Page 5
Diamond
It was only five days into December, and Diamond felt a headache coming on as he prepared to answer yet another call from one of his men about the fucking Snows.
It was like dealing with toddlers who couldn’t follow basic directions.
Rubbing his temple, he grabbed the bottle of pain pills in the desk drawer and tossed three into his mouth, followed by a chaser of cold coffee.
His men were good. Better than good, they were competent, and he rarely had to micromanage them once they were on a task. But this was the third time he was getting a progress report from them in less than a week, and none of those reports said, “There is nothing to report.” It was always a wall of what shit was happening over there.
Diamond read the messages again and then pressed the contact number.
“Boss.”
“What’s going on, Kem?”
“The younger Snow must know about us because he’s running us a merry-fucking-dance.”
“Bring him to me.”
“To the clubhouse?”
“Yeah. I’ll clear it with the gate.”
“On it, boss.”
Less than an hour later, the blacked-out Escalade arrived with the passenger prick glaring through the windshield. It wasn’t Diamond’s usual approach to a job, but he was figuring these fucking Snows weren’t his usual type of clients, and he’d have to adapt to their prissy ways. He reached the car and swung the door open.
“Get out.”
“I don’t even know you. This is fucking kidnapping.” Reeves Snow snapped. A determined glint in the young boy’s eyes.
“I won’t tell you again. If you want to know what’s going on, get out.”
He got out but held his shoulders back like he expected a fight.
“I know who you guys are. What this place is.”
“Good for you. Follow me.”
Diamond turned on his heels and walked back into the club, holding the door open for Reeves Snow to follow. He led him over to the bar where Scarlett was restocking the bottles.
“Scar, do you mind giving us some space?”
“I’m due for a coffee break, anyway.” She took off, and Diamond pinned the boy with a don’t fuck with me stare.
“Your father hired my company to guard his family.”
“I know that. But I told him I didn’t need one. Then I spotted your guys yesterday.”
Huh. That never happened. The younger guy had a keen eye.
“Hate to tell you this, but you’re protected whether you approve, so it’s up to you if we make this easy or hard for you.”
Reeves Snow squinted. His jaw went tight. “That sounds like a threat to me.”
Diamond smiled. “Take it any way you want, as long as you accept this is happening.”
He stayed silent a good while, processing. Then he asked. “How long is this going to last for?”
Diamond shrugged. “Only your father knows that.”
“Fucking hell. Me and Joelle are always getting dragged into his shit. So, your guys will follow me wherever I go?”
“Yes. Every time you step out of the house.”
He sighed. But looked resigned to it. “Fucking great. So when I take one of my girls out on a date, do I have to rock up with bodyguards? I’ll look like a pussy who can’t take care of her.”
“My guys are discreet. They won’t get in your way. Just don’t ditch them. This isn’t the Fast and the Furious. They will catch you. And then I gotta get involved. And I won’t be happy if I have to micromanage your whiny ass.”
The reality seemed to sink in, and Reeves stared into space. The clubhouse was reasonably quiet, and everyone was at their jobs, but a few sweet bottoms walked by toward the kitchen, and Reeves Snow sat up straight, his eyes following their short-wearing asses.
“Whoa. Who are they?”
Diamond smirked. “They’d eat your preppy ass for breakfast and spit out the bones.”
Reeves smiled. “Shit, what a way to go. So...” he started, “you’re a biker?”
“Yeah.”
“Do you do dangerous stuff?”
“Shall I break your legs to find out?” Diamond arched his eyebrow.
“That’s a mind your own business, yeah?”
“Now you’re getting it.”
“You know my dad is a Judge?”
“Yes.”
“Does he work with your MC often? Is that even allowed?”
“That’s something you’re gonna have to ask him. If this Q he was probably just a worried kid brother for his big sister. But he knew one thing: he needed this Snow job off his plate.
