by Tate James
Cass grunted. “Needs to pass as a Dicks escort, too. Other security will see him arrive and raise an alarm if he looks like a gangster instead.”
I nodded, on the same train of thought. “I think I have someone who could be perfect. Maybe. I’ll have to ask nicely, though. He’s not intimidated by my mean face.”
Cass gave me a curious look. “Alright, well, if he can be trusted to get us in... I think Lucas should be the one to do it.”
My spine stiffened. Not that I was against the idea. Lucas had shot people before—whether he’d killed them or not, I wasn’t sure. But this would be up close. Personal. Messy. Did I want to corrupt my sweet Gumdrop like that?
“Lucas should do what?” Lucas asked with a yawn, scuffing his feet as he entered the kitchen.
Cass arched a brow at me, asking for my approval. I sighed and gave a shallow nod. Ultimately, it wasn’t my choice whether to corrupt Lucas or not. He was his own man and could make his own choices. I wouldn’t force him to do it, but I also wouldn’t stop him if he wanted to.
“What should Lucas do?” he repeated, leaning his elbows on the counter and peering into my coffee mug.
“Kill Lieutenant Jeffries,” Cass answered with a wicked little smirk on his lips. “Tonight.”
Lucas blinked a couple of times, still sleepy as hell. Then he nodded. “Done.”
48
“How do I look?” Misha asked me for the fifth time, checking his appearance in the rearview mirror. He’d been skeptical when I’d asked him for this rather large favor, but when I explained what Jeffries was party to, what crimes he’d been allowing to pass unchecked since transferring to SGPD, he was all in.
“You’re hot as hell, Misha,” I replied with a grin, even though I could feel Zed’s glower from the back seat. “It’ll be a breeze. Get in, block the door before it closes, distract him for maybe five minutes, then walk away when we arrive. I’ll take it from there.”
Misha gave me a long look. “If I get arrested for this—“
“I will personally bribe every single person in Shadow Grove to have you released,” I assured him. “But you won’t.”
Zed’s watch beeped, and he made an impatient noise. “Time.”
Misha drew a deep breath, released it in a gust, then pushed his door open and got out.
“You sure he’s good for this?” Zed murmured as we watched Misha cross the road to the hotel.
I shrugged. “No. But I think he’s our best bet for a man pretty enough to be a gay prostitute, totally unaffiliated with any gangs, and willing to look the other way when Lieutenant Jeffries turns up dead on the morning news.”
He just huffed a sound in response, leaning his tanned forearm on the edge of the passenger seat so our faces were only inches apart. “What does it say about us,” he asked after a moment, “that we’re about to assassinate another city official and all I can think about is dragging you into the back seat here and impaling you with my dick?”
I laughed quickly, then shot him a hot glance. “It says we’re two peas in a pod, Zayden De Rosa. Fucking soulmates.”
Officer Shane Randell exited the hotel lobby lighting up a cigarette. Our cue. Without another word, Zed and I got out of the car, and he looped his arm around my waist. We made our way over to the hotel, giving each other hot and steamy looks that weren’t even remotely staged, like a couple about to check into a room purely to fuck.
We bypassed the check in desks—no one even glanced at us twice—and headed straight for the elevators. As planned, no one stopped us. Officer Randell was the man on duty to watch the lobby, and he was now officially on the Reaper payroll.
Zed and I played up our newly engaged vibe, our lips locking before the elevator doors even closed, discouraging an older couple from joining us in the car. Still, we didn’t separate in any great hurry once the doors did close and we started climbing to Jeffries’s floor.
“Do you think this is a good idea?” I whispered to him when we did finally peel ourselves free. “For Lucas, I mean.”
Zed gave me a contemplative look. “I don’t know. But I know it helped you. When you were at your darkest, the violence and killing seemed to act as therapy for your damaged soul. Maybe it’ll be the same for him? He definitely gets off on the violence like you do.”
I scoffed. “Oh yeah? Like I’m the only one. You and Cass are just as bad. Or do I need to remind you about our dockmaster?”
