Vance, p.33
Vance, page 33
part #1 of Roar Series
Jack got serious, looking sincerely at Three. “Hope you don’t let anything Bill said influence your decision to hang around. You’re welcome here. No reason to go rushing off.”
“I hadn’t really decided yet, but I have to admit that it’s a calming feeling not to be on the move twenty-four/seven. Not to mention a few other reasons that have caught my attention.”
“Good. There’s no expiration date on my offer — at least not at this time. You start tarnishing our women, I might have to rethink my offer,” Jack said with a snicker.
Three laughed. “There will be no tarnishing.”
Jack sipped his coffee with a grin on his face.
“Why you all dressed up? Standard dress around here?” Three asked. “Niko was dressed for business, too.”
“Niko always dresses like that. He thinks he’s the shit,” Jack said with a chuckle. “Good male, though. And to answer your question; no, it’s not standard dress. I’ve got a meeting with some customs inspectors today. Hate this shit almost as much as I hate this goddamn suit I have to wear, but it is what it is.”
“Customs?” Three asked.
“Yeah. We have a manufacturing business on the property. A lot of our people work there. We receive raw leather and process it to be able to use in making belts, purses, clothes even. We sell to distributors and they sell to retail outlets. Some of them are overseas.”
“I’ll be damned. And here I sit thinking y’all just live on top of a mountain, eking out a living from the land or something.”
Jack smiled at him. “We’re quite comfortable. Vance, the male whose female you protected with Findley… he’s our accountant, our business manager and CFO if you will. He oversees all our interests, investments, the manufacturing facility itself, even the income from the bar. Niko manages the bar, but Vance does all their books. Niko just turns over all the paper and receipts each month and Vance does his thing.”
“Seemed like a decent male,” Three said.
“One of the best.”
Three sat across from Jack, slowly stretching his body first one way, then another.
“How you feeling this morning?”
“Well, it’s not morning anymore, almost noon, and I’m feeling alright. Been worse, a lot worse.”
“You change the bandages and put some more salve on?”
“I did, yeah. I did it more just to do it than actually needing it. I don’t have to worry about getting sick or an infection or anything.”
“Anybody can get an infection, even us,” Jack said, sipping his coffee again.
“I can’t.”
Jack stopped mid sip and watched Three over the rim of his cup. “Why not?”
“We’re made that way. We don’t get sick, don’t get infections, heal up quick when injured, takes more to injure us, even. Unless we’re intentionally contaminated with a terminal illness, we don’t get them.”
“Who the fuck would contaminate somebody on purpose?”
“You’d be surprised.”
“What the fuck did they do to y’all?”
Three shook his head. “Not human anymore,” he said regretfully. “Testing, experiments, brutality.”
Jack shook his head, at a complete loss for words.
“But, it’s not all bad. I’m here and I’m healthy, far as I know.”
“Think I’d be looking for somebody to pay back,” Jack said.
Three smiled coldly. “They got him. They’ll still have more to hunt, but the main one, they got him. He won’t live long. Probably already gone.”
“You aren’t interested in being with others like you?” Jack asked.
Three shook his head. “So much more to it than that, but the short answer? No, I’m not. I want a clean break, a clean start, even if that’s alone.”
“You have any plans at all?”
“Haven’t thought that far ahead. Made a few dollars here and there along the way. Bought a bike. Doing my own thing, you know? You invited me, so for now I’m here. Might be for a while to come.”
“That piece of shit you call a bike… you ought to just dismantle it and put it out of its misery. It’s outside, by the way.”
Three laughed, genuinely this time. “Yeah, I saw it. I didn’t say it was a nice bike. Gets me where I need to be, though.”
Jack guzzled the rest of his coffee and got up from the table. “I gotta go. You’re welcome to come along if you’d like.”
Three thought about it. He liked Jack. And he liked being here. These people treated him with respect. They didn’t fear him, or try to make him move along, or dominate him into any particular mold they might have for their community — other than Jack being the boss, and that was just fine with him. Instead, they offered him a place among them. Except for Asshole Bill. “Yeah, I think I might do that.”
“Come on, then. I’ll show you around.”
~~~
Jack approached the door to the manufacturing facility and pulled open the door, allowing Three to precede him into the building. Jack stepped inside and looked around. “Work floor is through there,” he said, turning to his right instead and opening the door to the reception office. “Damn, Kass, you’ve gotten a bit hairier overnight, and put on some mass,” Jack said with a snicker.
“Funny,” Draven said.
“What are you doing?” Jack asked.
“I’m covering for Vance until he gets here. I get to be boss today, instead of just fixing the machines when they break down.”
“Where is he?” Jack asked, knowing that Vance had never missed a single meeting. He was the epitome of professionalism and a workaholic as well.
“He and Kassidy are officially mated. He was trying to convince himself not to come this morning, but in the end his neuroses kicked in and he couldn’t fight it. But at least instead of a whole day, he’s just coming in for the meeting with customs. He called me and asked me to come cover for him until he gets here.”
