“Oh yeah.” How could I forget? I’d been unbelievably hurt when he told me Natalie wouldn’t have any problem being with him. While I struggled with my feelings where Ace was concerned, I certainly didn’t want him mentioning being with anyone else. God forbid I would’ve said the same thing to him, he would have flown off in a jealous fit, worse than what I did.
“Oh yeah,” she mimicked.
“She’d jump on him given the chance, too.”
“Ace wouldn’t give her the opportunity.”
“How do you know that?” I asked, curious how she could say such a thing with conviction. Why I couldn’t be more open with my best friend about this annoyed me beyond belief. Everything else in my life she knew about, but my relationship, if I could even call it that, seemed to be a guarded topic. Then again, she never told me about her and Kaden, so I supposed we were even. Not that I was keeping score or anything.
“I see the way Ace looks at you. When you’re givin’ him attention, his smile is so big I want to pinch his gorgeous cheeks.”
“The ones on his face?”
“Of course. The only ass I’ll be grabbin’ is Kaden’s.” We both laughed at the trajectory of the conversation, diversion always a useful tactic. Only this time, Riley brought it back around. “Seriously though, Chels, Ace really likes you. Kaden is annoyed with the amount of times the guy complains about you shunning him.”
I didn’t stop to consider that Ace would talk to anyone about what was goin’ on between us. A twinge of annoyance erupted inside me with the information, but I also couldn’t help but inwardly smile that he cared as much as he did, enough to talk to his friends about us anyway.
“He’s just so moody. He’s flip-flopped one too many times for me.” Riley was fully aware of my trust issues with guys.
“Sounds like you’re one and the same.”
“Not funny.” I reached behind me and snatched the extra blanket from the back of the sofa, draping the soft material over my entire body. “He is hot, though, and he’s an animal in bed.” I wiggled by brows, wanting to get off the heavy topic of feelings and onto what I enjoyed most.
“I’ll take your word for it.” She laughed, snuggling deeper into the couch. An incoming text interrupted whatever she was gonna say next.
“Kaden?”
“Yeah. He said he’s gonna be another hour or so. I’m just gonna tell him I’ll see him tomorrow since it’s already so late.” Riley gently kicked my foot. “You get me for another night, chickie.”
While I was happy she’d be staying with me again, she’d be gone the next day, and I’d be left to battle the imminent loneliness that would follow.
3
“You need to stop offering our services to the enemy.”
Lincoln returned my glare, tucking his weapon back into his waistband. “You know what type of people they are. They shot one of their own. They tormented Maddie, and now that he’s dead, although they don’t know that yet, they’ll go after his family, probably thinkin’ he ran. Speakin’ of which,” he muttered, checking the dead guy’s pockets quickly before pulling out his cell. “I hope he has their numbers saved in here, otherwise we’re not gonna be able to watch over anyone.”
After everything that just happened, Linc appeared calm, switching back from the deranged guy who was seconds away from shooting someone in the head, literally ready to have blood on his hands.
“I’m sure they’re gonna be lookin’ for him soon enough,” Hawke added. “Get what you need because we have to get rid of his phone so they don’t track it here.”
Linc opened his own phone and started typing. “Got it.” He turned off Pike’s device and dropped it on the ground before stomping on it, cracking it in two. “No way they get any info from it now.”
Hawke slapped his hands together, the noise echoing in the small space. “One problem down. One to go.” He turned to look at Nash who hadn’t moved from his spot across the room. “Where’s the other one?”
“Upstairs in the back bedroom. Miles has the key,” our Laredo brother answered, finally pushing off the concrete wall, seemingly waiting for us to vacate the basement and ascend the steps, which we did one after the other, Nash closing the door after we cleared the top step.
Hawke and Tripp moved toward the kitchen while Marek and Nash entered the living room where Miles continued to lounge on the couch, not a care in the world there was a dead body underneath us. And while I was sure he wasn’t aware of that fact just yet, it didn’t negate the seriousness of why we were all here right now. I didn’t think I’d ever get used to the seemingly blasé attitude from these guys when it came to life-and-death situations.
Linc, Kaden, and I situated ourselves in the hallway between the two rooms. Marek asked Miles for the key to the bedroom Tag was in, my heart thundering inside my chest at the thought of what was gonna happen next. Prez hadn’t indicated one way or another exactly what was gonna be done. Would he, or someone else, kill the guy or set him free? He eluded to both scenarios but never landed on any one side, not that I was aware of, at least.
“Let’s get this done.” Before Prez could retrieve the key, a pair of headlights shone through the front window before disappearing. Someone had just pulled into the driveway, and by the reaction of everyone else, it was someone no one was expecting.
From the corner of my eye, I saw Kaden straighten. He looked anxious, although he tried to hide his expression by flattening it, his eyes darting from his ol’ man to the ground and back again several times.
Miles finally got his ass off the couch and walked toward the window, sliding the dingy brown curtain to the side.
“Who the fuck is it?” Marek whisper-shouted, standing stock-still with his gun held closely against his leg. I hadn’t even seen him pull it out.
“Two chicks,” he answered, releasing the drape right before there was a knock on the front door. He looked back at the rest of us, and it was that exact moment the door to our right suddenly opened. Marek raised his weapon and stepped forward, Rez’s forehead an inch from the barrel.
His eyes widened while he froze in place. “Fuck,” he grunted, nervously swallowing, waiting several seconds before Marek lowered his gun. “Didn’t think I was in danger of taking a shit.” His nervous laughter was cut short when Marek grunted and turned back toward the front room.
Miles approached the door when another knock sounded, his gun cocked and ready to fire. He looked back at Marek and stared, and only when Prez gave him a curt nod did he unclick the lock and open the door.
Our visitors were oblivious to the mounting tension residing inside the house when they sauntered in. They also happened to be unaware there was a gun pointed right at them.
“What the fuck are you doin’ here?” Marek shouted, shoving me and Linc to the side as he barreled past us toward his wife. Reece stood next to her, moving back a step as he approached, his body bristling with surprise which was quickly replaced with anger. “Why are you here?” Neither of them answered his first question, so he hit them with another one of the same.