Page 113 of Make or Break

After a long blink, I sighed. “That isn’t your business, brother.”

“I know that, but how about humoring me? I’ve suspected you had money for a while now.”

My head reared back. “Seriously?”

Volt twisted his free hand up. “Most brothers don’t work a job at Platinum’s without demanding a raise or moving into management. If you have money, you sure as hell aren’t flashy about it.”

I took a deep breath, reluctant as usual to share. “I got close to four million in a trust.”

A calculating gleam hit Volt’s eyes. “What about that property you got between Starke and Gainesville? It’s a tree farm, isn’t it?”

My fists clenched and I ground my teeth together. “How the fuck do you know that? Have you been looking into me for some reason?”

“No, brother. Last May, before you headed out to help Bluff and Alexandra, I overheard you talking to someone about taking care of the farm. You said it was nothing but trees so it wasn’t so difficult.”

I loosened my jaw and nodded as I recalled the conversation. I’d asked Brandy to have Seth go check on the property because the caretaker had a family emergency and was going to be out of town for two weeks.

“Why do you seem angry that I know about that?” Volt asked.

“It’s been my experience that people change how they treat me when they find out I have money. Hell, it’s one of the things I love about Mick. She found out and not a damn thing changed. That’s never happened with another woman. So, knowing that you figured out I got money feels invasive.”

Volt shook his head. “You know it isn’t anything like that.”

I nodded slowly. “Yeah, but there’s no guarantee that the other brothers will be as cool.”

“I doubt that. Are you thinking of buying out the club’s investment in the bar?”

I shrugged. “It’s not my decision alone, Volt. I can’t say until I talk to her and hear what she wants. If you think I’m keeping quiet about how Lark and Nickel wanted her out…think again, because she damn well deserves to know.”

Volt blew out a plume of smoke away from me. “Your call. Before you talk to her, you ought to know that I’ve been thinking of moving Lark from the bar and grille.”

“What? Why?”

He turned off his vape and tucked it away. “Tiny’s right. He let his guard down, but in my eyes it’s more than that. Him thinking the cease-and-desists are beneath him bugged me last month, and I let it slide. I’d rather see him at Hock’s.”

“Liar has the pawn shop runnin’ like a machine.”

Volt nodded. “Yeah, and he thinks we should open another location. His suggestion was a place not too far from the bar. Lark lives closer than any other brother.”

I lifted my chin. “Something tells me he won’t go for that, but I’ll keep it in mind when I talk to her.”

“Go back inside, see how your woman’s doing.”

Chapter 27

Protecting Me

Mickayla

I woke up multiple times during the night while I was in the hospital. The first time was when someone insisted that Tundra leave because visiting hours were over…though I might have been dreaming. The ferocious way he responded though, something told me it was real.

The second time, it was less than an hour later and again someone pleaded with him to leave, but he refused to leave my side. He wanted to make sure I got my rest since apparently they were going to wake me quite frequently.

I’d lost count of how many times I’d been awakened, and I had no idea what time it was. The curtains of the hospital room were closed, so I couldn’t even get a sense of whether it was the middle of the night or maybe getting close to dawn.

What I knew was that I was hungry and I couldn’t sleep any more.

“Go back to sleep, Mick,” Tundra said from my left.