Joker furrowed his brow at me curiously. “Are we talking about the same risk here?” he asked with an interested little quirk to his mouth.
I cleared my throat. “Someone will have to be with him at all times when he’s on-site, right?”
“Sure will,” Joker said with a grin. “You gonna sign up?”
“Of course,” I said curtly, ignoring the implication behind Joker’s words. “I vouched for him, didn’t I? You better be picking up some shifts, too.”
To my relief, Joker didn’t push, just laughed and raised his bottle in a cheers. I lifted my coffee cup in acknowledgment.
I was a professional. This wouldn’t be a problem.
Right?
5
Dawson
I slammed the tailgate of my truck closed and slung my toolbelt on. I’d brought out the heavy duty one for today—it wrapped around my waist, and then had straps that went up and over my shoulders. Simply because I had to carry a lot more shit to the jobsite. That was the only downside of working this job for Hell’s Ankhor—couldn’t back my truck right up to the site.
In terms of downsides, though, that one was manageable. Getting banned from Ballast was a bigger downside. I was still pretty fucking embarrassed—but at the same time, I felt like I needed to prove to Brennan and the club that I wasn’t a drunk. That even if I’d overindulged a couple times in my off hours, it wasn’t going to affect the quality of my work. It never had, and it never would.
I was early to the job site today. I was never late, always punctual to work, but today I’d woken up even earlier than usual. I hadn’t had a single beer last night—proving to myself that I didn’t need it. I’d had coffee, breakfast, and still gotten to work before the start time. I was in a good mood, nearly whistling as I strolled down the path through the club’s wooded property to the in-progress cabins.
Despite the early hour, though, I wasn’t the first to arrive. Brennan was already on-site, standing near the foundation of the cabin with Joker at his side, while Mal and Nix spoke to them both. Mal’s arms were crossed over his chest. From this far away, I couldn’t hear the conversation, but whatever it was, it didn’t look good. Brennan tipped his head down a little then pinched the bridge of his nose in a familiar expression of exasperation. Joker immediately reached out and smoothed his hand soothingly over Brennan’s back.
Annoyance flared in me. I wasn’t jealous—at least, not romantically—but I couldn’t help but feel a little abandoned. Excluded. I used to be the one Brennan would lean on for support, especially at work, but now it looked like Joker was filling that role, too.
How long would it be before Brennan didn’t need me at all? Until I was relegated back to the role of coworker and ex, instead of best friend?
I shook off that thought. That was definitely melodramatic. Just because Brennan had a boyfriend didn’t mean he was going to toss me to the curb like a discarded Christmas tree. It’s just that it had been me and Brennan against the world for so long, and now I had to share him, and it was going to take some more getting used to. I was glad he was happy, but honestly, a part of me was jealous. Jealous that Brennan had found love, and I still had to deal with this world alone.
Nix said something to Brennan that made Mal nod in agreement.
I wanted someone in my corner, the way that Brennan had Joker. I couldn’t help but think that if I had that kind of support, this would all be easier. And even though it was silly, I couldn’t help but wonder what it would be like to have Nix on my side. He was so calm, and thoughtful, and steady—even when I was all riled up, his presence made me feel a little more in control.
Too bad, though. We’d had sex once and a few conversations after that—that was no basis for a relationship. Hell, I was lucky Nix was even willing to talk to me after how much of an asshole I’d been.
Whatever those four were talking about, it was time to make myself known. I squared my shoulders and walked up to the jobsite, flashing my best, most professional smile. “Hey, guys. I see I’m not the only one getting an early start today.”
“Dawson,” Brennan said. He already looked disappointed. Ugh. The workday hadn’t even started yet. And the morning had started out so good, too.
“Glad you’re here,” Mal said. “Listen, we’re going to have a slight change to the way things are done during this job.”
My heart sank. “What kind of change?”
“Typically,” Mal said, “after behavior like yours at Ballast, we’d end the contract entirely.”
“What?” I stared wide-eyed at Brennan, who just shook his head and held up a hand before I could start arguing.
“But in this case, Joker and Nix have vouched for you,” Mal explained. “So the contract stands, but you’ll need a chaperone whenever you’re on-site.”
“What?” I repeated, a little louder this time.
“And,” Mal continued as if I hadn’t spoken, “we’ll expect you to keep things professional whenever you’re on club property. That means no drinking in any capacity, nor unprofessional conduct with members—during work or otherwise. And if you step out of line, Joker and Nix will be the ones to make amends to the club. They’ve put their standing with the club on the line for you.”
He said it like they were doing me a favor. Anger flared hot in my chest. So I’d had a few too many drinks—that didn’t mean I deserved to get treated like a teenager who’d gotten caught stealing from the liquor cabinet. I didn’t need babysitters to do my job.
“This is fucking ridiculous,” I snapped. “Brennan, have you already made it clear that this is ridiculous?”
“Dawson,” Brennan said, a little pained. “Please.”
“So you’re okay with this?” I asked incredulously.
I glared at Mal, unable to tamp down my anger even though I knew, somewhere under the overwhelming surge of emotion, that this wasn’t exactly the best way to prove my professionalism. Especially after Mal had just told me that I’d almost lost us this contract.
Despite that knowledge, though, I couldn’t stand for being so disrespected.
“I’m fine staying out of Ballast—I already told Gunnar I agreed to that,” I said. “Didn’t even push back. So why the fuck are there more rules? I haven’t done anything during work hours to deserve this. This level of interference is just plain fuckin’ disrespectful. We’re all adults here.”
“Would you rather lose the contract?” Brennan asked through gritted teeth.
“That’s not what this is about,” I snapped, even though it was.
Joker rubbed Brennan’s back again, and my gaze flickered to Nix before I could think otherwise. He was watching with a small frown on his face, brows knitted together. More than anything he looked… concerned. And somehow that only irritated me more. I just wanted someone to be on my side, to recognize how unnecessary and childish this whole thing was.
“Club rules are different than civilian rules,” Mal explained in a painfully gentle voice, like I was a kid throwing a tantrum. “Even if you don’t like them, we have rules that apply to all members and all civilians who work for us, or even just patronize our businesses. It’s how we keep things running smoothly and safely. Having a chaperone when you’re on our premises is a standard—actually, a light consequence to getting barred from Ballast.”