I rode fast, but not as fast as I used to, particularly out here where you had to watch more for deer than cars. Usually, I would be well above the speed limit. It wasn’t like riding in suburbia where you had to watch for grannies and kids. Out here, it was pretty much just us. Devlin’s crew. But it didn’t matter.
I had a lot more to live for these days. A future. A future that looked bright for the first time in my life. A future with her.
I pulled up to the cabin and parked. Devlin waved from the deck where he was waiting. Jack was there too. And Lucky, I realized with a groan.
I loved the fucker as much as any of my brothers, but he was a major pain in my ass.
“Howdy, neighbor,” he said with a shit-eating grin.
“Don’t remind me,” I groused. It only made him smile wider. Dev slapped my back as he walked toward the path that led around the lake. Jack walked past me and slapped me again. I almost fell on my ass.
Lucky cackled and lifted his arm to slap my back, but I ducked and he went stumbling forward. Then it was my turn to smirk as we headed into the woods toward Lucky and Angel’s place.
Yeah, we all knew her name was really Kirsten, but nobody called her that anymore. Lucky’s nickname, Angel, had stuck. She was really a sweet girl. It fit her.
I was feeling good that Suzanna would have a friend in shouting distance, or nearly. The lake was pretty big, but if you leaned out either of the decks and shouted, you could hear each other.
We knew because we’d tested it a few times. Or at least, Lucky had. Everyone knew he had the biggest mouth in the club.
We passed Lucky’s house and kept going. He elbowed me.
“You sure you don’t want to be right next door?”
“No, thank you,” I said without looking at him. He cackled anyway, like he’d said something hilarious.
“We could come over every morning for breakfast.”
I shook my head and glared at him.
“Or we could do the same thing.”
That shut him up. He was addicted to his woman, as we all knew. He’d been hard up and in a bad way until she’d taken pity on him. And now with two kids under one roof, I was pretty sure he had to jump on the chance for sex when it presented itself.
I would be more than happy to fuck his chances up if he kept messing with me.
Lucky clutched his chest.
“You’ve changed, Mac. I don’t even know you anymore.”
Dev burst out laughing at that. Even Jack cracked a smile. Hell, even I did.
“Just past the bend.” I pointed. “There’s a little alcove.”
Dev nodded.
“It’s a good spot. Water will be extra-calm there.”
“If you go up the hill a bit, there will be good sun.”
“We could put the greenhouse and cottage up there,” I said excitedly. “And build the house closer to the water.”
“You’ll need to put in a new road for that side of the lake,” Dev added.
“I know. I know some guys who can do it cheap. They work for the Margarellis.”
Dev and Jack exchanged a look.
“Let’s walk over there and take a closer look.”
Dev waited until Jack and Lucky started ahead and pulled me aside.
“I’ve been meaning to talk to you about that.”
“About what?”
“The Margarelli brothers.”
My eyebrows shot up.
“More fallout from Lucky’s girl?”
“No. This is about your girl. Or the lawyer we roughed up, more specifically.”
I waited, not sure what to say. I’d done what I had to do. I wasn’t going to apologize for it.
“The guy asked them to take you out.”
“What?” I stared at him in shock. “Murder?”
“Well, something to that effect. The guy wanted them to hurt Suzanna, too.”
I saw red. Actual red.
“And?”
“We would not be having this conversation if they said yes.”
I exhaled sharply. I knew the Margarellis. They were not the type to fuck around. If they had accepted the offer, we might very well be dead already. So Suzanna was safe then. But…
“Does that mean he went out of state?”
“Maybe. We need to be on guard. But the Margarellis don’t take well to people threatening women. Or their friends.”
I nodded. They might be mafia, but the Margarelli brothers had a code. Even if all their crew didn’t, I thought, remembering what had gone down with Angel.
“The club has a good relationship with Vincent and Tony. This doesn’t change that.” He slapped my shoulder. “You owe them a favor, though.”
“For not killing me? Yeah, I do.”
“Not just that.” He cleared his throat. “They may have invested in the development, though not on paper. You keep your job. The lawyer doesn’t.”
“Holy shit.”
“He may have sustained further injuries as well.”
“Holy shit.”
“So, yeah. You owe them.”
“I wonder if they like heirloom tomatoes. For starters.”