Gen stopped by the compound before she went into the office, and handed her phone to Brain. He nodded and let her watch him punch some numbers in, and then they talked while it rebooted.
“Glad he talked to you about it, don’t like ya’ll keeping more secrets than you have to from each other.”
Gen nodded. She wished they didn’t have to keep any secrets, but she was in agreement they should be honest about as much as possible.
“I’m not finding any suitable properties to put a bar and a gun shop within a block of each other. I mean, not a facility you wouldn’t need to totally start from scratch on. I know you want them close to aid in security, but if you can be okay with them within a mile of each other, there are several options.”
He nodded. “Okay, set it up for us to look at what you find. Any time between eleven and four over the next couple of days should be fine. If that doesn’t work, let me know and we’ll figure another time.”
Gen looked around the control room and sat down, saying, “I’d hoped to see Duke. I guess I need to talk to him a little more about what he does during the day.”
Brain smiled, hit a few keys on his keyboard, and motioned towards a monitor. “He’s working at the bike shop today, doing a favor for a friend.”
Gen watched as Sprite walked to him and said something, and he stopped working to hug her a few minutes, stroke her cheek as he said something, and then she sat and talked to him as he worked.
“This feels wrong, Brain. Like I’m spying on him.”
“Sprite was in a really bad situation when she was around fourteen, and Duke helped rescue her. He sees her as something close to a daughter, so don’t feel like you’re spying. Sprite’s twenty-one now, but she’s been on very few dates, in part because everyone’s afraid of Duke.”
“There’s so much we don’t know about each other yet.”
“The way you two look at each other, ya’ll are learning all the physical stuff first, and the other things will have to wait.”
Gen’s face flamed hot and Brain chuckled. “Sorry, didn’t mean to embarrass you. Still blows me away the two of you work, but there’s no doubt you do. I’m happy for both of you.”
The phone beeped as it came back up and Brain loaded an app on it, configured it, double-checked he could access her location from his computer, and handed it to her.”
“What am I missing?” Gen asked Brain.
“What do you mean?”
“Long story,” she explained, “but my background checks on ya’ll gave me squat. Duke had you run the check, so he walked in blind as well. Now we’re hot and heavy, and he’s spying to keep me safe. I have a feeling Isaac plays into things in a way I don’t understand, and possibly Abbott. Duke once told me if you and I started strategizing together, things could get dangerous. I’m assuming this means you think about things the way I do. So, I ask again…what am I missing?”
Brain shook his head. “MC tradition says each brother decides what information to trust his woman with, and he’s responsible if he entrusts information and it gets out. It isn’t common knowledge, but Duke and I are tight, so I know you’ve asked him not to tell you anything you might have to lie to law enforcement over.”
Gen nodded. “So, I’m missing something, but you can’t tell me.”
He shook his head. “I don’t think so. I mean, I really do believe you and Duke hooking up was coincidence. Are there things about us you don’t know? Sure, of course, but you know there are, and, for the record, I think you’re good for each other and I hope you can make it work. My calling you Duchess? It’s my way of showing respect. I’m pretty sure the other brothers feel the same.”
Gen took in his words and said, “Thanks, Brain. That means a lot.” She took a second to decide and said, “I have the perfect spot for a bar, an old chain restaurant with a beautiful bar area, and it wouldn’t take much to bring it to your specs. Bonus, there’s a retail space available about two blocks away for the gun store.” She looked him in the eye as she said, “The old chain restaurant is three blocks away from The Billiard Club.”
Brain shook his head. “Then it isn’t an option.”
Gen nodded, she’d expected as much based on Duke’s instructions. “When Duke camped out at my house and waited for me the other night, it was Abbott Hamilton who brought me home drunk at two thirty in the morning.”
Brain winced but said, “And I’m guessing Duke didn’t give you shit about it.”
Gen shook her head.
They looked at each other a good thirty seconds before Brain said, “I can’t speak for him, but if you were my woman, while I wouldn’t like you with them, I’d know you were safe beyond a shadow of a doubt when you were with Isaac or Abbott, so I’d chill about it. Under normal circumstances, a member of the RTMC would go ballistic about it, but since your brother is in a relationship with Isaac, it makes him family. And if you’re Isaac’s family, you’re under the protection of Abbott.”
Gen held his gaze, considered what he was saying between his sentences, and nodded. “Thank you. How close can I get ya’ll to The Billiard Club?”
“Other side of the interstate at a minimum, but the farther away, the better.”
“Not ideal, but I’ll work with it.” She changed the conversation without a pause, needing to dive in, but not sure she wanted to. “Duke said if I need the services of a hacker… he says if I’m doing something questionably legal, I should keep it in the family. You good with that?”
Brain didn’t hesitate, didn’t think about it. He held her gaze and nodded, like it was a given. Gen blew out a breath and asked, “Is this Duke taking care of me, or his way of tangling me up with ya’ll so if pushed, I’ll have to lie to protect you because you’ll know stuff on me, too?”
“Sounds like something else you need to talk to Duke about.” His voice was casual, but his eyes narrowed. Gen wasn’t sure exactly what it meant — Brain always seemed so laid back, but she had a feeling she didn’t want to tick him off.
“Yes, I do, but I don’t know how to bring it up without pissing him off, and he scares me, sometimes.”
“Duke’s never gonna hurt you, Gen. I mean, sure, he’ll spank you if you get too far out of line or do something dangerous, but it’s just to make sure you hear what he’s saying when he tries to keep you safe. He won’t hurt you. Not really.”
Gen stopped breathing, and her heart stopped beating a few seconds before it went into overdrive. “Spank me? Oh, hell no he won’t.”
Brain’s eyes narrowed even more and he shook his head. “This won’t work between ya’ll if Duke changes too much to fit into your world. I know he said he’s going slow, letting you get used to him a little at a time, but you need to let him go faster. You need to get to know the real Duke, Gen. Start by talking to him about what’s going through your head. If he gets pissed, he’ll get over it. You gotta talk, and he needs to be able to let you see who he really is.”
She opened her mouth to argue, but Brain just shook his head and said, “He’s gonna be ticked at me for saying as much as I have, but I don’t care. You needed to know, and he needs to stop hiding the real Duke and be more honest with you. Go talk to your man, Gen. You and I are good, you need me for anything, let me know.”
Gen reached for her phone. “You done with this?”
He nodded and she stood. “Thanks for taking care of it. Anything you need to tell me, any heads up you think I need, I’m only a phone call away.”
“Works both ways, Duchess.”