Chapter 135: Second Batch
Rowena called mid-morning.
Liam was in the study when her name appeared on the phone. Outside, the heavy bag was already moving at its usual steady pace. Jack had been at it since before sunrise again.
He answered.
"They’re ready," Rowena said. "Second group. Four more. Same criteria."
"How soon?"I can have them there in two hours."Do it."The line went dead.
Liam set the phone down and looked out the window. Jack was in the courtyard, shirtless, working combinations into the bag with the kind of focus that made the rest of the world irrelevant.
He had no idea the house was about to get fuller.Liam left him to it and went downstairs to wait.The van arrived just before noon.
Liam walked out as it pulled up in front of the villa. The afternoon light was clean and hard. Rowena stepped out of the lead car first, same composed expression as always.
Behind her, four women climbed out of the van in clean, practical clothing dark pants, fitted jackets, nothing that tried to impress.He looked them over without hurry.
The first was tall and broad-shouldered, with short-cropped hair and a faded scar cutting through her left eyebrow.
She carried herself like someone who had spent years giving orders instead of taking them. Early forties. Strong legs. Heavy chest. The kind of body that came from function rather than decoration.
The second had darker skin and quieter eyes. Her hair was pulled back tight. She was slightly shorter than the first but thicker through the hips and ass.
When she moved around the van to collect her bag, the weight of it shifted under her pants in a slow, heavy roll that was hard to ignore. Forty. Steady. Observant.
The third looked the softest of the group at first glance fuller face, fuller everything until Liam noticed the way she scanned the rooftop lines and the tree cover without making it obvious. Thirty-nine. Soft body, sharp eyes.
The fourth was the oldest, closer to forty-six or forty-seven. Leaner than the others, with silver starting to show at her temples and the calm of someone who had already seen enough to stop being impressed by houses or money. She met Liam’s gaze directly and held it for a second longer than the rest.
All of them past thirty-eight, solid and are another set of potential multipliers.Rowena stopped in front of him.
"Same arrangement as the first group?" she asked."East wing still has space. Put them there. Two to a room."
She nodded and turned to give instructions. The women moved without wasted talk, collecting bags and following her toward the side entrance.
None of them stared at the villa. None of them asked questions. They simply went where they were told. From the edge of the courtyard, the sound of the heavy bag stopped.
Jack walked over, towel around his neck, eyes on the last of the women as they disappeared inside. He stopped beside Liam and watched the van doors close.
"More of them," he said.
"Yes."Jack was quiet for a second, jaw working slightly."You’re collecting them now?"
"I’m finishing the security coverage."
Jack let out a short breath that was almost a laugh. "Right. Security." He watched the empty driveway for a moment longer, then shook his head. "At this rate we’re going to need a bigger fridge. And bigger pants."
Liam glanced at him.
Jack kept his eyes on the house. "Don’t look at me like that. I’m just saying the average ass size in this building is getting out of control. It’s a logistical issue."
He turned and headed back toward the bag without waiting for a reply. A few seconds later the thudding started up again, harder than before.
Liam watched him go, then followed Rowena inside.The east wing felt properly occupied now.
Eight women instead of four. The hallways carried more footsteps, more quiet voices, more of the low professional energy that came with people who were used to staying ready.
Rowena handled the introductions and room assignments with the same efficiency as before. By the time Liam stepped into the small office near the entrance hall, she already had a new rotation drafted on her tablet.
"Mara stays on nights," she said without looking up. "Jessica keeps the grounds. I’ll put the new tall one Cole on the main gate rotation.
The quieter one with the hips, Renee, will pair with Jessica on the rear approaches. The other two can fill internal gaps."Liam leaned against the doorframe.
"Any weak links?" Not in this group." Rowena finally looked at him. "You have a type."
He didn’t answer.
Her mouth twitched like she wanted to say more, then she thought better of it and returned to the tablet.
"They’ll be fully integrated by this evening," she said. "I’ll send the updated schedule."
Liam nodded and left her there.
He walked the main hall slowly, listening to the house adjust. New voices. New doors opening and closing.
The faint sound of bags being set down and drawers being filled. The villa had been quiet for a long time. Now it carried weight in every direction.
Later, from the study window, he watched the new women walk the grounds for the first time.
Cole moved like a weapon that had learned how to stand down but never forgotten how to strike. Renee’s heavier lower body made her pacing slower, more deliberate.
Every step pulled the eye whether you wanted it to or not. The softer-looking one stayed closer to the house, eyes always moving. The oldest one barely seemed to move at all, but somehow still covered her sector completely.
Eight women.All of them the right age.
Multi Claim sat ready in the back of his mind, quiet and available. The pool had just doubled. Jessica was still the strongest option from the first group.
Renee was already pushing hard for second place in his private ranking. Cole had presence. The others were solid depth.
Outside, Jack had gone back to the bag, but his rhythm was off. Every few combinations he would stop and glance toward the grounds, shake his head, then start again harder than before.
At one point he stopped completely, stared at Renee as she walked the tree line, then muttered something to himself and hit the bag like it had insulted him.
Liam left the window and sat down at the desk.The house was fuller than it had ever been.Jack could keep pretending the only problem was pants size.
Liam knew better.The second batch had arrived.Now he only had to decide who came first.