money.” She rubbed her fingers together. “I’ll be off. I have a house to find in town.” Her eyes turned distant. “Is Taylor Hills still swank?”
Axe’s shoulders straightened. “You can’t seriously think we can live there?”
Her grin was all teeth. “You haven’t seen the money in my account, baby.”
I narrowed my eyes at her. “How much money did those guns earn you, Lucifer?”
“You know that trick stopped working when I was, what, ten, right?” She snorted at my use of her full name.
“Yeah, well, maybe if you gave us some of the facts we’d be more open to the business—”
She shrugged. “Don’t need you to be open to it. I can do the business myself. Ryan and I did. Can afford the initial outlay because that’s how I got the money—sold all our equipment.”
“You have to be shitting me. You had a factory?” I rasped.
“Ryan was very good at what he did, and he taught me everything he knew.” There was a surprising lack of smugness to her words, and I knew that was because Ryan had only taught her everything because he’d known he was sick and wasn’t going to be there forever to protect her.
My brother had had white knight syndrome. If I hadn’t loved the bastard, I’d resent him, because how the fuck were we mortals ever supposed to compare?
“As shitty as Rutherford is,” Dagger insisted, “Taylor Hills’ properties are still over a million because of the land.”
“I can afford it. Plus, I’ll need the land, won’t I?”
“For the factory you intend to make?” I snapped, arching a brow at her. Even though I was pissed at her for trying to checkmate me, I had to admit, she looked fine doing it.
Dressed in a pair of slacks and a button-down, she looked surprisingly formal. I’d forgotten her plan to find somewhere to live today, and she was obviously out to impress—that wasn’t so easy when she wore her usual getup of shitkickers, denim shorts or a mini skirt, and a wife beater that showed more of her tits than hid them. We’d managed to keep her occupied, but not for long enough if her smart attire was anything to go by.
“Yup,” she chirped cheerfully.
When she waved a hand at us, her intent to leave, I ground out, “Lucifer, stay right where you are.”
“You my daddy now, Wolfe?” she demanded, her eyes narrowing into slits. “Just ‘cause I don’t know who mine is don’t mean I need someone to take up the role.”
My top lip quirked up. “If anyone needs to be taken over their knee by their ‘daddy,’ it’s you.” As much as I’d have loved to slap her ass, I didn’t. Church was getting closer. “No women in church, Lucie. You know that rule.”
“I also know that rules are made to be broken,” she purred at me, and fuck, if my cock didn’t twitch.
Shoving a hand through my hair, I gritted out, “Just tell me how much you made last year.”
“Turnover or profit?”
“Both?” I rasped impatiently.
“Eight hundred thousand turnover, three-fifty profit.” She shrugged. “They’re expensive to make when there are only two hands on deck, because it’s a labor-intensive process. More hands, more guns, more money.”
“More ways to split the money too,” Dagger pointed out.
“The joys of expansion,” was all she said. “You have to spend money to make it.”
I grunted. “What’s the process?”
“I’m not giving you the idea, boys.”
My nostrils flared in irritation. “Thought this was your buy in to the MC?”
“And it is, but I can’t buy shit if I sell it to you beforehand. You want me here, I know that,” she replied, her tone earnest for the first time since this conversation had started. “But the rest? Nope.” She popped the last syllable. “If I sell them this idea, then at least they’ll know what I’m bringing to the table.”
Because she wasn’t wrong, I sighed. Reaching up, I pinched the bridge of my nose and mumbled, “You think you have us by the balls—”
“No, sugar, I don’t think I do, I know I do. But that’s only because you’re interested in my proposal. The money’s there.” She retrieved her cell from the neat leather purse she had tucked on her shoulder. As she tapped the screen, I stared at her, and had to admit the whole soccer mom/businesswoman vibes she was throwing off was hot as fuck.
When she stepped over to me and turned her screen around, I saw she was on her online banking app on her phone. When I saw