Zed grinned, no doubt remembering how I’d sucked both him and Cass off five feet from a dead man. “Good times,” he murmured with a chuckle.
The doors slid open, and we stepped out onto the fifteenth floor where Jeffries had a room reserved under a false name. This recurring appointment with a Swinging Dicks prostitute was by far the weakest point in his security. He clearly didn’t want anyone to know about it, so he stripped off the outer layer of his personal protection. Only two men guarded him for the duration of these appointments, and one of them was now in our pocket.
As for the other? He was at the end of the corridor, struggling and red-faced with his eyes rolling into his skull as Cass calmly choked him into unconsciousness. Or death. It was unclear what kind of mood Cass was in.
The fact that he had to wear a hotel employee uniform—complete with a silly little hat—probably meant the man was dead.
He met my eyes as he dropped the security guard to the floor, and I shot him a toothy grin. He had that lethal look in his eyes that made my nipples hard. Yeah, I was a touch more than slightly damaged. Whatever. I was who I was.
Silently, we made our way to room 1407, and Lucas slipped out of the room opposite where he’d been camped out, watching to give us the information.
As instructed, there was a plastic swipe card jammed between the lock and the doorframe for Jeffries’s room, and low male voices issued from inside. Neither sounded panicked in the least, and I caught Misha’s husky laugh a moment later.
Biting back a grin, I pushed the door open and strode in with my guys behind me like we were expected. In fairness, we were. Just not by Jeffries.
“Oh, Misha,” I murmured, striding forward to where he stood, “I’m very impressed. Have you ever considered a life of crime? The Timberwolves could use a man of your skill.”
Jeffries made panicked mumbles, but we just ignored him. Good thing Misha had just secured a gag-ball in his mouth to keep him quiet. Thick, leather bondage cuffs secured the good Lieutenant to a chair at the wrists and ankles, and he was stripped down to his boxers.
“The Timberwolves need a full-time physical therapist?” Misha asked with total innocence. “I had no idea. Hmm, thanks but no thanks. I like my nice boring life.” He shot a grin at Zed and Lucas, who he’d met before. “Boys, lovely to see you again.”
They eyed him suspiciously. Damn, Misha hadn’t even unbuttoned his shirt, and he’d gotten Jeffries all trussed up like a Christmas ham. I was super impressed.
“Thank you, Misha,” I said with a laugh. “I’ll see you on Thursday.”
“Mm-hmm,” he agreed. “Make sure you do your exercises, and for the love of god, stretch before another of those athletic orgies, alright?”
Lucas’s eyes widened and Zed glowered, but I just grinned and showed Misha the door.
Once it was closed securely behind him, I flipped the deadbolt and turned back to our bound victim, who was making muffled protests behind his gag-ball.
“Lieutenant Jeffries,” I said, crossing back to him as Lucas unzipped the duffel bag he’d brought from his room. One by one, he started laying out knives on the low coffee table. “You know, you almost had me fooled into thinking you were one of the good guys the first time we met. Almost. But you made a big mistake getting into bed with Chase Lockhart. Even bigger mistake when you became involved in his extra-curricular activities. He must have given you some juicy incentive to have you kill Agent Hanson for him.”
That was something Dallas had uncovered for me after I’d given him those six names while I was stil
l at Foxglove Manor. Sending him the list had been one of the first major steps I’d taken toward healing my mind, and he’d been working on it nonstop since then.
We didn’t have concrete proof that Jeffries had been the one to kill Hanson, but his proximity during the time of her death and the subsequent coverup, with SGPD declaring her death a suicide, waved enough red flags to connect the dots.
Jeffries was making noises, likely defending himself or denying all accusations. But he didn’t realize I’d seen him on Chase’s conference call. I’d personally seen each of the six men working with Chase and heard them speak. Their fates were already sealed; I didn’t need to hear confessions or denials.
“All yours, Lucas,” I said softly, stepping out of the way.
He already wore gloves—we weren’t amateurs—and his face remained impassive as he picked up the first knife from the table. Jeffries thrashed against his bonds, but Misha hadn’t been messing around. He wasn’t going anywhere, especially after Cass clamped his hands down on the back of the chair, stopping it from toppling over.
