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“You bet your ass I did,” I retort, and the simultaneous intake of shocked breath from the men behind me reassures me that they have also been on the end of her moods a time or two before and have learned to tread very carefully. “What are you going to do all the way from over there?”
“I would be very careful right now, young lady. I know what is best for my boys, and if I say Miller needs to be checked on, then I know what is best. Do not think that because you are so far away from me that you are immune to my punishments. How about I never make you your favorite mac and cheese ever again?” The guys groan, and Lathan drops his head onto my shoulder.
“Please, no, Kenzie. Please, just trust that your mother knows best,” he pleads, and I feel a hand on my other shoulder, squeezing it tight.
“We will all make your life a living hell if we never get her mac and cheese again, I swear.” Anders’s threat sounds real, and I chuckle quietly. They just gave me ammunition.
“Please, I know that recipe inside and out. We don’t need her,” I tell them, adding fuel to the fire. My mom screeches and stomps her foot. “Uh-uh, that wasn’t very princess-like behavior, now was it?” I tease, and my dad groans before pulling my mom onto his lap and whispering in her ear. The frown quickly turns to a giggle. I gag not so quietly at their PDA, and my pretty, refined, princess of a mother flips me the bird.
“I can’t wait until it’s my turn to tease you for PDA,” she says, getting back to her feet. “Now I’ll leave you to talk work stuff, but you better make sure Miller’s okay. Tell him I want a phone call tomorrow, or I will worry.”
“I’ll tell him, Sadie,” Dayton assures her, and she waves goodbye before leaving the screen.
“Okay, Kenz, you head home,” my dad instructs, “and if one of you guys will give him a shake or a slap, we’ll deal with Bishop.”
“Are you sure, Dad? I can just pop him here and now and be done with it,” I offer, and I feel the guys surrounding me freeze in shock. Whoops, were they not on the same wavelength as me?
Chapter 24
“What the fuck, Mac?” Anders growls, and I shrug.
“Look, you guys can’t deny that you thought the same thing. If he’s a liability to this case and especially to me, then there aren’t really many options. I am not ready to be outed and forcibly retired, and he’s the one who threatened me, not the other way around. If he had done that when we were alone, and I’d had my gun, then I probably would have eliminated him instantly.”
The guys explode into protests and shouts, but Dad quickly shuts it down with a piercing whistle. “Look, guys, she’s not wrong. He knows too much. Apart from my sending him somewhere with no communication or locking him up for the rest of his life, there aren’t many options, and if I can’t find a suitable solution for all of us, then we may need to consider other measures.”
When our agents retire, most of them happily go on and lead normal lives, keeping their past a secret. The other option, if they decide not to pursue active duty, is to become trainers or admin. Most of our agents work well into middle age, since there’s nothing that says you need to retire as long as you pass all fitness and skill requirements.
“But death is a bit extreme, isn’t it?” Lathan sounds subdued, and I don’t like that.
I reach out and take hold of his hand, giving it a little squeeze. “Yes, but don’t forget that if he outs me as Phantom, my life is in danger too, and if he goes further and outs MITHOS as a whole, then all of our lives and those of every agent working for us here and across the world is in danger.”
“We don’t use it unless it’s a last resort,” Dad adds, looking grave.
“And how many times has it been done?” Max asks. There’s no judgment, just curiosity. He seems to understand the gravity of the situation.
“In the time MITHOS has been active, there have only been five, and each one of them had gone rogue and been seduced by illegal activities,” Dad replies, sharing classified information with them.
“They’d gone to the dark side. It doesn’t seem like Bishop is there yet, but we do need to keep an eye on him.” I give Lathan’s hand one more squeeze before reaching for my boots, putting them back on, and standing up. “Okay, I’m out. Love you, Dad, and I will see you guys at school in the morning. I don’t work a shift at the bar until Saturday night, so I guess I’ll see you when I see you.” I aim the last bit at Anders and Dayton.
“Be careful, Mac, these guys don’t fuck around,” Dayton warns.
“I’ll be fine. Oh, Dad, Miller will need a tracker implanted in him too just in case.”
Dad nods. “Good thinking. I’ll have one overnighted to you, and Anders can insert it.”
“Okay, well, see you.” I wave awkwardly and hurry out the back door and straight into a scene that could have come directly from my wildest fantasies. Ryland has Miller backed up against a nearby garden shed, his hand in his hair as he tilts Miller’s head so he can get the best angle as they exchange a scorching kiss.
Oh my lord. Now wouldn’t it be fun to be the meat in that sandwich? I fan myself and clear my throat slightly. I don’t want them to be pissed at me because they were too busy making out to hear me open and close the door.
I watch them stiffen, but they don’t pull apart. They just break the kiss and turn to look at me, staring at me with intense gazes. I know they are trying to judge how I feel about their relationship, but they aren’t going to find any disgust from me. Nope, if they look too closely, they will find the exact opposite, and I’m not sure if I’m ready for them to see that, but I don’t look away. I wouldn’t want them to mistake my hesitation for disdain.
“Ah, hi.” I wave, and Ryland smirks, but Miller doesn’t take his eyes away from mine. “Are you ready to go?” I ask him.
Ryland releases him and steps back a little. “He’s ready. Be careful sneaking back in. We don’t want you to get caught.”
Ryland walks past me, but just when I think he’s going to pass, he stops and grabs the back of my neck, resting his forehead against mine. “He’s okay, but watch him for me, will you? He’s a little volatile,” he murmurs quietly, and a shiver runs down my spine. Ryland puts off some daddy dom energy too, and inner me is squealing with excitement.
“He’s an asshole,” I hedge, not wanting to give in so quickly, and his hand tightens slightly.
