Golden Trail (The 'Burg #3)(154)

“No, Tripp, our secret. I’ll take care of it. See you tonight,” Layne answered, taking his phone out of his shoulder and shrugging on the other side of his coat.

“Okay, cool. Later, Dad.”

“Later, Pal.”

Layne flipped his phone shut and Ryker barked, “What?”

Layne headed to the door saying, “Gotta go, brother, just got word my woman is plannin’ on committing a felony.”

Ryker immediately unfolded his big body from the chair and followed Layne. “Shit, things aren’t borin’ for you.”

“I’d pay for boring,” Layne informed him of the God’s honest truth.

“Trust me, bro, you wouldn’t,” Ryker replied as Layne opened the outer door and Ryker strode through.

Layne punched in the code to the alarm thinking that Ryker was way wrong.

* * * * *

On his Harley, Ryker trailed Layne through the gates of The Brendel and then through the grounds as Layne followed the signs to the management office.

When they made it there, Layne’s jaw got tight as he saw the operation was already in full swing. Josie Judd was standing outside with two young, attractive women wearing expensive suits. One was the blonde who showed Rocky her apartment. Josie was gesturing wildly with her arms toward a Jeep that was parked in front of the offices and she looked in full snit.

Layne parked outside the management office three spaces down from the Jeep that Josie and the women were standing on the sidewalk in front of, Ryker pulling up on Layne’s side.

Layne got out and heard Josie shout, “Who’s gonna pay for that? Hunh? I got that nail in my tire here! Innocently visiting my friend and the next thing I know I have a flat! I have kids to take to school! I have errands to run! I have bills to pay that don’t include a patch job I should not have to get on my tire!”

Josie, apparently, was providing distraction.

Layne’s eyes sliced to Ryker. “You shut that shit down in there.” He jerked his head to the management office where Roc, no doubt, was breaking into file cabinets. “I’ll deal with this.” And he jerked his thumb toward Josie.

“Shouldn’t that be the other way around?” Ryker asked and Layne gave him a look that Ryker read. If he went inside and caught his woman doing whatever she was doing, hell would be paid. It was going to be paid anyway, it just wouldn’t be as bad if he had to go inside and drag her ass out.

Therefore Ryker grinned, muttered, “Gotcha,” and loped off.

Layne rounded the hood of his car and approached Josie and the women and neither of the women looked his way because they were both staring at Josie who was still shouting. She did this until her eyes came to him and she didn’t let on that she knew from one look at him that her best friend had just bought herself a world of pain. Instead, she approached him.

“Tanner! I’m so glad you’re here!” she exclaimed, wrapping her fingers around his bicep and giving it a squeeze. “These women,” she flung an arm out toward the women, “say there’s no construction on The Brendel but I had no nail in my tire when I visited Rocky last night and I had one in my tire this mornin’ and it was flat! I saw it my damn self when they showed me the tire so I know it wasn’t an imaginary nail!”

She was good. He knew Josie didn’t visit Rocky last night and he knew she had no nail in her tire but even he was half-convinced she did the first and had the second.

“Josie,” Layne said but got no more out. Josie let his arm go and turned back to the women.

“The rent here is outlandish. With that kind of dough, you can at least sweep the streets. At least!” she shouted.

“I’m sorry, ma’am, but The Brendel can’t take responsibility for your vehicle. We have no construction on site and you can’t prove you picked up that nail on the premises. You could have picked it up anywhere,” one of the women put in.

“But I didn’t pick it up anywhere, I picked it up here,” Josie lied and she did it loudly.

“We’re sorry for your troubles but we really can’t do anything to help,” the woman who showed Rocky her apartment stated.

“This is outrageous!” Josie shouted.

“Josie, let’s go,” Layne said and grabbed her arm, pulling her to her car.

She looked up at him giving him a swift, short shake of her head indicating she felt Rocky needed more time. Layne looked down at her, giving her a swift, short nod of his head indicting Rocky’s time was definitely up. Her eyes got big and Layne’s narrowed. Then she gave in.

“You haven’t heard the last of this!” Josie threatened as she stomped to her car, Layne’s hand still on her arm.

“I’ll meet you at Roc’s,” he murmured after he let her go and she yanked open her car door with apparent fury.

“She’s –” Josie started to whisper but Layne interrupted her.

“I’ll meet you at Roc’s,” he repeated.

Her eyes went beyond him, they got wide again and her lips parted. Layne turned to see both the women still standing on the sidewalk outside the office watching them and rounding the building was Rocky with Ryker. Ryker’s arm was draped casually around Rocky’s shoulders. Rocky was wearing a face like thunder.

When Ryker and Rocky got close to the women, they both started and stared as his woman and his… whatever, walked passed them.