“Great! I can go home, then!” Jack said, pretending to back out and close the door.
“Hell, no!” Draven exclaimed. “I’ll sit here and be Vance, but I’m not schmoozing authorities of any kind.”
“Fine,” Jack said. He walked all the way into the office and Three followed him in. “You met Three?”
“Hey. No, not yet. Heard about him, though,” Draven said, standing up and extending his hand for Three to shake.
“Hey,” Three responded, shaking Draven’s hand firmly.
“I’m Draven. Jack’s right hand, and left.”
“And sometimes my middle finger, too,” Jack joked.
Draven grinned and shook his head. “You’re in a good mood…”
“Surprisingly,” Jack agreed as he wandered into Vance’s office and flipped on the lights.
“So, you sticking around?” Draven asked, looking at Three.
“For a while at least, longer if things work out,” Three answered.
“What things?” Draven asked.
“Whatever things. I have no time frame, so I just kind of follow my gut. Right now my gut is telling me to stay here.”
“Welcome aboard. You need something, feel free to ask,” Draven said.
“I need something,” Vance said, rushing into the reception office.”
“What’s that?” Draven and Jack both asked.
“I need to know why you’re in my office and I need you to get out of it,” Vance said, slapping Three on the back as he passed him on his way into his own office.
“Because you’re not here, and I’m being you today,” Jack said.
“I wasn’t here, I am now. And why are you being me?” Vance asked.
“Because you should be home with your mate,” Jack said.
Vance immediately broke out into a wide grin.
“Congratulations, by the way.”
Vance smiled even wider. “The things they don’t tell you about that bond, you know?” Vance asked.
“No, I don’t know. But, I’m happy for the both of you. How’s Kassidy feeling?” Jack asked.
“She’s good. Great, even,” Vance said, still grinning.
Jack glanced over at Draven, and shared a quick smile before he looked at Vance again. “Can’t even turn off the damn smile, can you?”
“I’m pretty sure it’s a constant now,” Vance said.
“Go home, take care of your mate. We got this,” Draven said.
Vance looked at Draven, then at Jack again when Jack spoke.
“He’s right. Go enjoy the honeymoon phase,” Jack said.
“Nah, I’m good. I’m always involved with whatever meetings are taking place for the business. And Kassidy gets it. In fact, she encouraged me to come. I left her soaking in the tub with a cup of coffee.” He wedged himself into his office and behind his desk despite Jack standing behind his desk as well. “Move!” he said, nudging Jack out of the way.
“I’m working here,” Jack objected.
“No, you’re not. And I have multiple accounts to check on before the inspectors get here and distract me,” Vance said.
“Well, what am I supposed to do?” Jack asked.
“Smile pretty when they get here,” Vance teased, taking his seat and powering up his computer. “And go show him around. Want a job?” Vance asked, changing his focus to Three.
“Maybe,” Three answered. “Not actually my kind of thing, though.”
Vance looked up at him and sized him up for a few seconds. “Niko already offered you a job at the bar?”
“Yeah, he did,” Three answered.
“Seems more like your speed. You’d get bored here at a nine to five.”
“Seven to five,” Draven corrected.
“True,” Vance said.
Jack walked out of Vance’s office and came to a stop beside Three before speaking to Vance again. “What time are they due?”
“Another thirty minutes or so. Just enough time to toggle through the accounts before they get here, if you go away,” Vance said.
“Fine. We’ll go do a quick walk through,” Jack said.
Jack started for the door with Three falling into step behind him.
“Hey, try to make Findley go home. She came in this morning, sore and moving slow, but insisted on being here,” Draven said.
“Why is she here?” Vance asked.
“She should be home!” Jack said. “Or at Bonnie's, anyway.”
Draven nodded. “My thoughts exactly. Ignored me totally and went to work.”
“What did Bonnie say? Did she try to dissuade her from coming in?” Jack asked.
Draven shrugged. “I don’t know. I wasn’t there.”
“You’re always there!” Jack said.
Draven shook his head. “Not as much as everybody thinks. Contrary to popular belief, I don’t spend every night at Bonnie’s. In fact, I rarely spend the night at Bonnie’s,” he said, pinning Jack with a challenge me on that kind of look.
Jack took a few moments to soak up that bit of information, then simply gave Draven a nod to confirm he understood, and walked out of the reception office with Three right behind him.
Chapter 33
They stepped onto the production floor and looked around.
“So, this is the production floor, or work floor, whichever you’d prefer. We’ve got two other buildings that process the leather based on what its final product will be. It all comes here, and is turned into whatever we’re making it into,” Jack said.
Three looked around and briefly took note of the different people from one end of the very large building to the other, all in different stages of the production process. “Impressive.”
“It is,” Jack agreed.
As they stood there, several of the employees looked up, noticed Jack and offered him a friendly wave or a chin lift. They started their way around the floor, with Jack explaining the different processes they were seeing. Everybody spoke to him, everybody was relaxed and at ease.
“Nobody seems to mind much that you showed up.”
“Why would they?” Jack asked.
