Page 67 of Truck

“You tell me who said Tracker could come? Because whoever it was, I’ll beat them until they are as fucked up as I am.”

Rum laughs loudly. “Do you think your president needs an invitation? He misses nothing. He is the best leader of anything I’ve ever known, and you know I was military when young and stupid.”

“You are probably right. He knows everything about everyone. Do you think Dice is coping at the gas station?”

“He has Ian with him. They’ll be fine. Ian is a good young man, and he enjoys working at the gas station. He’ll be a fine brother to the club when the time comes,” Rum always speaks as he sees things, and he’s not wrong, Ian will make a good brother, and I don’t think it will be long before he is put forward for full brother status.

“Just look at Grady,” and I shake my head at the sight. “He’s ducking and weaving like an Olympic athlete. Honestly, if he doesn’t do something with his skill, it would be a hell of a waste.”

“I agree. He has scored four times, and I think he’s done it without struggling. Unlike Rory who insisted on playing, and Truck, she is damn useless on the ice.” Rum laughs, and I admit I do too, because at that moment, Tracker picks her up from the ice and pushes her to the side out of the way of the full-speed skating heading their way.

“Another incident averted,” I state with amusement in my voice.

As we watch Grady skate quickly up the middle of the rink, hits the puck which slides easily between Phoenix’s legs, but when he follows the puck right through the legs too I can’t help but jump to my feet and holler, “Great play, Grady!”

Grady ignores me, but I can see him grinning as he scores again. This has been a great opportunity for Grady to decide whether he wants to play ice hockey or not.

“Get him coached, Truck. If that’s what he wants. He will need all the right training so he doesn’t get stupid injuries,” Rum slaps my shoulder as he gets to his feet. “That’s me. I’m going home to have a hot shower before I head to the diner for a beef dinner.”

It’s not long before the game ends, and the brothers are all laughing, rubbing sore places, but it shows they have had a great time.

Rory is slow coming off the ice, but when she reaches me she whispers, “I hurt everywhere. But did you see Grady? He was magnificent.”

“Yeah, he was, babe. He really was.”

Chapter 35

TRACKER

“Pres!” Rides sticks his head around the office door. Looking up, he has a huge smile on his face. “Jeremy is here to speak to you.”

“Send him in,” I respond while placing the pen down and closing my laptop. It’s a natural instinct to close it when anyone enters the office, that is not an officer of the club. I wait for Jeremy to enter and point for him to take a seat.

After sitting, Jeremy leans forward. “Your house is finished. I thought we would be at least three more weeks, but it seems the team working here split the finishing touches to both yours and Truck’s houses, so they were done around the same time.” Leaning forward, Jeremy places a set of keys on the desk in front of me.

“We are finishing the front of the plot you chose. The borders are going in tomorrow. Once they are done, we will resin the area as you asked us to. We wanted to do that as the last thing so it would be the last time we needed to be on the plot.”

“Okay, that’s good. I’ll take a look around when it’s completed. Have you been paid?” I ask, but know if he had invoiced us, Coin would pay at once. I had made sure I gave the money to Coin, so it was on hand when the job was finished.

“Yes, I invoiced Coin, and he transferred the payment at once. I have to say both you and Truck have paid quickly, which has helped my business. I don’t like leaving my suppliers waiting for payment, but sometimes I can’t always pay up front when the job is a large one.” Jeremy stands and makes his way to the door.

“There is going to be plenty of work if the brothers decide to build on the compound, Jeremy. Have you taken the six crew members on permanently?” I have a thought, and I’m hoping he says no to this question.

“No, I have not. Trouble is, for me at least, if the work dries up, they’ll be the first to be off my payroll. So, I’m paying them as casual workers,” Jeremy replies. Now, I like Jeremy well enough, but in this case, he’s not being fair to the six men who are working their asses off for his firm to get our houses built on the compound.

I can remedy that for my own satisfaction. It will, however, put Jeremy’s nose out of joint. I just nod casually and look down, effectively letting him know I’m done with the conversation.

Walking out of my office, I peek into Cap’s. “Do you want to come for a ride?”

“Sure, I’m always up for riding my girl.”

I laugh. “You know that could be taken out of context don’t you.”

“Yeah, yeah, come on smart ass,” Cap chuckles as he follows me out of the clubhouse.

Before we leave the compound, Rides, and Hot Rod slide into position behind Cap and I. I’m not surprised as it’s rare that I get out of the compound with only one brother with me, and I cannot ever remember the last time I went for a ride alone.

I rode around town for a while, enjoying the sight of the town at peace. After cleaning the club of the brothers that needed to be got rid of, it was noticeable how the town breathed more easily and vindicated, for me at least, the decision I made.