Total pages in book: 141
Estimated words: 132657 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 663(@200wpm)___ 531(@250wpm)___ 442(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 132657 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 663(@200wpm)___ 531(@250wpm)___ 442(@300wpm)
“She is,” Gabe replied with no small amount of sympathy. “She’s a cousin to me. Oh, we don’t have blood between us, but she’s my family. I think you’ll find our parents all kind of bonded together. They were the misfits, the left behinds. My dad had all the money in the world but no one in his family cared about him growing up. When he was older he found out his friends could become his family.”
“Yeah, I get that.”
“I know. I read the background report on you,” Gabe replied, but there was no gotcha in his tone.
He knew what they would find. “I got kicked out when I was in my teens. I lived with a friend, but that couldn’t last forever. There wasn’t a lot in the small town I grew up in.”
“You went into the Army to get away?” Gabe asked.
“I went into the Army because I didn’t have anywhere else to go,” he admitted.
“Yeah, I figured. You did good work there. You got out, got your degree. You take care of the people around you. And that is why I’m going to ask you to be patient with her because she’s curious about you in a way I haven’t seen from her since we were in high school,” Gabe said. “Look, Harlow has a lot to deal with. You know about her family?”
He nodded. “It’s like yours. She’s got two dads and a mom and everyone is happy.”
Gabe’s lips curled up. “I’m glad to hear you say that. It’s not what I tend to hear. You would be surprised how many people I’m interested in get scared off when I talk about my family.”
“There’s nothing wrong with your family. And nothing wrong with hers.”
“Well, you haven’t met my Uncle Chase,” Gabe said with a whistle. “He is…incredibly interesting.”
“I think she calls him her deranged dad.” He listened. It probably made him a pervert, but he sat in the bar and sipped his beer and listened to Harlow talk to her friends, hoping for any tidbits of information she would give them. “From the stories I’ve heard Chase is the smart but overprotective one and Ben is what she calls her reasonable dad.”
“You are not wrong,” Gabe agreed. “Chase is one of those people with such a high IQ he sometimes finds it hard to fit in with the regular folk.”
Niall nodded. “I’ve known a couple of people like that. I also know no matter how much she complains, she loves him.”
“She does, and I actually think he’s going to approve of you.”
He wasn’t sure Gabe was being realistic. “Uh, she would have to agree to spend time with me before he could approve of me.”
Gabe took a deep breath and studied him for a moment as though trying to figure out his next move. “You’re not the only one who listens in on a bit of gossip.”
“I thought not gossiping was one of the rules of the club.” Was it gossip if one simply listened?
Gabe snorted, an oddly regal sound. “Sure. All clubs run on gossip. The rule is there so we can spank pretty subs who get caught. You know there are two sides to this club.”
This was a clear truth he’d learned quickly. “Yes, the ones associated with McKay-Taggart and the ones with Lodge Corp, though you all seem to be friends.”
“We kind of grew up together, though my side of the family is more spread out than Seth and Luke’s,” Gabe explained. “Anyway, the other side is known for being involved in the security business, and we all know there’s security in information. I’ve found subs love to gossip, and they also love to please their Masters by bringing them important news.”
“You mean you have them spying on each other.”
“That’s such a loaded word. I rather think of it as keeping informed. I know we have a board, but for the most part our board members are mostly off on assignment for ‘McKay-Taggart.’” Gabe put air quotes around McKay-Taggart. “So it’s up to me to watch out for any problems that might arise. Do you understand?”
“Yes.” Niall nodded his agreement. “You are a control freak.”
“Says the man who also wears leathers and tops subs nightly,” Gabe said with a chuckle.
He wasn’t wrong. “You like to make sure everything is running smoothly and that your family is safe and happy.”
“It’s probably a bit of both. I think Harlow is going to ask you for a favor tonight.”
That was news to him. “You got this from your gossip network?”
“Let’s say the walls of the women’s locker room bounce sound around a bit,” Gabe admitted. “If you’re in the shower area, you can probably hear anything going on around the lockers. Harlow and Ruby have taken on a case, and they need someone to go undercover with them.”