EXCLUSIVE EXCERPT: Aiden

Excerpt

Before Bentley could respond, Reid sauntered in, a huge grin on his face. He flung himself in the chair beside Bentley. “Hey, morning.”

Bentley eyed him with disdain. “Don’t I pay you enough for you to come into the office not looking like an unmade bed?”

I snickered. Reid was a good-looking kid, but he didn’t seem to care about his appearance. He was tall and lanky, almost as if he hadn’t grown into his body, his thick, dark hair too long and in constant disarray. He brushed it off his face, a constant habit I was sure he was unaware he had. He wore thick, black glasses, which highlighted his hazel eyes and heavy brows. His normal state of dress included torn jeans and a vintage rock band T-shirt, a total deviation from the normal dress code of the office, but for Reid, Bentley allowed it. Today, though, his hair was wilder than normal, there was stubble on his chin, and his clothes looked as though he had slept in them. He was a mess, but his expression was filled with excitement.

“I didn’t come into work, Bent. I never left. I was up all night talking to one of the guys over at Unwired about the cool stuff we’re working on for the condo towers. This is gonna be epic shit, man. These places are gonna be sick with the things they can do once we’re done. Security, music, lighting, even which shower heads you want to use, everything at the touch of a button. No wires, no shit to deal with. We started talking about a new idea, and I had to start writing the code for the programs.” He shook his head. “Epic shit.”

Bentley and I shared an amused glance.

Reid was an untapped genius I had been lucky enough to stumble across. Because of his criminal record, no one would touch him, but there was something about him that made me want to have him on our side. He had been forthcoming, open, and honest in his initial interview and even more so in his second. He impressed both Maddox and me, even with his oversharing of some personal details, and we had been correct in our instinct he would be a good fit here. We had grown closer, and I knew his entire history now, which only made me more protective of him as I would be with a younger brother. He had proven himself invaluable to us, to Bentley, especially, and he had secured a lifelong contract with our company. Reid, the little shit, took full advantage of it.

“Glad to hear my money is being well spent,” Bentley stated dryly.

Reid stood and scratched his stomach, not remotely concerned about Bentley’s tone of voice.

“Yep. In fact, I’m gonna go to my office and take a shower in that private bathroom you made sure I had. Damn thing is bigger than my apartment, I swear. I’ll even change into clean clothes. I think Sandy brought my laundry back yesterday, so there must be some stuff in the closet.”

“Sandy does your laundry?” I sputtered. “That’s not her job.”

He shrugged. “I didn’t ask her to, but she said something about boys being boys and me needing looking after.” He grinned. “Who am I to argue with her?”

“Do not take advantage of her kindness,” I warned. “Sandy deserves our respect.”

He became serious. “Those flowers on her desk are my thanks every week. I bring her coffee, and also upgraded every computer in her house and installed some wicked speakers in her kitchen. For an old broad she has awesome taste in music.”

Then he turned and left, waving over his shoulder.

I looked at Bentley. “The kid has no boundaries.”

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Vested Interest - Recommended Reading Order

(standalone stories with interconnected characters)