Lucas froze, though. He stood there, scowling down at Jeffries with a deadly sharp blade in hand... but he went no further. His jaw sat tight and his shoulders were bunched with tension, but he made no move to start gutting the dirty cop.
“Lucas,” I whispered, jerking his attention up to meet my eyes. I gave him a small shake of my head. “You don’t need to do this. We can handle it. Fuck knows our hands are already stained so red they’ll never wash clean.”
His brow dipped, and I could see the indecision clearly in his eyes. He wanted this. He wanted to cleanse his aching soul with the blood of a bad man. But he just wasn’t there yet, and that was perfectly understandable. He hadn’t been raised with casual violence and death like the rest of us.
Zed understood that too. Without explanation, he pulled out his Glock, clicked a suppressor into the barrel, then swapped Lucas’s knife for the gun. “Or just make it quick. Don’t jump in the deep end before you can swim, Gumdrop.”
Lucas shifted his gaze to Zed’s, searching as though he thought he’d find judgment or pity. But I knew without even looking at Zed that he wouldn’t find anything but calm understanding. We all had a first kill, a first victim that we’d looked into the eyes of and questioned all the choices that had brought us to that point. There was zero shame in hesitation, and not a single one of us would judge Lucas if he decided not to pull that trigger.
Bang.
That answered that.
“Shit, Gumdrop,” Cass growled, “could have warned me to get out of the way.” He swiped a hand over his blood-covered face.
“Lucky he’s a good shot,” Zed snickered, taking the gun back from Lucas and putting it away in his holster.
I ignored Cass and Zed, focusing my attention on Lucas as he blinked down at the lifeless body of Lieutenant Jeffries still strapped to the chair. “Hey, Lucas.” I spoke softly, bringing my hand to his cheek to tilt his face to me. “You okay, babe?”
His brows hitched as he refocused on my face. Then he nodded. “Yeah. Yeah, I’m fine. I’m sorry I froze.”
I shook my head. “Nothing to be sorry for. At all.” I glanced over at Cass, who was drenched in blood and brain matter, having been positioned behind the chair. “Take Cass across the hall and make sure he gets all that blood scrubbed out of his beard, okay? Zed and I can finish up here.”
Lucas frowned. “No, I can stay and help. I should have—“
“Come on, Gumdrop,” Cass growled. “Let these two do their thing. I need to shower, and you need a drink.”
The big, blood-soaked man started for the door without waiting for Lucas to agree. I bit back a smile and gave him a nudge to go with Cass. Lucas gave a small sigh, then exited the hotel room with Cass to get him cleaned up.
When the door clicked closed behind them, Zed arched a brow at me.
I glared back at him. “I never pressured him,” I defended before he could even say anything. “He wanted to do it. I would have happily done it all myself and left all three of you at home.”
Zed gave me a slightly irritated look. “He wants to impress you, Dare. He wants to be one of us, even if he’s not ready.”
“Don’t you think I know that?” I shot back, angry. “But I promised I would treat him as an equal. I’d have given you or Cass the exact same freedom to make your own choices.”
He blew out a breath and ran his hand over his hair. “I know. I just feel bad.”
I threw my hands up. “And I don’t?” I stalked away a couple of paces, looking out the window to the lights of Shadow Grove. “I think maybe we need to give Lucas some credit. We’re not dragging some poor, innocent soul into the murky underworld. He’s diving in headfirst with his eyes wide open.”
Zed gave a long sigh before he picked up one of the knives from the table and tapping it against his palm. “Yeah, that’s true. And he seems to be thriving, too.”
I bit my lip. “I know what you’re saying. I’ll keep an eye on how this sits with him.”
“As will Cass and I,” Zed agreed. “But... I think you’re right. He’s a natural.” He turned his attention to Jeffries. “What do you wanna do about this, now?”
I parked my hands on my hips, peering down at the dead man. It hadn’t been the dramatic, bloody statement we had planned, but sometimes dead was statement enough. Besides, Chase didn’t need to be party to every death; it’d be pretty damn obvious who was responsible.