“You’re Alpha. The Pride personified. Rule through intimidation and all that shit,” Three said.
Jack barked out a laugh. “You are so far off base. These people are the Pride personified. Yeah, I’m Alpha, but only because I took it from my father because he was a brutal sonofabitch.”
Three raised an eyebrow at Jack’s admission.
“The only thing I do is provide safety and peace among them on the rare occasion it’s needed, so they can flourish. I don’t rule anybody through intimidation — and I don’t plan to.”
“How do you keep the Pride together, then?” Three asked.
“Fairness. Justice. Kindness. Strength. Intelligence,” an older gray-haired woman sitting at the sewing machine to their right said. “A good Alpha puts his people, first. Jack is all that. No one has a desire to leave a Pride where they’re valued above anything else. This business for example, isn’t Jack’s. It’s ours. First thing he did after insuring our safety after taking over from his father was to give everyone who works here an equal share in ownership. We share in the profits equally.”
Three looked at Jack. “I’m even more impressed.”
“Why? It’s the right thing to do.”
“And he’d fight for us, against any threat,” she added, looking Three in the eye. “He’s a different kind of Alpha.”
“I can see that,” Three agreed.
Jack led the way to a different part of the production floor, and it wasn’t long before Three was clenching his jaw at the sight of Findley trying to work.
“Findley, why are you here?” Jack asked.
Findley looked up at him. “I work here.”
“I’m aware. You’re also injured.”
“I’m okay. Healing already. Just a little sore.”
“I can smell the pain. You need to go home,” Three said.
“Don’t have one anymore,” she answered, returning her attention to her rivet setting machine.
“Findley, you will always have a home here.”
“I may be welcome in the Pride, I’m not welcome in my parents’ home.”
“What about Bonnie?” Jack asked.
“She said I’m welcome to stay as long as I want to. But I don’t want to impose. She’s got a family. The last thing she needs is me and my family’s drama dropped on her doorstep,” Findley said quietly. She lifted her hand to press down on the handle of the rivet setter and winced as she pressed down.
A soft rumble vibrated Three’s chest.
“Something happen I’m not aware of?” Jack asked.
“My mother dropped off a few grocery bags filled with my clothes and shoes. Clearly a message to not come back.”
“Doesn’t sound like your mother,” Jack said.
“I’m sure she only meant to give me my things the moment my father’s back was turned, but it still carries a message. Regardless, I have to be sure that I don’t lose my job since I’m the only one taking care of me now.”
“I understand the unease, but I’m pretty sure that you’re better off out from under his roof,” Three said. “And I’m equally sure that you’re not the only one looking out for you.”
Findley didn’t look up, but nodded as she pressed the handle to insert another rivet into the strip of leather she was preparing to be a purse strap. She winced again, and leaned a little toward her injured side to give her body a momentary reprieve.
“You know what? Your work day is done,” Three said, stepping forward and gently taking her hand to lead her away from the machine.
“Not until five,” Findley objected.
“It’s done. Until I tell you you can come back to work, you’re on leave,” Jack said.
“But…” Findley objected.
“Look, I know it’s hard to accept things that turn your world upside down. But you have to always put your own welfare first. You can’t survive if you jeopardize your health. If you’re healthy and strong, you can face pretty much anything. If you allow yourself to get weak, or not allow yourself to heal, everything you’re struggling against can tear you down,” Jack said.
Findley looked up at him. She opened her mouth to speak and instead just closed it, not even making the effort.
“Your job will be here in a few days. You are not losing your job. You are not sleeping in the woods somewhere. Bonnie offered you shelter, and she wouldn’t have if she didn’t mean it. Stay at Bonnie’s for the moment. Take care of you. And we’ll see you here in a couple of days,” Jack said.
Findley looked at Jack, her face reflecting her worry.
“Come on. I’ll take you back to Bonnie’s. You’ll have to show me where it is, but I’ll take you back there. You have no worries at all, Findley,” Three said.
Findley laughed sarcastically. “Ow, ow,” she said, pressing a hand to her side. “I have nothing but worries.”
“You have more than you think you do, and I don’t mean worries,” Three said. “Come on.” He held out his hand again, and she placed hers in it, allowing him to lead her toward the exit.
Jack followed Three and Findley until they left the building, and he turned into the reception office. “You need somebody else on the riveter. I sent Findley home.”
“Good. Shouldn’t have been here,” Vance said, typing away on his keyboard.
“I got it. No worries,” Draven said. He rose from his place behind the reception desk and started toward the work floor. “Anybody in particular?” he asked.
“No, they’ve probably already made plans for whoever finishes up first to get on the rivet machine, but just make sure they know she’s not coming back today,” Vance said.
Draven nodded and left the office. A few moments later the front door opened and four people in business wear walked in.
Jack turned toward them as Vance hurried to stand with him. “Hi, I’m Jack Laighin. Welcome to Laighin Celtic Leathers. We’re pleased you’re here, anxious to show you around.”
~~~
Hours later, Jack, Vance, and Draven stood in front of the building waving as the customs inspectors drove away.
