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His gaze narrows at me in the rearview mirror and I mime zipping my mouth shut. Someone is a bit testy.
“During my work with The Guild, I came across him again. My mark was in one of his sex clubs, but that’s a glorified name for it. It was more along the lines of what you saw in the video with Cole’s sister.
“That reunion didn’t go well. I didn’t approve of what he was doing, although it made sense with his background and the way he relished in watching the destruction of others. We made our pact, and I ensured I kept distant tabs on him. Knowing his location and not much more. I didn’t want to know the details of how he ran his business.”
He quickly glances toward Cole. “Sorry, man. I regret that now, although I’m not sure I could’ve stomached it.”
This time I pause, waiting to see if he’ll continue or if I’m safe to ask my question. After a minute goes by, it feels safe to go on. “Why didn’t you just kill him? You hated him enough, and he’s clearly scum.”
Jasper rubs his chin, thinking over his response. “Probably for the same reason I didn’t leave before I was eighteen. Some part of me always wanted to make my mother proud, even if nothing I did was ever good enough. Michael was her favorite, even if he wasn’t her biological son. And some part of me knew she would hate me even more if I took her precious son from her.”
My fists clench into tight balls, my convictions made even stronger. Jasper’s mother will die by my hand if it’s the last thing I do.
Chapter 7
Raven
It felt like we were in the car for an eternity. I’ve never missed my phone more than when I was stuck in a box with nothing to do for hours on end. But it didn’t compare to sitting in the house Cole found for us to stay in while we developed a plan to infiltrate the Tulip Broker’s home base.
Three fucking days, and it’s been nothing but argument after argument. Over literally everything. The guys can’t agree on a single thing.
“No, I’m telling you it’s better to go in from the south side.” Cole jams his finger into a map we have spread out in the middle of the kitchen table.
Jasper shakes his head. “I’m telling you, we need to infiltrate on the west side where the blind spot is. The south has cameras covering the entire length.” He crosses his arms, practically daring Cole to argue with him again.
My hacker stands, straightening his spine and drawing his shoulders back to seem more intimidating. It would probably work on whoever was standing in front of him—if that person wasn’t one of my men.
Jasper simply raises an eyebrow as if to say, what the fuck do you think you’re doing? Nice try.
“The cameras will be turned off before you even get there,” Cole huffs, exasperated with the fact he’s having to repeat himself.
“Even if you’re able to hack into the cameras, there’s still the motion detectors, heat sensors, and everything else they have set up. The place has been almost impossible to get information on and you haven’t even cracked their code.” Jasper’s voice gets louder with each example he gives and is just shy of yelling before he cuts off.
“I’ll have it cracked by the time we infiltrate.”
“I won’t bet our lives on that, Cole! Do you think you’re willing to risk her?” Jasper points to me. “Are you willing to put her life on it? Because that’s what we’re talking about.”
“I hate to interrupt this line of conversation,” Vander says, cutting in. Hate to my ass. I can guarantee he did it on purpose. “But you’ve both completely neglected to discuss the obstacles we’ll face before we even make it to the building.”
They continue arguing, but I’m distracted from listening when Grayson drapes his arm around my shoulders. “They never stop, do they?”
I let out a sigh that’s been waiting for a dramatic moment like this. “They really don’t.”
He leans closer to me like he’s about to tell me something private, even if the others are entirely too consumed in their argument to pay us any attention. “You know, we could ditch them and go back to the original plan.” He bites his lip and flutters his eyes at me.
This isn’t the first time he’s played this game with me, and I know it won’t be the last. Yet, for some unknown reason, I enjoy it. I hope it doesn’t turn out to be something that secretly jabs a knife into his heart, though. I never want to hurt the only thing in my life that isn’t consumed with the same darkness as me.
“And what plan is that?” I ask, closing the distance between us.
“We can ditch the assholes and run off to get married. I’ll give you all the bright sunshine personality you can handle, and when it becomes too much, I’ll help you hide your victims. We’ll be the dream team.” He nuzzles his nose against mine, and I can’t help it, I have to kiss him.
Fisting his shirt, I slam my lips against his, wanting to get closer. He laughs against them, not expecting my reaction, making me break away. “As picturesque as that sounds, I don’t think they would let us get away with it. They’d show up at the chapel, guns blazing. My white dress would be ruined… That has to be bad luck for our marriage.”
He hums, nodding his head. “Yep. Total bad luck. And you know Cole would drag us in front of the closest judge immediately, insisting they give us a divorce.” He gives a sad sigh. “Then I’d have to join the club.”
My eyebrows pinch together. “Join the club?”
“Yeah. Join the club. Take my first kill.” He smirks, realizing he took me off guard. “Do you throw new members a party? Give them a pin they can wear on their lapel?”
