watching
Brooks loose a smoke from his pack and place it between his perfect lips...I
feel a pang of wanting for something ,
all right.
“You can’t smoke in here,” Kelly objects, planting her hands
on her hips. “This is Kassie’s home, too. Not just your buddy’s bachelor pad.”
“Well, actually,” Tiberi starts, tugging Kassie tighter
against his side, “I was thinking we could let Brooks call this place home for
a while, too.”
“What?!” Kassie and Kelly exclaim in unison.
“Didn’t think of mentioning that before now, Dec?” Brooks
laughs.
“I’m sorry, I don’t even know who you are,” Kassie says to
Brooks.
“I’m one of the family,” he smiles, gesturing to his cut.
“Brooks is our newest member,” Tiberi explains.
Of course. There was one blank space in the Dante’s Nine
ranks on the FBI wall. Mitchell told me that this club always needs nine
members. Part of the original charter, laid out by the current president and
the first nine members. Guess they’ve filled that final spot. And damn, if they
didn’t choose well.
Stop it, I chide myself, Sure he’s hot,
but he’s a criminal. Get it together .
“I don’t understand,” Kassie says, “how is he a member, just
like that? He didn’t prospect or anything.”
“Not every member has to be a prospect first,” Tiberi
shrugs. From what I understand, being a prospect is like being a trial member
of an MC. There can be a fair amount of hazing that goes into it, too. But
something tells me that none of the other members will be messing with the
likes of Brooks.
“So, what, you guys just hit it off at the bar, and now he’s
a member that we’re supposed to put up?” Kelly goes on, a frown twisting her
pretty mouth.
“I’ve known Brooks for years,” Tiberi snaps. From his steely
glare, I can tell there’s a little bit of tension between Kelly and the Dante’s
Nine VP. Totally understandable, of course. Best friends and significant others
often lock horns. Unless this conflict goes deeper...?
“We were in the Navy together,” Brooks offers, tucking the
cigarette behind his ear for the moment. “Or at least, near each other. I was a mechanic. Fixed all
those fancy planes and got ‘em flying again.”
“We put Brooks’ membership to a vote right away,” Tiberi
goes on. “I would trust this man with my life any day.”
“From what I recall, you already have,” Brooks grins. “One
loose screw and that pretty plane of yours would have gone down like a lead
balloon.”
“Is that your standard for membership now, Dec?” Kelly
murmurs. “Just as long as there are no loose screws—?”
“The vote was unanimous,” Tiberi says, ignoring her. “Brooks
is a man of Dante’s Nine now. And he needs a place to stay until he sets down
roots here in Vegas.”
“Dec, you know we’ve been using this suite as our
CrowdedNest offices,” Kassie says pointedly. “We need the space. Especially now
that there are three of us.”
“I don’t mean to cause any trouble,” Brooks says, holding up
his hard, capable hands. I, for one, don’t believe that for a second. Something
tells me that causing trouble is what this man does best.
“You’re not causing trouble, Brooks,” Tiberi says, turning
his stormy gaze on Kassie. “I seem to remember a time we housed a friend of
yours here, Kass. You didn’t have a problem with an extra occupant then. Kelly
moved right on in—”
“We weren’t using the space then,” Kassie replies. “Why
didn’t you talk to me about this before promising—”
“Why didn’t you talk to me before
hiring some girl we’ve never met,” Tiberi shoots back.
Tiberi, Kassie, and Kelly fall into surly silence, looking
back and forth between me and Brooks—the problematic newcomers. My heart is
balled into a tight, panicked fist. Maybe this was a terrible idea. Maybe I
should turn on my heel, run out of here, and never look back.
But before I can move a muscle, Brooks pushes himself
Brooks loose a smoke from his pack and place it between his perfect lips...I
feel a pang of wanting for something ,
all right.
“You can’t smoke in here,” Kelly objects, planting her hands
on her hips. “This is Kassie’s home, too. Not just your buddy’s bachelor pad.”
“Well, actually,” Tiberi starts, tugging Kassie tighter
against his side, “I was thinking we could let Brooks call this place home for
a while, too.”
“What?!” Kassie and Kelly exclaim in unison.
“Didn’t think of mentioning that before now, Dec?” Brooks
laughs.
“I’m sorry, I don’t even know who you are,” Kassie says to
Brooks.
“I’m one of the family,” he smiles, gesturing to his cut.
“Brooks is our newest member,” Tiberi explains.
Of course. There was one blank space in the Dante’s Nine
ranks on the FBI wall. Mitchell told me that this club always needs nine
members. Part of the original charter, laid out by the current president and
the first nine members. Guess they’ve filled that final spot. And damn, if they
didn’t choose well.
Stop it, I chide myself, Sure he’s hot,
but he’s a criminal. Get it together .
“I don’t understand,” Kassie says, “how is he a member, just
like that? He didn’t prospect or anything.”
“Not every member has to be a prospect first,” Tiberi
shrugs. From what I understand, being a prospect is like being a trial member
of an MC. There can be a fair amount of hazing that goes into it, too. But
something tells me that none of the other members will be messing with the
likes of Brooks.
“So, what, you guys just hit it off at the bar, and now he’s
a member that we’re supposed to put up?” Kelly goes on, a frown twisting her
pretty mouth.
“I’ve known Brooks for years,” Tiberi snaps. From his steely
glare, I can tell there’s a little bit of tension between Kelly and the Dante’s
Nine VP. Totally understandable, of course. Best friends and significant others
often lock horns. Unless this conflict goes deeper...?
“We were in the Navy together,” Brooks offers, tucking the
cigarette behind his ear for the moment. “Or at least, near each other. I was a mechanic. Fixed all
those fancy planes and got ‘em flying again.”
“We put Brooks’ membership to a vote right away,” Tiberi
goes on. “I would trust this man with my life any day.”
“From what I recall, you already have,” Brooks grins. “One
loose screw and that pretty plane of yours would have gone down like a lead
balloon.”
“Is that your standard for membership now, Dec?” Kelly
murmurs. “Just as long as there are no loose screws—?”
“The vote was unanimous,” Tiberi says, ignoring her. “Brooks
is a man of Dante’s Nine now. And he needs a place to stay until he sets down
roots here in Vegas.”
“Dec, you know we’ve been using this suite as our
CrowdedNest offices,” Kassie says pointedly. “We need the space. Especially now
that there are three of us.”
“I don’t mean to cause any trouble,” Brooks says, holding up
his hard, capable hands. I, for one, don’t believe that for a second. Something
tells me that causing trouble is what this man does best.
“You’re not causing trouble, Brooks,” Tiberi says, turning
his stormy gaze on Kassie. “I seem to remember a time we housed a friend of
yours here, Kass. You didn’t have a problem with an extra occupant then. Kelly
moved right on in—”
“We weren’t using the space then,” Kassie replies. “Why
didn’t you talk to me about this before promising—”
“Why didn’t you talk to me before
hiring some girl we’ve never met,” Tiberi shoots back.
Tiberi, Kassie, and Kelly fall into surly silence, looking
back and forth between me and Brooks—the problematic newcomers. My heart is
balled into a tight, panicked fist. Maybe this was a terrible idea. Maybe I
should turn on my heel, run out of here, and never look back.
But before I can move a muscle, Brooks pushes himself
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