Page 46 of Shiner's Light

“So, right now, we’re deadlocked and left waiting until something else happens,” I remark, releasing a heavy breath.

“For the time being. We’ve got to just keep a lookout and stay alert. We don’t let our guard down,” Blow advises, rapping his knuckles on the table. “Until then, we’ve got other matters to attend to. Rodion has brought up a proposition he’d like for us to discuss. Protection detail for women that are delivered as mail-order brides.”

“Hold up,” Torch chokes out. “He wants us to run protection for women selling themselves?”

“For brides that are bought. Not prostitutes. From what he and Sonia both explained, the women know what’s happening, and they choose to become a man’s wife and what their lives will be like. Each of the clients is vetted thoroughly. He acquired the business and is looking for someone willing to work with him and the men who are now working under his rule in managing the women. They need someone in the States to handle what they cannot from where they’re located.”

“Seems like a hell of a headache,” Surge grumbles.

“Maybe so, but he’s offering a third of the profits to us. We wouldn’t be just running the protection, we’d be partners in the business, though marked down as silent partners.”

“If it keeps women from ending up in the wrong hands, then I’m in.” Scorn shrugs.

“Same,” Switchblade agrees.

I nod my agreement. Rodion’s Olive’s dad and he wouldn’t have taken over a business unless it was something he could handle and not be dirty about. It’s not something that is full-on legal, but if the women are agreeable and want this, then why the hell not?

“All in favor?” Blow asks, glancing around the table and meeting each of our gazes as we all raise our hands to vote for it. A grin slides in place on his face, and he nods. “Then it’s settled, we’re getting in the matchmaking business.” He snorts and slams the gavel down.

Exiting the room, my eyes immediately find Olive sitting at a table with Chelsea. The two of them have their heads together, and both of them are working. Two weeks ago, after we spent a solid week laying low, spending time together, just us and with Milo, she went back to work as Chelsea’s assistant. Each day, I’ve taken her to work and picked her up. I’m not taking chances of anything happening to her again.

The club is looking at putting someone in the office for security purposes. If someone could be ballsy enough to take Olive from right outside the building, then it could happen again.

Security has to become of utmost importance now, especially with Harpoon out there. None of us know exactly what he’s going to attempt to do next, but I know he’s going to try to do something else. I can feel it in my gut, it’s only a matter of time.

For the time being, though, I’m going to enjoy my time with my woman. My ol’ lady. My wife.

I meant what I told her about taking her straight to the courthouse to marry her after what went down. I made her my wife that day, and the next day I called Markus to get him started on the adoption papers. Soon, Olive is going to be Milo’s mom legally.

I worried she would have nightmares about killing her sister, but she’s been good. Nothing about that night has come up. Well, after the drug finally left her system, she was good. It was one hell of a day spending it inside her, helping her through the throes of that shit, but I wasn’t complaining. She’d been wild for me, and unbashful about her body.

I’m sure I shouldn’t have fucked her, maybe knocked her back out, but I couldn’t ignore her pleas or the way her face flushed with need. I gave her what she needed.

A grin forms on my lips as I think about what she needs. I know exactly what the two of us are going to spend the rest of the time doing before we have to leave to get Milo from daycare.

As if feeling my gaze on her, Olive twists and meets my gaze and gives me one of those sweet smiles of hers that goes straight to my dick.

Yeah, I know precisely what we’re going to be doing.

Hell, I could spend the rest of my life next to her and never get enough. She’s the light I never thought I needed, and I’ll be damned if anyone takes her from me again.

Not in this lifetime or the one after.