Meant To Be - Heaven Hill Series #1

Chapter Two

"We should use her."

Liam ground his back teeth together. He didn't agree with this at all. In fact, he thought the idea was about the stupidest thing he had ever heard. "Denise did what she did for Roni, not because she wanted to get an 'in' with the club. She made that very clear to me when I tried to say thank you for her part in getting us out. We don't need to use somebody who doesn't want to be involved. That's dangerous."

"I say we take a look at her financials. We might be able to persuade her," William Walker Sr. disagreed with his son. "Steele," he yelled. "I need you in here. Get me a credit report and everything else you can on Roni's friend, Denise Cunningham." He steepled his fingers together and rested his chin against them.

Dread settled over Liam at those words. There was a reason she had so readily picked up an extra shift at work on what he had been told was her birthday. When he'd approached her, he could see weariness in her eyes. It wasn't weariness caused by working too much, it was real tiredness. The kind that one got from being depressed and living paycheck to paycheck for too long. He'd seen it in some of the women who liked to hang around the clubhouse. They were women who were used specifically for sex, they weren't 'old lady' material. He didn't want this for her, didn't want any part of it.

With startling clarity, he knew that their security officer, Travis Steele, could find anything out about anyone. He was one of the best hackers in the world, and with the click of a mouse he could destroy a person's life.

"Let's see," Steele clicked a few buttons and chomped down on a piece of gum. "Denise Cunningham is the single mother of thirteen-year-old twins. One boy, one girl. She was just served a foreclosure notice on her home. Looks like she used to work at a local factory and lost her job when the economy tanked. There are lots of credit card bills, and it looks like collection companies are beating down her door."

Liam cursed. This was the exact kind of situation he didn't want the club to be in. He didn't want to have to use women to do a man's job. His father liked desperate. Liam thought desperate equaled mistakes.

"Have Roni get her in here. Let's make her an offer she can't refuse," William told the group as he got up from the head of the table. The smarmy smile on his face made Liam rage.

"Wait a second old man, ain't we gonna take a vote on this?"

The group gasped at Liam's use of the phrase 'old man'. There were many things his father was. Asshole, vindictive, arrogant. But old man? That was going to earn him a lashing when this was over.

"Do we really need to? She'll work for us, and maybe we'll get free pussy too," he laughed flippantly.

Liam wasn't laughing. His gaze had instead turned very dark.

William recognized the look on his son's face. It was a look he'd seen in the mirror one or two times before. This was the kind of emotion he'd been looking to get out of his son for years. It was the kind of emotion Liam would need in order to run the club one day.

"That piss you off, son?" he goaded.

Liam carefully reeled his emotions back in. "Nah, I just wonder why we want a woman to do what our grunts can do. How are they gonna prove themselves if we never give them a chance? Jagger wants to be patched, and he never will if we don't give him somethin' to do. That's why we have Prospects."

William's eyes narrowed as he glared at the son who was daring to question his authority. "I'm president of this club. Until you get this patch," he pointed at the president's patch on his cut. "What I say goes, boy. I say we use her. Fuck no, this isn't going up for a vote. We need her, she probably needs us. End of discussion. You got anything else to say to me?"