Just in case, though, we’d leave him a message.
“Do his ribs,” I told Zed. “Then let’s leave it as it is.” Bound in bondage cuffs in his boxers with a gag-ball in his mouth? Yeah, that worked for me.
Zed jerked a nod. “Yes, boss.”
He made quick work with his knife, cutting the design directly into Jeffries ribs in the exact same spot Chase had started to cut me before I escaped—except this one was complete. The Chase logo he’d tried to put on me.
When he was done, he wiped his bloody blade off on Jeffries boxer shorts, and I checked my phone to see how far Robynne and her cleanup team were. Once again, they’d erase every trace of evidence from the room, scrubbing it sterile, but leave the body.
“Robynne’s on her way up now,” I murmured. “Good timing.”
Zed smiled, tossing all our knives that hadn’t been used back into the duffel bag. “Like riding a bike, boss.”
Chuckling softly, I headed for the door, but Zed grabbed me by the waist as I passed him. He hauled me back against his body and kissed me long and hard. I sighed into his hold, melting with every brush of his lips and stroke of his tongue.
“We need to go,” I whispered when I was damn near ready to climb him like a tree.
He kissed me again, lingering a moment longer, then released me with a sigh. “I know. It just... hit me again how fucking lucky I am to still have you, Dare.”
Swallowing hard, I simply linked my fingers together with his, and we left our crime scene together.
Four down. Two to go. And then the main event.
Chase’s demise was getting closer, and I was buzzing with excitement to see it all unfold.
49
Ultimately, Zed and I were thinking way too hard about how killing Jeffries would affect Lucas. He was annoyed at himself that he’d frozen up at the thought of really making it messy and hearing Jeffries’s screams of agony—albeit muffled. But Zed’s gun had been the easier option. Lucas was comfortable shooting and had no regrets over wiping another rodent out of a position of power.
In fact, he’d been more than eager to prove how okay he was with it all by jumping me while Cass was still in the hotel shower in the room across from Jeffries. Zed had reluctantly sat back and serviced himself while Lucas fucked me hard and fast against the door, and all three of us had found our climax before Cass even got out of the shower.
Not that Cass was one to miss out on anything, though. He dragged me into the spacious backseat of the Escalade as we left the hot
el. Somehow, he managed to fuck me doggy style while Zed drove and Lucas watched from the front seat. Safe? No, not even close. Hot as fuck? Oh god, yes.
Yeah. Sex and death. What better combination was there, really?
The next day I found myself sleeping right through my alarm and waking up when Seph pounded on my bedroom door and yelled at me that I was supposed to pick her up an hour ago.
I raised my sleepy head, blinking some brain function to life, then grinned. The fact that she was pounding on the door and hadn’t just burst in told me she was learning. Good fucking thing, too, because I was stark naked, curled up in Cass’s heavy embrace, and crusted with an unseemly amount of dried jizz. I needed to shower badly before my little sister saw me, so thank fuck we were in Lucas’s bed.
The shower was already running in the attached bathroom, so I yelled back to Seph that I’d meet her downstairs, then slid out from under Cass’s arm and hurried into the bathroom.
“Good morning, gorgeous,” Lucas murmured, swiping water from his face as I let myself into his shower. “Last night was fun.”
I grinned, pushing him out of the water so I could start scrubbing my skin clean. “What part? Killing that revolting piece of shit, Jeffries? Or all the sex afterward?”
He gave a low chuckle while handing me the soap, then watched with hooded eyes as I washed. “All of it,” he replied after a long pause.
I took my sweet-ass time soaping up and washing out every damn crack and crevice on my body, enjoying the way he watched me with his huge dick standing hard and proud between us.
“I was supposed to take Seph out for lunch today,” I told him as I rinsed under the water. “She’s here to inform me that I’m over an hour late.”
His grin arched wider. “Oh, well, if you’re already that late”—he pinned me against the shower wall, his hands hitching my legs up around his waist and his dick sinking into my hot core—“then what’s ten more minutes?”
