“Yeah—too fast.” Charger’s expression confirmed it. “Looks like Griffen felt the heat and unloaded the logistics business Monica worked for.”
Sloan cursed under his breath, dragging a hand down his face. “King is going to lose his shit.”
“Well, all isn’t lost.” Charger’s tone shifted. “Seems Griffen’s already moved on. Got himself a new operation. Antique imports and exports for the wealthy.”
That snagged Sloan’s attention. “Local?”
Charger nodded. “Yep. And that’s not even the best part.” A half-grin tugged at his mouth. “Kane may have his hands full with this one.”
Sloan raised a brow. “What now?”
“Griffen put someone else in charge. A guy named Neil Farrar. He showed up last night, practically begging Monica to come back to work. Says Griffen insisted she return.”
Sloan felt the suspicion roll in like a cold front. “How the hell is Kane supposed to get on the inside?”
Charger let out a short laugh and shook his head. “Oh, that’s the best part. Kane is Monica’s bodyguard. He will be straight-up glued to her ass. We have to set up a whole new persona for him because they definitely want a background check on him.”
Sloan frowned, eyes narrowing. “And this Farrar guy fell for it?”
“Yeah, well… time will tell on that.” Charger thumbed through his phone. “Kane’s damn good, but he usually slips into one of his established personas. Playing ‘bodyguard with a new name’ wasn’t exactly on his menu.”
Sloan grunted with a nod. It took a special person to go undercover. Kane definitely seemed like the man for the job.
“I heard Duncan’s the best at fake identification,” Charger added, still scrolling.
“He is,” Sloan confirmed. “He’s on patrol. How fast do you need it?”
“Yesterday.” Charger didn’t even blink. “I’ve got Jinx handling all the digital footprints. Once he’s done, Noah Reid will officially exist.”
Sloan lifted a brow. “That’s the name he’s going with?”
“Yeah. Any of his old aliases would’ve blown the bodyguard angle.” Charger looked up as the kitchen doors swung open and Warriors poured out with the smell of fried chicken.
Before Sloan could respond, Jared strolled out like he owned the place. “Sid kicked us out and told me to find you. Says he wants you front and center when he wipes the floor with your mate and takes your thousand bucks.”
Sloan didn’t even spare Jared a glance as he looked through the closing kitchen door to see Becky. His mind was still partly on Kane, but mainly on Becky, who looked beautiful with flour on her cheek, sleeves rolled to her elbows, and her brow furrowed in that focused way that somehow fucked him up more than lingerie ever could. Damn.
He looked back at Charger as the door closed completely. “I’ll call in Duncan. Someone else can take his patrol.”
“Appreciate it.” Charger gave a quick nod. “I’ll keep you updated.”
As Charger walked off, Jared leaned in. “What was that all about?”
Before Sloan could answer, Sid burst out of the kitchen, his gaze instantly falling on Sloan. “Perfect. You’re here. Figured you hightailed it back to your office.” He pointed at Sloan with a grin too smug for his own good, then looked at everyone else. “Paperand pencils are on the tables. Chicken is labeled A and B. Taste, decide, and vote.”
The hallway was filling up fast with off-duty Warriors and mates trickling in, all drawn by the smell of fried chicken like it was a dinner bell.
“You take this shit way too seriously,” Jared muttered, brushing past Sid.
“Who’s he challenging this time?” Jax asked as he walked up with Caroline.
“Becky,” Steve announced, then jabbed a thumb toward Sloan. “And the bossman here threw a grand on her.”
Jax let out a low whistle. “Damn, that’s one hell of a bet. Hate to tell you this, boss, but Sid’s fried chicken is the best I’ve ever had.”
“You haven’t had Becky’s,” Sloan said simply, and with absolute conviction, before stepping back into the kitchen.
His gaze found her instantly leaning against the counter, arms crossed, eyes scanning the growing crowd. She looked calm, but he’d known her long enough to see the thin line of tension in her shoulders. Then she spotted him, and her soft, warm smile hit him square in the chest. But the worry in her eyes pulled him the rest of the way to her.