Page 32 of Indecent Lies

“She just got a job with Paige, sounds to me like she has plans to stick around, bro.”

But the fact she was Harrison elite stopped him from acting on the attraction he was feeling for her.

He’d been around that block already, got burned from a girl back there. Not planning to do it again.

Not with a jilted groom in her very near past. That was bound to rear its ugly head one of these days and her father wasn’t going to let her stay away for long.

Astor liked his flock near to keep them under his thumb, his wife was practically one of those Stepford wives with no opinions of her own.

He was punishing Poppy by giving her the cold shoulder, but sooner or later, he’d bring her home.

“She’s a fucking goddess straight out of your posh boy fantasies, man, and you’re not tapping that?”

“Drop it,” he said over his shoulder. “Or I’ll call your wife and tell her you said another woman was a goddess. She’ll put you on the naughty step.”

The way Snake groaned made Texas think he wouldn’t mind it at all, that dirty freak.

Snake was leaning up against the windowsill, a takeout coffee in his tattooed hand. He’d done the obligatory proud dad bit and pushed a million photos of his new babies under Texas’ nose. Really cute kids. He felt a pinch for not being there, being on the outside meant he wasn’t welcome now when the next generation came into the world.

It was just something else he needed to accept.

“Cleaning these up to rent?”

“Nah,” he answered. “Just wanted something to do.” he looked over at Snake from his haunches. “Did you get the Russian problem plugged up?” He asked, having an idea what Snake would say before he actually opened his mouth.

“You know I can’t talk about it, Tex.”

Jaw tight, he nodded and turned back to the paint.

He was tempted to sulk like a little bitch, but he had a reason for asking, not because he was trying to get back in with the club. He made sure he set his own sails on fire with that.

“Fine, you don’t have to talk about it, but you can listen. On my run yesterday, I detoured over by the distillery, you know they had that big fire a few years back and never reopened?”

Snake grunted, sipped his coffee.

“It’s mostly just flattened ground now. But I noticed a warehouse that wasn’t there before.” The paint slapped on the wall, methodically in slow strokes, just to give his hands something to do. “So I see this big Mercedes parked outside with a white school bus next to it. I got curious. I mean, who would be out there? It was two of Grigori’s men and what looked like the makings for a porn set, unless they’ve gone into the QVC world.”

That got Snake’s attention and when Texas glanced over, yeah… the joker’s eyes narrowed to slits. “Same thing on this morning’s run. There’s cameras and lights inside. More buses parked there today.”

Before he got kicked out, Texas was well in the know of how Lawless and Hawk were doing what they do best by picking off Grigori’s men one by one. They got that number down real low, to the point the club were sure Grigori wouldn’t have any of his bulls left. But it appeared he was recruiting.

He shrugged when Snake didn’t choose to say anything and Texas turned his back. “Just thought the club should know, if you didn’t already.”

He went on painting and ignoring how heavy his chest felt to be living on the outside.

“Should you be here, talking to me?”

Snake snorted and crumpled up the empty paper cup and left it on the windowsill, the man never could pick up after himself. It was good to see some things didn’t change.

“We haven’t been forbidden to talk to you, if that’s what you’re asking.”

Texas looked away and rolled a shoulder. “Wouldn’t blame any of you.”

“You ever gonna tell us why you did what you did?”

He’d tried to and it only came out worse.

“It’s over with, Snake, no point in dragging over the crap.”