He wouldn’t get it with my company.
He’d hired us to guard him, to keep him safe, and to do as he was damn told in certain situations. I should have listened to my gut and not made the month-long contract with him while he traveled. Yet, from what I knew, he hadn’t made a move to go anywhere in his first week.
“I’ll be there in fifteen.”
“You got it, brother,” Torch said, then hung up.
Sighing, I grabbed my keys and made my way out to the garage. The only day I took off, and this little shit was screwing it up. The drive to the office only took me ten, and I pulled around back to the employee parking. I stormed in through the back door and out to the front reception area. Brothers who worked there got out of my way, noting my anger as I slammed through the doors and stopped behind the desk where Torch sat. He scooted his chair back and stood.
“What’s the problem, Mr. Hammond?”
Eric Hammond was a good-looking kid. A rising star. But it’d all gone to his head.
He shot up from his seat and glared. “I asked for guards. I didn’t ask for psychopaths. They pushed my fans out of the way and yelled at them and me in front of thousands.”
I lifted my gaze to Rule, the brother I’d put in charge. “What happened?”
Eric stamped his foot. “I told you what happened. If you want the rest of your money and for me not to release a bad review, I—”
When my gaze sliced down to him, he shut up. I glanced back at Rule.
“He decided he wanted to go shopping. We told him it was a bad idea. He got his way, and when people crowded him, it got out of hand. Was a risk. Then a couple of guys were saying shit about him. One tried to grab him. I took that dick down and he started yelling.”
“He just wanted a photo,” Eric complained with a huff.
“Rule” was all I said.
“We’d overheard them talking about grabbin’ him for ransom.” He tipped his chin toward Torch. “Already emailed the video and audio files in. It’s all in there.”
“This is bullshit,” Eric whined.
“Shut it,” I clipped. “My men don’t fuck around. If they say there was a threat, there was, and they’d have proof to back that up. This was your mistake for not listening to them in the fuckin’ first place. You either get on board and pay attention to everything they say, or we drop you as a client.”
“You can’t do that.”
The front doors opened. Eric’s manager and mother swept in. Eric suddenly paled. He already knew they wouldn’t be pleased with him deviating from his daily plan. Especially since it brought about this situation.
After we explained everything, they scolded Eric for his behavior and ordered him to follow our instructions.
The frowning manager then turned to me. “We had to push back his tour for the up-and-coming movie, but we’re planning on leaving tomorrow. We’d like to keep the contract with your company. They’ve obviously proven themselves invaluable. Unless you’d like to stop working with Eric completely?”
That was an out. I could say fuck it and drop him. But after the lecture they’d given him, Eric seemed well reprimanded and now sat moping in a chair. “As long as he listens, we’ll guard him.”
The manager nodded, but it was the mother who said, “He will. I promise. I’ll keep a better eye on him also.”
With a quick word with Rule and Boss, they left, and I faced Torch. “Next time we have a client like that, tell them I’m not at their beck and call, yeah?” Unless they didn’t listen to my employees like Eric hadn’t. No matter what Rule or Boss said, he was set on seeing me. Dickhead.
Torch’s lips twitched. “Sure, brother. But if I have to deal with them any longer than that, you’ll find their dead body on the ground.”
Groaning, I scrubbed a hand over my face. There wasn’t a doubt that he spoke the truth. Torch had a switch in him that went off when threatened or fucking pissed.
“What are you doin’ in reception in the first place? Where’s West?”
Torch sat down and threw his feet up on the counter. “Lunch with his Russian.”
I’d have to have words with him about leaving Torch to man the phone and counter. But another day.
“Right. I’m headin’ off. Hoping to get a ride in this afternoon. You in?”
“Sounds good.”
“Meet you at the compound in a couple of hours, then.”
He saluted and picked up his phone to play some sort of game on it. Shaking my head, I headed home to get a workout in before the ride.
When I pulled into my drive, my new neighbor—the eldest—was outside and waving me down.
“Fuck my life.” As soon as I was out of my car, she walked over to the fence that divided our properties. “Yeah?”
She flinched a little from my sharp tone but placed a smile on her face and tucked some blonde locks behind her ear. If she was flirting, I wasn’t into it. I just wanted to get inside, work out some of my annoyance, and find peace out on my bike before seeing if one of my hookups was available.
“Sorry to bother you. But we, ah, missed our grocery order, and I—”
I snorted, running my gaze up and down her. “I don’t have a cup of sugar for you, darlin’.”
She blushed. “No, it’s—”
“Not interested.” I turned.
Raya made a noise in the back of her throat. “You’re being rude for no reason, biker guy. I’m obviously not your type, I get it, but you don’t need to be an ass. I’m not coming on to you. All I want are my groceries that were delivered to your front porch.” Then she coughed out, “Jackass.”
Facing her, I raised a brow.
She waved a hand toward my house. “I didn’t want you to come home and find me on your property without permission. My groceries are there, and it has ice cream in them melting. Can I get them?”
Fuck. Now I did feel like a dick. “Fine.”
“Thanks,” she sassed before climbing over the small fence that divided our properties at the side of our houses. Silently, we walked up to my porch. I went to grab a couple of bags for her, but she flicked her hand out. “I’ve got it.”
Sure, I could have proven I wasn’t the prick she thought by insisting I help, but maybe her wrong opinion of me was for the better. So instead, I went inside and closed the door. Not that I went far, wanting to stay and listen.
Her grumbles were too quiet. I couldn’t make them out. Though it wasn’t a surprise that she was bitching about me under her breath. I had acted like a dick and felt slightly bad for it. She got me at the wrong time, when I was already irritated.
Ah, screw it. I didn’t care what she thought of me. Being civil would be enough.
Chapter Two
Raya
Wrenley’s laugh distracted me from glaring at the neighbor’s backyard. At least the fence in the rear is tall, so I don’t have to see his annoying, handsome face.
I glanced over at my sister, who was lounging in an outdoor chair, and asked, “What?”
“It’s funny how you’re still pissed at the guy two days later.”