery right behind him.

“Hey, we got a lead on Stone. We’re going to take one of the SUVs and follow him.” Dice says.

“What kind of lead?” Chill asks.

“One of the waitresses at the diner called me.” Dice explains. “I asked her to keep her ears open and send me information. In exchange, she can come to our club parties. She said she overheard him talking on the phone. He told whoever he was talking to that he didn’t have all the ‘merchandise’ yet.” Dice says, his eyes shifting quickly to Slade and then back to Chill. “But she said he agreed to meet with whoever was on the other end of the call. We figure we might learn something if we head out now.”

Chill nods. “Ok, but keep in contact. Have Spark monitor your phones and keep us updated on your whereabouts. It could be a trap.”

“Will do, boss.” Dice says, saluting her before closing the door behind them.

“You want to go with them?” I ask her.

“No, they got it. Although.” She pulls out her phone and makes a call. “Viper, grab Hawk and go for a ride. Follow Dice and Avery, but stay out of sight.” She orders. She ends the call and pulls the computer closer. “Ok, so at least five bedrooms with a monster kid cave. Let’s see what we can find.”

We narrow our choices down to one that we all agree upon. Chill forwards the plan to Spock. He’s looking for a construction company to build the club’s subdivision.

“Let’s grab some lunch.” I suggest.

The three of us make our way to the kitchen, where Wildcard is putting together a massive sandwich. “Any update from Dice yet?” He asks as I pull out the fixings for grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup.

“No, but I have Viper and Hawk following them, just in case they need backup.”

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