AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Kane
The happy buzz Kane associated with a new day on the construction site took a hike without his best friend there. Unfortunately, Brick had earned himself a little R&R at the wrong end of a gun after the showdown with Sucre, and he wouldn’t be back for at least a week. Another guy on the team was hurt even worse, so it was basically a skeleton crew working to catch up on a project already hemorrhaging money for the company.
The man who commissioned the build had decided he wanted major modifications to the plans. It would’ve been fine, except he didn’t make up his mind until after the work had already started, and he flat-out refused to pay for the cost of the changes. It meant a mad scramble for the team to make their deadlines, while their foreman weathered major pressure from the higher-ups to satisfy the client.
If it were up to him, he would’ve told the buyer to go fuck himself and put the damn house on the market, but nobody had asked for his opinion.
He’d barely strapped on his hard hat when a gangly guy clutching a clipboard darted between him and the front door. “Have you seen Brick?” the kid asked breathlessly.
Robby was the foreman’s assistant and had imprinted on Brick like a baby duckling. The young man blew his floppy brown bangs out of his eyes and blinked rapidly.
“Sorry, kid. Not yet.” He softened his voice at the disappointment on Robby’s face. “He texted me, though. Told me he’s out of the hospital. His girl Olivia is taking good care of him. Don’t know much about Will, though.”
Will was Olivia’s brother and the other member of the construction crew who had been shot Saturday night. One of Sucre’s goons snatched her before all the killing started at the bar. Brick put the punk down, but not before the fucker put bullets in both Brick and Will during their rescue operation.
Robby’s eyebrows scrunched down. “It doesn’t feel right for us to be here worrying about this stupid house while they’re hurt.”
“I hear you. But we’ve got to make sure they have jobs to come back to. We can’t get any further behind on this build.” He firmed his jaw. “Are the other guys here?”
Inclining his head toward the entryway, Robby sighed. “Yeah. They’re just getting started. You can head in.” He stepped out of the way but called out before Kane made it to the door. “I know you’re his best friend. You’ll let me know if you get any updates, right?”
A lump formed in his throat. He couldn’t remember the last time he had a friend outside of the MC, but Robby was right; he and Brick had become tight. “I promise. I’ll go see him before the end of the day. Now I’m gonna get to work. This house isn’t going to finish itself.”
***
Amanda
“Are you shitting me?” Perry’s voice rose in pitch with each word. She sat rigid and straight in her seat. “Which ones?”
Amanda paused at her receptionist’s desk. She’d never heard the woman curse on the business line before.
“Well, are they going to live?” Her hand covered her mouth and the bottom of the phone. “Okay, okay. They’ll be in our prayers, Xander. I’ll let Miss Griffin know what’s going on.”
Did she say Xander?
Her heart stuttered. Xander was the foreman of Kane Hale’s crew. Kane. Her first love. Her only love. The man off-limits to her now and forever.
Iswhogoing to live?
A hundred questions swarmed in her head, but she couldn’t make her mouth form any of the words. She stood frozen, trying to force herself to breathe.
Perry set down the receiver with a stunned expression. “Two guys on Xander’s crew got shot over the weekend.”
The words pierced through her heart like a poison-tipped arrow. Staggering back, she stumbled over her too-high heels and landed gracelessly in one of the chairs ringing the perimeter of the room. The Cooper Construction lobby was easily five hundred square feet with stylish hardwood floors and soothing mint green walls. Walls now closing in on her.
Her eyes burned; her mouth ran dry.
The fucking biker life finally caught up with him.
“—Barlow and Will Turner. He said Brick is out of the hospital, and he’s visiting Will today.” Perry’s words didn’t completely register.
She licked her dry lips and croaked, “What?”
“Brick and Will,” the receptionist repeated slowly. “Are you okay, Miss Griffin? Do you know them? I know your brother usually deals with Xander and his team.”
She nodded absently, relief wreaking as much havoc on her body as the fear had. Now tears threatened.
But she’d never let them fall.
