Joker (Hell's Ankhor #8) - Aiden Bates Page 0,8

fit in. That I still deserved to be a member—an appreciated member—even as the club expanded and settled down. There was more to me than just my mouth and my muscle. I wanted to prove that. But this was unexpected. And a lot of pressure.

Because I did want to do the club proud. If I let them down with this project, I didn’t know how I’d recover from it. It’d just be proof that I really didn’t fit in anymore.

And on top of all that, this meant I’d be spending a lot more time with Brennan. Our eyes met across the porch, and he raised his eyebrows inquisitively.

“All right,” I said, holding Brennan’s gaze like a challenge. I wasn’t sure what it’d be like, spending more time with him, but I wasn’t going to let him know he’d gotten under my skin, that much was for sure. “Yeah, I’ll do it.”

“Excellent,” Priest said. He and Blade exchanged an impressed look.

I was locked in now. And from the interest look in Brennan’s eyes, he might’ve been as surprised—and unsure—as I was.

4

Brennan

“All right,” Dawson said as he peered at the papers spread across the big communal table. “If the estimates are right, we’re probably looking at a year of dedicated work if we get the cabins, too.”

I leaned back a little in the chair and took a sip of my coffee. Dawson and I were seated across from each other at Stella’s, taking up the far end of the communal table on a cool Saturday morning. It was a bustling morning, with Mary working the front counter, and Tru, Dante, and Logan were in the kitchen.

“At least,” I agreed.

I was thrilled with the way Stella’s had turned out. It hadn’t been an easy job, and I’d put in a lot of extra hours with Dante making sure it was exactly the kind of space he wanted—he deserved it, after going through such an unexpected loss. And it’d really paid off. First, there was the contract to gut and rebuild Beau’s house—I’d put just as much work into that as I did Stella’s—and now, the Hell’s Ankhor Crew guys had hired me to reno their entire property.

My business was small—I only had eight employees—but it was my own through and through, and I was proud of it. I’d learned everything I knew about construction and running a business from my father. Dad taught me that the best way to build a business was through word of mouth, and that good work led to more work. Of course, he was right. The Hell’s Ankhor Crew contract was the biggest job I’d ever gotten, and it was going to set the business up for the foreseeable future. And who knew how many jobs I’d get out of it, with all the club members and friends who would see my work.

I’d been a little nervous about working for a bunch of club guys, but I wasn’t one to turn down a job simply because the client was a little rough around the edges. And it was a good thing I hadn’t, too, because they’d all proven themselves to be solid guys, and a few of them—like Beau, Tru, Dante, and Heath—I’d even consider friends.

The club had turned out to be more of a family than I’d ever expected. They were easy to work with, and I liked being on-site at Stella’s and now Beau’s, but I couldn’t help but feel a little pang of jealousy when Dante and Heath did something particularly cute, or when I caught Tex and Jazz teasing each other wordlessly during a meeting. I was happy with my life—more than happy, I was proud of the life I’d built—but a part of me ached for that kind of easy partnership.

As much as I loved Dawson and treasured his friendship, having him come around to drink all my beer wasn’t quite fulfilling all my needs.

“This is going to be a hell of a job,” I said with a grin.

Dawson grinned and raked his hand through his dirty blond hair, pushing it out of his eyes. He was a lean but strong guy, with thoughtful gray eyes and a near-constant flush across his tan cheeks. We’d worked together for eight years now, and even though we butted heads occasionally, the business never would’ve grown as much as it had without his help and insight.

“Yeah, no doubt,” he said. “What are you thinking about timelines?”

“We’re not quite wrapped up with Beau’s place,” I said, drumming