“Were we expecting someone?” he asked.
“No, but we should go and say hello to your family. I said I’d meet them for dinner. I wasn’t sure if you’d be awake.”
Brett stood, but a wobble had him sitting back down.
“I’ll get it,” I said, hopping over him to the door. It wasn’t a large room, in fact it was tiny by US standards. But it was quaint and had views of the canal with gondolas coming and going.
I opened the door only to want to slam it closed again. Emily. She’d been breathing down my neck, waiting for Brett. It was as if she was blind to the fact that Brett and I were sharing a room, that he was unavailable. At least I hoped he was unavailable. I didn’t stop his impromptu proposal because I didn’t want to marry him. I stopped him because there were things to discuss, and I’d like a little romance out of it. It’d be my first and hopefully only proposal. But even without the discussion or the romance, I’d still say yes. When it came to Brett, I was hopeless.
“Is Brett awake yet?” Emily asked.
“He just woke up.”
She nearly knocked me over in her haste to get to him. “Are you feeling okay?” she cooed. “I was so worried about you.”
“I’m fine.” He batted her hands away.
Rand chose that moment to walk past the door. He was about to smile at me when he caught Emily fawning over Brett. His smile gave way to a storm cloud. I stepped in the hallway and shut the door to block his view. I had no worries about Brett. He could handle himself. But Rand . . . well, he was hopeless when it came to Emily. I had no idea why, but he couldn’t help it. It was like catching the flu.
“Want to get some air?” I asked cheerfully. I didn’t bother to wait for a snide answer, which was always the case when Emily was oh-so-Emily and Rand brewed. I dragged him downstairs and through the lobby, only stopping once we reached the patio. It wasn’t very big, same with the entire hotel, but it was charming with its topiary and small marble statues. The canal drifted below us.
“Mike and Lil seem to be enjoying themselves,” I said.
“Stop the small talk,” he said. “I know what you’re trying to do.”
“It wasn’t small talk. They’ve been smiling and laughing. I think this was the best thing for them.”
“The best thing for them was the Sledgehammer’s death.”
I shrugged. “For me too. But I’m ready to have a wonderful vacation.”
“Even if Emily can’t keep her hands to herself?”
“Brett’s a big boy. He can handle himself. I’m determined to have a great time.”
“Not jealous at all?”
“It’s annoying,” I admitted. “But she’s only pushing him farther away.”
Rand lit a cigarette, inhaling deeply. “What are your plans when we get home?”
“Work as hard as I can to reopen the Hog.”
“The ladies told me about that place. Said it smelled like a sewer.”
“That’s putting it politely,” I said. “I’ve tried everything I can think of to get rid of the odor, even hanging air fresheners on each chair and stool, but nothing works.”
“Have you tried cleaning the place?”
I scowled. “Of course I tried cleaning the place. Everything except the kitchen. That’s Jack’s domain, and the floors are too sticky.”
“Then why bother trying to reopen?”
“I don’t know. It’s sort of grown on me. I might not like the building or the smell, but the people are great. It’s just something I want to do.”
“Have you thought of rebuilding?”
“It’s not my place, nor do we have the money.”
“Hank is the owner?”
“Yes.”
Rand smiled. “I should say he was the owner.”
“What do you mean?”
“It switched ownerships.”
My eyes widened. “You bought it?”
His grin grew ear to ear. “I’m your new boss.”
“What about Hank?”
“He’ll still work there, but he’ll actually get a paycheck now.”
“Then what will you do?”
“Rebuild it, make it profitable.” He shrugged.
“But why?”
“I don’t know. When I spoke with Hank at one of the stops, he confided he was up to his neck in bills and said you were adamant about reopening, even though there was no way he could keep the lights on. He was heading toward bankruptcy.”
I groaned. “I wouldn’t have pushed so hard if I had known. I knew he was late on bills, but I didn’t realize the extent. Why would you buy it from him?”
“A pet project. I always wanted to try owning something that didn’t also have Mike’s name attached to it, and I like bars. It seemed like a good fit.”
“But you live in Texas.”
“I’ll build a house in Wisconsin. I can design anywhere and travel back and forth when I need to,” he explained. “We all win. You get a bar to rebuild, Hank finally gets a paycheck, and I get a new project.”
“And I get a paycheck too?”
He nodded.
I bounced up and down on my tiptoes, hugging him. Everything was perfect!
“I’m so excited! I can hardly wait to get started.”
Rand looked over my shoulder, a mysterious smile curved on his mouth. “We have company.”
I turned around to find Brett and Emily in the doorway, glaring at us. Were they mad? I guess Brett might be mad if he saw me hugging Rand and didn’t understand the reason, but why was Emily upset too?
“You’ll never believe the news Rand just told me,” I said, trying not to flinch as they both crossed their arms in a united front. “He bought the Hog, and he’s going to rebuild it. Isn’t that exciting?”
Brett glared daggers at Rand.
Rand leaned down to whisper in my ear. “Oh, there might’ve been one more reason I bought the Hog. It’d piss off Brett. We both know how much I love doing that.”
At Brett’s reaction to the news, I’d say Rand ticked off the box on that checklist item.
Here I thought I was going to have a lovely time in Italy. It was silly to think it’d happen with Rand and Emily both here. Together, they brought nothing but the plague. And now Rand was my new boss.
At Rand’s wicked smirk and his hand stroking my shoulder, Brett charged, sending them both down into the canal. Emily and I ran to the side to look over. We watched as they continued their fight, dunking each other as if no older than school children.
Idiots.
While one half of me was flattered by Brett’s jealousy, another part added that same jealousy into the “serious discussion list.”
Maybe it was just a brother thing. Brett and Rand were raised nearly like brothers. Perhaps all brothers fought like this, I thought, wondering if I should be outraged or amused by their ridiculousness. For the sake of my sanity and the remaining time in Italy, I chose amused.
“Is Wisconsin all cows and farmers?” Emily asked, nose scrunched.
“No, why?”
Emily lifted one shoulder. “Well, if Brett and Rand will be there, I might as well come too.”
Here I thought I’d head back to my peaceful life in Wisconsin, hopefully with Brett.
And now Rand.
And Emily.
And the fearsome foursome.
I groaned.
Life was not looking brighter.
I looked down to find Brett smiling up at me as if he was having the time of his life.
Well, a little brighter.
Read the next Mars Cannon novel
Fearsome Foursome
Coming October 7, 2016
Books by Nicolette Pierce
Mars Cannon Novels
Deadly Dancing
Predator Patrol
Security Squad
Biker Brigade
Nadia Wolf Novels
The Big Blind
High Stakes
Cashing Out
Sque
eze Play
Nadia Wolf Character Novels
The Last Tailored Suit
My Traitor
Please visit Nicolette on her website at:
www.nicolettepierce.com
* * *
Sign up for the eNewsletter to receive updates and fun free stuff!
Sign up here
* * *
“Like” Nicolette on Facebook
www.facebook.com/NicolettePierceAuthor
Biker Brigade Page 20
