Page 3 of Learn For Me
“Two,” Atticus corrected. “Number three is a couple of months off yet. Natasha shows more interest in sucking on her thumb than world domination, and Link spends all his time playing building blocks with Alicia.”
Jasper harrumphed.
A black pickup truck drove down the drive, drawing to a halt in the parking lot where Braun’s house once stood. The guy who got out was huge, rivalling Atticus in height. He stretched and lifted his hand in a wave before sticking a Stetson on his head and sauntering over.
“This is who we’ve been waiting for?” Loki asked quietly.
“It is indeed.” Hand already extended, Braun stepped forward to meet the newcomer. “Everyone, this is Evander Ledston. He’s the man responsible for the redesign and construction of the club.” They shook hands in the slow, measured way of friends. “Evander, these are the Avalon Masters; Jasper, Thane, Atticus, Saul, Liam, and Loki. This is Zeke,” Braun added without pause, gesturing to him. “We’re hoping to convince him to take on the Master title in time for opening night.”
Ledston inclined his head. “Good to meet you all.”
Zeke blinked and stared at Braun. They wanted him to be a Master? That was a kick in the nuts, all right. The most he’d hoped for was his old job as part-time bartender, but he hadn’t let his hopes rise.
Being a Master wasn’t about privilege or buying his way into a position of power. It came with responsibilities, not only for whatever sub he played with, but for all who entered the doors.
“Won’t take much convincing,” he muttered, giving Evander a thorough appraisal.
Six-foot-six, at a guess. Early forties, blond hair beneath the hat and trimmed in a neat beard. The guy was work fit, his muscles subtly displayed in jeans and a cotton T-shirt. Dark brown eyes touched on every man there, taking their measure as they did the same to him.
“I understand this is a difficult time for you. A new club is exciting, but when it’s built on the bones of a place that meant a lot to you, it’s bittersweet.” Evander took his time examining the building’s exterior with a critical eye. “I was honored when Braun asked me to take this project on. Our walk-through today is the final step before I sign off on it. If there is anything you don’t like, anything that feels out of place or doesn’t fit in with your perception of the club, just let me know.”
Unease settled in Zeke’s gut. He hadn’t been back here since the day Avalon exploded around him; he’d felt no desire to visit a crater in the ground, even if he’d been able to before the rebuild began. There were only ghosts here.
“Before we go in,” Braun said somberly, “I have a question for all of you. Yes, you too,” he told Zeke. “Before the old club was destroyed, it was home away from home for us. I believe you felt the same.”
Yeah, he had. The highlight of his week had been his nights behind the bar, connecting with people who’d grown to be friends.
“Evander wants to expand into building BDSM clubs as his pet project. His private pet project,” Braun added with a wry smile. “He’s offered to buy half of Avalon, to run it in partnership.”
Oh, that wasn’t going down too well, Zeke mused, glancing at the men around him. There were varying expressions of suspicion, and outright hostility from Jasper. Understandably, the Masters were feeling proprietary over what they considered theirs—after all, they’d been waiting three years for the grand unveiling.
“If I sell, I’ll hold the controlling percentage. My counteroffer is this… Avalon should stay in the hands of everyone who knows it best. Keeping thirty-three percent for myself, Evander would take thirty-two percent. That leaves five percent for each of you. The only condition is that the shares come back to me if you don’t want them anymore.”
“Well, shit, Braun.” Jasper blinked slowly. “What universe did you wake up in this morning?”
Zeke sighed as his friends contemplated the generous offer. The truth was, as much as he loved Avalon, he didn’t know if this version would live up to his expectations, or if the memories would stay away.
The only thing he wanted was gone. Long, long gone.
Olivia.
He zoned out, losing himself in snapshots of time. His favorite was waking from an induced coma, disorientated and in pain, to gaze up into worried hazel eyes. So pretty, so emotive, that even her shock of spiky blue hair hadn’t been enough to distract him from them.
The angel who’d guided him back to the land of the living, then flown away without a word.
“So, we’re in agreement. Zeke?”
Without thinking, he answered, “Yeah, sure.”
“Excellent.” Braun’s grin encompassed his face as anticipation bloomed in his eyes. “I’ll get the paperwork drawn up. Welcome to your new family business. Evander, if you’ll lead us through and show us what your crews have done.”
“My pleasure.” He tipped the Stetson back a fraction, gesturing to a house across the fields surrounding the club. “As you can see, we’ve relocated Braun’s home over there for more privacy, and to put distance between the two main elements of his life.” He circled his finger to indicate where they stood. “We extended the parking lot considerably. Braun explained how crowded it was with the emergency service vehicles that day, when the lot was mainly empty. Had it been during club hours, there wouldn’t have been adequate room to accommodate them all.”
If those explosives had gone off during club hours, Zeke thought bitterly, there’d have been a hell of a lot more than three dead. He stretched his shoulders as the scar tissue seemed to contract tightly.
They walked as a group toward the building, with Evander pointing out the finer details of the outside changes. The entrance was no longer at the end of barn one, but more central, where barn two should have been, and had been upgraded to a portico that looked inviting and appealing, luring members in.
Instead of following his friends inside, Zeke drifted to the left, his steps slow and hesitant as he approached the spot where he’d lain, cheek against the gravel, with the body of the man who’d sacrificed his own life to save his weighing him down.