Chapter EIGHT

“FINN. GET in here.”

Finn cringed at the sound of Rocky’s voice. He’d only just arrived and hadn’t even had time to put down his stuff. He straightened his shoulders as he entered his brother’s office.

“Morning,” he said.

“Hardly. It’s nearly midday. If I can get here early, so can you.”

Damn Rocky for interfering—Finn had planned to limit his time there by getting in late and leaving early. He didn’t need Rocky looking over his shoulder.

“Sorry.” Finn shrugged. “The train took longer than I thought. I’ll leave earlier tomorrow, and once I have a car, it won’t be a problem.”

“It wouldn’t be such a problem if you moved into my place. The trip is half the time as it takes to get out to yours.”

Finn stiffened. “I’ve told you, I’m happy out there, at least for the time being. I’ll make sure I’m on time in future.”

Rocky stood and walked around the desk. “That won’t be a problem anymore. I’ve found a solution.”

“A solution to what?”

“I’m giving you a driver.”

“A driver? What sort of driver?”

Rocky rolled his eyes. “For fuck’s sake, Finn. Didn’t they teach you anything at that fancy university of yours? A driver, as in someone to drive you around, make sure you turn up where you’re meant to be and on time.”

“I don’t need a driver. I’m perfectly capable of driving myself.”

“Come with me, and I’ll introduce you.” Rocky totally ignored him, and Finn wanted to punch him as he walked toward the door. Instead he took a couple of deep breaths and followed.

The staff room attached to the workshop was a large room with a kitchen area and a couple of tables where the guys could sit and eat or just hang out. The first thing Finn noticed was the gorgeous guy he ran into last week. His body’s response was immediate; his pulse sped up, and his mouth went dry. Strange, I thought he was a customer.

The guy immediately pushed back from the table and stood. He was well over six feet tall, and standing at his full height accentuated just how well built he was—broad shouldered and strongly muscled but exhibiting grace in his movements as he approached. Finn swallowed heavily as the man gave him the once-over, but it was Rocky the guy approached. He thrust out his hand, and Rocky shook it.

“I wasn’t sure if you’d turn up today,” Rocky said.

“I said I would, and here I am. I’m a man of my word.”

Rocky gave a curt nod. “Stack give you a rundown of what’s needed?”

The guy glanced at Finn before giving his attention back to Rocky. “He did. General driving, a few errands. Making sure things run smoothly. Helping your brother out.”

Finn’s eyes widened.

Rocky smirked. “That’s one way of putting it. Basically you need to look after this kid here.”

Finn stepped out of the way when Rocky tried to throw an arm around his shoulders. They were talking about him like he wasn’t even there, and he refused to be treated as if he were invisible, and definitely refused to be treated like a child.

“I absolutely don’t need a driver or help of any sort—”

“Shut it, Finn. We’ve been through this before. You’ll do whatever I tell you to do.”

Finn inhaled a deep breath. Show no fear. Don’t be pushed around. “It really isn’t necessary, and”—Finn waved a hand in the guy’s direction—“he’ll be bored because there’ll be nothing for him to do.”

Rocky stepped closer and narrowed his eyes. They were red-rimmed, obvious evidence of a big night the previous evening, but his glare was cold, as was his tone. “Shut. It.”

“Jesus, Rocky. Why do you always have to have things your way?”

Rocky’s nostrils flared, and Finn immediately regretted his words, but then Rocky shot him a sly smile. “I’ll tell you what. You move into my place, and you won’t need to have a shadow. Insist on staying out in the boondocks, then he stays.” Rocky jerked his head in the direction of the guy who stood quietly on the sidelines, observing them. Finn couldn’t read his thoughts but suddenly wished Rocky weren’t making him seem like such a moron. What sort of twenty-three-year-old lives his life under his brother’s thumb? Fuck.

It was another case of picking his battles, and in this instance, Finn decided to back down. There could be worse things than being driven around by someone who looked like an action movie hero, and it appeared he wouldn’t be able to change Rocky’s mind, anyway.

“All right. I’ll take the driver.”

“I knew you’d see sense. Mitch will bring you to and from work. He’ll keep an eye on things to make sure you don’t get into any trouble.”

Finn rolled his eyes. “What sort of trouble would I get into?”

“Keep your nose clean, do what I say, and there won’t be any trouble.” Rocky looked at the guy. “I’ll leave you two to get acquainted, but I want to speak to you before you leave. You can show Finn to his office when you’ve finished here. Here’re the keys to the Range Rover. It’s parked out back.” Rocky tossed a set of keys the guy easily caught with lightning-fast reflexes.

“No worries,” he said as he pocketed the keys.

With another curt nod, Rocky turned on his heels and left the room. Finn immediately followed and grabbed Rocky outside. “Who is this guy?” Finn hissed. “You haven’t told me anything about him.”

“He’s new around here. He’s a friend of Peter’s. They used to work together.”

“And you fully trust him?”

“Not on your life.” Rocky laughed. “But Peter’s got a lot riding on this, or else he won’t get his patch, so I trust his judgment. He’s not going to vouch for someone he doesn’t believe in, and if he’s stupid enough to do so, then it’ll be more than just his patch he’ll lose. But I’m not taking any chances. We’ll check Mitch out, and he’ll need to prove himself in case Peter’s assessment is off. But don’t worry, little brother, he’s only going to drive you around, nothing dangerous, and we’ll keep an eye on him. Once he’s proven himself and he checks out, then we’ll look at how else he can add value around here.”

“So I’m part of his test?”

“If you want to look at it that way. Now rack off. I need to get some shit done, not stand around gas-bagging to you all day.”

Rocky stalked off across the back parking lot, returning to the main building. The only thing that made Finn feel a little better was the knowledge Peter knew and vouched for the man. If he was someone Rocky had dragged from wherever it was he usually dragged his arsehole people from, it would be a different story. He turned and went back to the staff room.

The guy was still standing where they’d left him. Finn paused momentarily at the door, then took a deep breath and approached. The hand that shook his was strong, with a sure grip. The surge of electricity was instant. Oh fuck. Maybe it wouldn’t be so easy to hang out with a guy who looked like an action movie hero, particularly one who sent all the blood racing to his dick.

“Mitch Nielsen,” the guy said. “Looks like we’ll be spending a lot of time together.”

Oh fuck, indeed.