“Who was the blazer-wearing kid?” Devil asked, sidling up to Diamond. No matter the time of day, the guy always had food in his hand.
“He’s Judge Snow’s son. He’s been giving my guys the runaround.”
“I hear the daughter’s a wild one,” Devil remarked, sinking his teeth into the baguette.
Instantly, flickering images of the blue-haired woman came to his mind. “I wouldn’t know.”
“Fucking rich people, man.” Grumbled Devil and walked off.
Yeah, fucking rich people.
Diamond was mistaken about how the rest of the day would go. After doing another gig, he was halfway back to the clubhouse, intent on working out, when he received a message.
The other Snow sibling was now being a pain in the neck.
He sighed and restarted the bike, heading toward the Snow mansion. Once there, he took the back entrance.
“The master isn’t at home.” The butler informed.
The fucking master. Diamond rolled his eyes.
“It’s Joelle I’m looking for.”
The butler’s face changed into a smile. “Oh, yes. She’s in her wing. I’ll let Miss Snow know...”
“No need. I have the layout of the house. And permission to be here from the Judge.”
“Yes, of course, sir. Can I fetch you refreshments?”
“Nah, I’m good.”
The house was like a maze, but luckily, Diamond had a passable memory, and in case of an ambush, he’d memorized every inch of their property. He trekked up the never-ending staircase, getting his workout, anyway. The wide hallway leading to Joelle Snow’s suite was thickly carpeted, and his footsteps were silent. Outside of the door, he knocked and waited.
It opened comically fast, and she showed little surprise to see him.
“Kenneth warned me you were on the way up. You took longer than I do, and those stairs are a killer on my small legs.”
Like magnets pulled his eyes, they dropped to her legs, covered only in bicycle shorts. They were multi-colored swirls, almost hallucinogenic. Realizing what he was doing, Diamond snapped his gaze back up.
“We need to have words.”
Her golden eyebrows shot up. “We do? I don’t see what I’d have to say to a bodyguard.”
“I’m not a bodyguard.”
She leaned in the doorway. “What are you then? A heavy? A goon? A thug?”
“You’ve been watching too many B-roll movies, Miss Snow. Invite me in.”
“Oh, that sounded very vampireish,” she grinned. “You can come in only if you drop the Miss Snow. It makes me sound like a maiden from the Little Women era.” She swung the door wider and walked off, expecting him to follow.
He didn’t have a clue what she’d just said, but Diamond stepped over the threshold. Surprise made his footsteps halt. He thought he’d be walking into a bedroom. But it was even bigger than a hotel suite, more like an entire apartment within a mansion. It was bigger than his two-bedroom place at the Dyson Gates apartment complex. It didn’t matter that he owned all ten apartments and rented them out. This suite would eat his place and spit out the crumbs.
It smelled of vanilla and something warmer, and Diamond inhaled because it was a pleasant fragrance.
“Take a seat. I’ve put on a pot of coffee. I hope you like the good stuff. It’s not a pod or instant.” With an open-plan living area, their gated house offered expansive views of open land through its windows. The living room had an oversized L-shaped cream couch with about fifty scatter cushions in every color. Just like a paint palette, the rug was a chaotic explosion of color. He belatedly thought he should’ve taken his boots off. He bet the princess wouldn’t like dirty shoes in her house.
“Sit,” she repeated from the kitchen, filling two cups.
Diamond sat on one end of the couch, eyeing the TV, which paused on two kissing people.
“I was watching The Vampire Diaries. That’s why your invite me in line made me chuckle. Have you seen it? It’s so good. It’s a constant love triangle between this young girl and two vampire brothers. I’ve seen it so many times. It’s a comfort show. I always thought Elena chose the wrong brother.” She babbled, uncaring if Diamond wanted the useless information.
He’d learn in the next hour that Joelle Snow was a talker.
She talked so damn much that he almost forgot why he was there, wondering if she’d ever stop to take a breath so he could say something.