Sickening display, Alek thought grumpily as he moved on.
Micha and Anton were near the entrance to the main room, talking too quietly in the mother tongue for Alek to make anything out.
Gabriel and Eva were at the bar with Jak and another of G’s bodyguards. Quan Mao had been with Gabriel since Seattle. It had taken them all some time to accept the lethal Asian who at one time belonged to an organization based in New York but was controlled out of Shanghai. But after proving himself time and again, Quan was now one of theirs. Him and Eva were right into something displayed on a laptop while Jak and Gabriel exchanged skeptical looks behind their backs.
“Instead, you’ll place it as you would a regular bed,” Quan was saying as he pointed at the screen, “because putting the long side of the crib against the wall while leaving the end out in the open will put your son in a defensive position. Not favourable for the kind of deep rest an infant requires for proper development.”
Quan stepped back to regard Gabriel. Both of them were in shirts and slacks with their sleeves rolled up to the elbows. But where G was big and could club the fuck out of a man, Quan was lean and could snake around and snap the bastard’s neck before the guy knew what hit him. Jak, who could do both, was in a black hoodie and worn jeans.
“You should appreciate the fact that I’m glossing over most of this,” Quan said to his boss. “I could always send the ladies into a frenzy by telling them all the ways in which the very design of this house is stealing energy from every one of us. For instance, the front door, or ‘the mouth of Chi’, is how a house absorbs its necessary energy nourishment. With both staircases facing that mouth directly, the Chi sweeps through and rushes either up or down, which leaves the main floor—where most of our time is spent—without energy nourishment. You think your bedroom is your happy place for obvious reasons, but there’s more to that than just her.”
His open palm presented Eva.
“And don’t get me started on the lack of green and all the sharp edges constantly pointing outward,” he went on, indicating the corner of the sofa table a few feet away. “Or how all the bedrooms ooze masculine Chi which is choking theirs.” He pointed at each woman, all of who were now listening intently. “Or maybe it’s the lack of air-purifying plants doing that.” He shrugged. “If you want an easy fix that won’t cure but will help; change the headboards on your beds. Get something padded and soft.” His hand touched Eva’s shoulder. “Yin Chi. But make sure it’s in a warm shade of a masculine color of your choice.” He put his other hand on Gabriel’s shoulder. “Yang Chi. It will make for a harmonious exchange of energy between partners.”
Gabriel wasn’t buying it. He stroked his big hand over Eva’s belly. “I think the shape of my wife’s body is a direct testament to how harmonious our exchanges already are, Mahatma,” he said as he walked away.
Laughter came from every corner.
Grinning, Alek shifted his study to the final pair in their crowd. Vincente and Nika were playing pool on the red-felt table in the corner. As V lined up a shot, Nika slid off a stool and went over to put a file folder under his nose. They now matched because she’d changed into jeans and a Harley T-shirt. Charlie was pressing his big body into her knees and staring up at her because she had the ginger kitten cuddled under one arm.
“If he’s anything like his uncle and cousin in Seattle,” Nika said. “We’ll never have to worry about workers screwing around on site.”
Vincente barely glanced at the paperwork. It must be from ROM Construct. “Who’s the cousin and uncle?”
“Neil and Braden O’Byrne.”
That had V lowering the file so he could look at Nika. “Neil O’Byrne. He’s the former president of the Seattle chapter.”
Nika nodded. Her brother was the vice-president of a biker club, so she didn’t even blink.
“Braden is the current president,” V pointed out.
“Yeah. So they’re like family,” the redhead said with a hopeful look. “It says here Sean was in the service the same time Braden was. See? He’s the one applying for the position.”
Vincente gave her the stink eye. “Yeah, I got that, babe.”
“Braden O’Byrne was dishonorably discharged for beating a man almost to death,” Jak said as he wandered over. “Lost his focus one too many times and they kicked his ass out.” Jak was a military information whore. Guy had a brain like a computer. But if you asked him what he ate for lunch, nada.
Nika gave Jak a look that said he wasn’t helping. “Well, Sean finished his tour, and he’s the one we’re considering for the foreman job, so…”