Fanning the Biker's Flame - Piper Davenport Page 0,22
comes to this asshole.”
“Fuck,” I breathed out as I read the file. “The building doesn’t look that bad.”
“Substandard contracting, appliances with recalls that haven’t been fixed. Several residents have moved out and complained, but he’s got deep pockets, so he buries them in litigation and they eventually give up. He even made a hush payment to an elderly woman’s family whose range had caught fire, much like Posey’s.”
“Goddamn motherfucker.”
“You got enough to confront him with that, but if he gives you any shit, I’m ready to fuck his life up… electronically, of course.”
I smirked. “Of course.”
“You meetin’ with him today?” Otter asked.
“Sure am,” I confirmed, closing the file with a thwap. “He’s gonna wish he was never born.”
“The pool house is empty,” Shiloh said. “Doom just finished the reno. If Posey needs a place to crash for a while… or longer, she’s welcome to it.”
“My sister may need it,” I said.
“She doesn’t want it,” Otter informed me.
I sighed. “Did she happen to say why?”
“Nope.”
“Right,” I said.
“Posey really is welcome, Shadow,” Shiloh pressed.
“Thanks, sweetheart,” I said. “That takes a load off.”
Rabbit chuckled. “Let me know if you need backup.”
“Thanks, brother. I appreciate the info.”
“No problem. Good luck.”
I nodded and headed up to my room. After a quick shower, I changed, grabbed what I’d need for my shift at the firehouse, then figured I’d spend a little time with my sister before I headed over to Posey’s.
When I walked down to the great room, I found my sister sitting alone by the fireplace, reading a book. “Where’d everyone go?” I asked.
She looked up and smiled. “Ice cream.”
“You didn’t want to go?”
“A chance to sit by a fire and read? No, I didn’t want to go.”
I smiled, sitting beside her. “How’s your eye?”
“It’s fine, NoNo.” She closed her book and set it on the table next to her. “Is your girl taking Otter and Shiloh’s place?”
“My girl?”
“Don’t kid a kidder, big brother. Everyone’s buzzing about the girl you brought to family night.”
“I didn’t invite her,” I pointed out. “Quin did.”
“And yet, you monopolized her time the whole night.”
“Just how often do you gossip with Shutter?”
She chuckled. “Don’t change the subject.”
“What do you want to know?”
“Everything.”
“Well, you’re not gettin’ everything,” I said. “But she’s cool, even if she does do yoga.”
Catalina raised an eyebrow. “Is she a creepy yogi-type?”
“No,” I said with a laugh. “She’s cool.”
“If you’re interested, she must be.”
“Why aren’t you takin’ the pool house?” I asked.
“It’s too far from work. If, and I mean, if, I’m going to move, it needs to be closer to the airport.”
Otter and Shiloh’s home was the other side of Savannah, which would be a bit of a haul.
“You’re gonna move, Cat, but I get why you’d want to be closer to work.”
She rolled her eyes but didn’t argue with me. “When do I get to meet this mystery woman?”
“Soon,” I said. “We’ll set up dinner.”
“Wow, you really like her.”
“Yeah. I really like her.”
She smiled. “That’s good, No. I want you to be happy.”
“Same, sissy.”
“Do you have a shift this week?”
“Tonight,” I said. “I’m heading to Posey’s first to deal with her asshat of a landlord.”
“I heard.”
I frowned. “What haven’t you heard?”
She raised her hands in surrender. “All I know is that her landlord’s a slumlord. I know nothing else.”
I hummed in suspicion.
“Swear,” she said. “I get more information out of the women than I do Shutter.”
“Do you try to get it out of Shutter?”
“No. And I know him well enough to know that he wouldn’t tell me anything if I did.” She laughed. “Bossy britches.”
I grinned. “Guilty.”
“I miss you, Nolan,” she admitted. “We’ve spent no time together all month.”
“I know.” I squeezed her arm. “How about I take you out to dinner next week?”
“Like our brother-sister dates before we became adults?”
“Exactly. Only, we can drink now.”
“Well, legally,” she reminded me.
“True.”
“I would love dinner,” she said. “I’m working Wednesday through Sunday, but normal people hours, so I should be home by six. Five-thirty if traffic cooperates.”
“Okay, I’ll find out which day I’m working and we’ll go from there.”
“Can’t wait.”
“You good?”
“I’m good,” she said. “When will I be released from my ‘protective’ detail.”
“When you’re dead,” I retorted and rose to my feet. I leaned down to kiss her cheek, then climbed on my bike and headed over to Posey’s.
CHAPTER TEN
Posey
I DRAGGED MYSELF up to my apartment about half an hour before Shadow was due and took a quick shower. When I stepped out, I noticed a puddle of water on the floor that had never been there