“Nice to meet you, Riley.” She smiled, offering a little wave with her bright red fingernails.
“And this is Layla,” I added as Layla stepped forward, wrapping Roxy in a hug.
“It’s nice to meet you in person, Roxy.” She smiled in welcome. “And to see you again, Thorn,” she added, returning to my side. “Come on in, make yourselves comfortable. What can I get you both to drink?”
“Beer for me,” Thorn rumbled.
“White wine if you have it, honey,” Roxy added as Thorn wrapped a hand around her shoulders in an obvious gesture of affection and likely comfort. It was a big moment for everyone.
Layla nodded and headed for the fridge.
“Looks like the pool’s come a long way since I was last here,” Thorn noted, eyeing the backyard, which was still in the midst of construction. “Who’s going to be swimming in it, though?” he pondered aloud.
For someone who’d never had kids, he certainly knew how to lay out the bait.
“Me!” Riley exclaimed. “I will! Every day!”
Thorn bit back a smile. “Oh yeah? Do you know how to swim?”
“No, but my daddy’s going to teach me,” she replied.
“I bet you’ll be like a little mermaid by the end of the summer.” Roxy grinned as Layla returned with drinks, including a beer for me.
Riley’s eyes got comically large as she looked at Roxy in awe. She was in a serious mermaid phase. “You think so? Really?”
Roxy got down on her haunches so that she was at Riley’s level. “I know so. And guess what? Once you learn how to swim, and if your parents say it’s okay, there are mermaid tails you can wear in the pool. I’ll get you one.”
Riley’s shriek was nearly earsplitting.
“I think she likes that idea.” Layla laughed.
And with that, the initial tension I hadn’t realized I’d been feeling ebbed. Everything was so new, but we all wanted to try, that much was clear. I’d found that in life that was usually the hardest part.
I had a second beer in hand and was feeling mellow when Gunner caught my gaze from across the room an hour later. The house was full of club members and even a few Black Riders. Layla was in the kitchen talking to Wren and Liv. Riley was sitting on the counter, chattering away to Roxy, who was watching her with such a loving expression, you’d hardly believe they’d just met. Then again, I knew firsthand how easy it was to immediately love Riley.
I gave Gunner a nod, cocking my head toward the back patio. I pointed toward Cole and Thorn with a raised brow, wondering if they should join us. At Gunner’s nod, I tapped Cole on the back and made eye contact with Thorn before heading out the back door. I knew that’d be all I’d need to do.
I stopped at the railing, leaning against it, arms crossed as the three men gathered around.
Gunner cleared his throat. “You know I’ve been looking into the ADA. I wanted to find something we could pin on him. Something big enough to put him on notice that the shit he’s been pulling with the Riders and may have been thinking of doing to us won’t stand.”
“And?” Cole growled impatiently.
“Took me a while to find what I was looking for. He hid his tracks well, but I knew with an asshole like him all I had to do was follow the money. The money that, as it turns out, he’s been stealing from taxpayers to supply his sex and coke addictions.”
I let out a low whistle. “No shit.”
“No shit,” Gunner affirmed. “I don’t think the state of Nevada would be too thrilled if they knew what he was up to.”
“Or his wife,” I grunted.
“He may be alerted to someone looking into him, since I was able to access his offshore accounts,” Gunner continued. “Whatever we’re gonna do, we need to do it fast.”
Thorn looked to Cole. “We’re not taking him out.” It wasn’t a question, but you could still hear the disdain in his tone.
Cole shook his head. “Not unless he forces our hand. And you know why.”
“Fuck,” Thorn grumbled.