“Thank you, sir. See that Timms gets one too.”
“I’m planning on it. Good luck, Allister.”
A sense of freedom radiated through him as he walked out the doors for the last time. He filled his lungs and raised his face to the sky, allowing the afternoon sunshine to warm his skin. He hadn’t realized just how much it had been like a prison for him, but it certainly felt like stepping out of one now.
Nervousness fluttered in his stomach as he approached the gates to Raven House. It was an unfamiliar sensation. He didn’t often get nervous, but it only grew as he neared Ash’s office.
Ash sat behind his desk, going over some kind of paperwork, but then he looked up and his eyes brightened just a bit. Surely that had to be a good sign. “Close the door and have a seat.”
Simon centered himself and did as he was told.
“Well?” Ash raised a brow.
“We did it.” Speaking the words aloud suddenly made it real, and a flurry of emotions welled up within him. It was finished. Truly finished. A rush of relief washed over him. “The vicar was the last man, at least the last man that we know of, who was involved in any way. We finally tracked him down and arrested him. He’ll never be a free man again.”
“And your list?”
“Finished.”
Ash nodded approvingly. “Does that mean you’ll be joining us soon?”
“If you still want me.”
“I do.”
Simon breathed a sigh of relief. “That’s good, because I’ve just quit my job.”
“Good man.” Ash smiled his approval and tapped his knuckles on top of the desk.
“So how do we do this? Do I need to kneel or something?”
Ash chuckled. “There’s not some sort of ceremony, Allister. I’m not your king. I want loyalty, not fealty. Besides, we haven’t discussed what you’ll be doing for me yet. How do you know you’re even interested?”
“If you’ll promise that you’ll see my sister is safe and cared for if anything ever happens to me, I’ll do whatever you require of me.”
“Your sister has my protection regardless of whether you work for me or not. Her welfare will not be impacted by what you decide, nor should it play any part in your decision.”
Simon stared at Ash for a moment before he nodded. He didn’t want him there out of obligation, because that would not nurture true loyalty. But Simon still wanted it. There was a kind of energy in the place that called to him. “I understand.”
“So what is it you think you’ll be doing for me?”
Simon shrugged. “I assumed you’d want me standing guard at a door somewhere?”
“I’m sure you’ll do some of that. Everyone on our security team does. And like you, they all start out thinking that it’s the least meaningful job they could do, but the reality is, it’s the most important job here. The men guarding the doors ensure, more than anyone else, that these women stay safe.”
Suddenly, his perception of everything here shifted. He always assumed the women were here to service the men, but he had it backwards. “The gaming hell, this place, the security, is it all actually for the women?”
A fervor shimmered in Ash’s eyes. “Now you’re beginning to understand.”
He’d created an entire system where desperate women were brought in off the streets, cared for, and given a chance at a good life, and it was all funded by the greed of rich men. It was, quite simply, brilliant. He’d referred to these men as saints. Apparently, that was more true than he’d imagined. He wasn’t worthy to be among them, but he wanted to be.
“I would be honored to be a part of this in any way I can.”
Something akin to pride shone in Ash’s eyes. “I’ve talked it over with my partners, and we think you might be the right person to head up our security team. McKinnon recently took a different position. You will, of course, start with a probationary period so we can make sure it’s going to work for everyone involved. Does that sound like something you’d be interested in?”
For a moment, Simon was shocked into silence. “Why me? Why not someone who’s been with you? Brennan perhaps?”
Ash shook his head. “Brennan’s a good man, and he’s loyal, but he’s not very good at understanding the consequences of his actions, or seeing the bigger picture.”
