“Thanks, man.”
“Anything to help with business and keep you two around, buddy,” he says before he waves and heads over to his truck.
“Want me to get started on her file tonight?” Gavin asks as he shoves his notepad and pen back into his backpack.
“No, we’re not even hired yet. I’ll let you know tomorrow after I meet with her.”
“Do you want me there for the meeting?” he asks and I shake my head.
“Don’t you have a non-date with Ophelia?” I ask him with a grin, and he seems to deflate and perk up all at once at the sound of her name.
“Yeah, but it’s in the afternoon. I have time in the morning.”
“I’ve got it, but I’ll let you know what happens tomorrow.”
“Sounds good,” he says as he climbs into his Jeep and takes off.
Wesley is from Texas, and Gavin and I followed him back here when we all were discharged from the military. He’s got a family ranch just outside of town that he runs with his two brothers and sister.
I’ve met the King family before when I was home on leave with Wesley and they welcomed me and Gavin in as part of their family right away.
That’s lucky for me, because otherwise I would have no one.
My parents were killed on their tenth wedding anniversary. They went scuba diving and their equipment malfunctioned. My dad tried to save my mom, but they were down too deep.
I was only six and I barely remember them. The strongest memory is at their funeral, surrounded by people that I barely knew.
From there, I went and lived with my grandparents. They passed when I was seventeen and I lived by myself until I graduated high school and joined the Army. I did three years in the Army before I became an Army Ranger.
It was there that I found and made my own family.
The closest member of that family is Wesley and Gavin, which is how I ended up in Texas after we all got out. I wanted to be close to my best friends, and I knew that Wesley was going home to help out with the family ranch. Gavin grew up just down the street but his best friend and the girl that he’s in love with live in Diamond now, so I’m not surprised that he does too.
I thought that I would help Wesley and the Kings out, but ranching isn’t for me, which is how I came to the idea to open my own bodyguard firm. Gavin was on board as soon as I brought up the idea and I know that he wasn’t a fan of ranch and ranch life either.
I think about the new client as I hop on my bike and take off down the street toward the Diamond Kings MC clubhouse.
The client’s looks or my feelings for her aren’t an issue. I’ve always been able to control myself. The other guys in my unit were always getting suckered in by a pretty face, but not me.
My biggest concern is going to be narrowing down the potential leads. If she’s famous, then it’s not going to be a small pool of suspects. It’s going to be hundreds.
I don’t even have the job yet, I remind myself, pushing thoughts of possible threats out of my mind as I make the turn onto the clubhouse drive.
The clubhouse is an old converted barn. It’s not much to look at from the outside, but the inside has all been renovated. There’s a large room right when you walk in and that’s where all of our meetings are held. Past that is a section with pool tables and a bar where most of the guys go to drink in the evenings. I think that they hold meals here too, but I’ve never been to those.
I joined the Diamond Kings MC for the same reason that I joined the military. I wanted to belong to something. I wanted a family or at least friends and I’ve always liked bikes.
The guys in the MC know that I’m not afraid to get my hands dirty and I’ve grown close to a few of them since I joined a couple of months back. We all have cabins on the property and I think that I’m the only one who doesn’t use mine. I wanted more space, more privacy. Plus, I knew that I was going to be running the business or at least my office out of my place and the cabin wasn’t quite big enough.
I park my bike next to the row of others and hurry to climb off. I’ve still got a few minutes until the meeting is set to start, but I hate being late and the military taught me that if you’re not ten minutes early, you’re late.
I take the front porch steps two at a time and let out a deep breath as I enter the main room.
It looks like I’m the last to arrive for church and I look around for an empty seat. I pass by Tank and Dare but they’re busy talking so I keep going. Devil is leaning against the far wall and I nod at him as I go.
Crow is talking with some of the prospects and I clap him on the shoulder as I pass.
I nod to a few members, stopping to shake hands or give fist bumps as I move to take my seat. Ruin, the pres, walks to the front of a room a few minutes early and I try to pay attention as he starts the meeting.