Page 49 of Bolt (Iron Thunder MC 1)
We left the Clubhouse together and she got on my bike. This time, neither of us hesitated in perching ourselves close together. She clung to me tightly and I could feel her shape molded with mine. Her breath fell hotly on the back of my head. I knew she was smiling even though I wasn’t looking at her.
I rode us over to the Club’s business office.
Cassie got off the bike, looking at the door. The office was on the edge of town, in the middle of a small business center.
“What are we doing here?” she asked, confused.
“This is where we conduct our security services business from. I wanted you to see the legitimate side of Iron Thunder,” I replied.
She seemed excited and we walked in.
There were two guys in the office today—Max and Luca. They stood up the moment they saw me enter.
“Morning, Bolt,” Max said. He gave up his seat so I could take the chair at the main desk.
“Morning guys. Go get a coffee for yourselves. We’re good here for a few minutes,” I said.
Cassie smiled at the guys as they left the office. Then she came over to me. I opened up the files and ledgers on the desk.
“Wow. This place looks like a regular office. I mean, those guys are in work shirts and dress pants!” She was laughing. “Are they even really members of the MC?”
I smiled as I glanced through the logs. “Yes, they very much are. They drew the short straws this month for manning the office. Next month, it’ll be two different guys from the MC. We keep this office running like any regular business service.”
“And you offer security?”
“Yeah, protection services. Like bodyguards and bouncers. We have a team of trained men who do it on contracts.”
Cassie sat in the chair across from me. I was going to need a few more minutes to look through the numbers and make sure everything was in order. She was silent during that time. When I closed the files, she spoke again.
“I am so happy the Club has accepted me, despite all that stuff with Chip.”
“You gave them a logical explanation. I trust you and they trust me.”
Cassie nodded.
“Yes, and I can’t wait for us to start building a relationship…”
“But?” I asked. I felt like something was coming.
“But I can’t help but feel anxious about this lifestyle. I know I shouldn’t. I trust you completely to keep me safe, but it’s just that…I’ve never lived a life surrounded by this kind of violence.”
I took in a deep breath. Maybe it would’ve been easier to tell her to walk away now. To take the safer route and stay away from me. But I wasn’t willing to give up this easily.
“It isn’t always this chaotic. Most days, it’s just us running this business, training guys, riding our bikes and chilling at the Clubhouse.”
“What about the shipment of weapons? Isn’t that something you always have to worry about?”
“It isn’t something we worry about, no. It’s risky business and it involves some muscle power and knowing the right contacts, but it’s a source of money for us and a way to keep our territory safe.”
Cassie sighed and looked away.
“I’m not trying to tell you how to lead your life.”
“This is something you will have to accept as a way of your life too. It’s the only way we can make this work,” I said.
Cassie looked at me. She blinked a few times like she was thinking, then she stood up and came toward me. I was in the chair and she stood behind me, throwing her arms around my neck and kissing the side of my head.
“I am willing to accept whatever way of life you have to offer if it means I get to spend it with you.”
I swiveled around in my chair and pulled her to me.
“And what about your brother? When are you going to break the news to him?”
“He was a part of your Club, he wanted to be a part of it. I’m sure he’ll understand the appeal. Besides, I’m an adult. He was the one who committed the crime. He will eventually come around. He will have to.”
She kissed my lips, perching herself on my lap, and I moved my hands up the shirt she was wearing—one of mine since I’d ruined her blouse from yesterday.
“What else about your life can you show me?” she asked, gently pulling away from me.
“Do you want to see where I live? When I’m not at the Clubhouse.”
Cassie’s eyes brightened, her cheeks flushed.
“Yes! Most definitely, yes. I want to see the side of Justin Daniels that he hides away in the privacy of his own apartment.”
I stood up and we walked out of the office hand-in-hand. Max and Luca met us at the door and I briefly discussed the sales and business meetings with them before we left.
