My thumb traces her lips before stealing a kiss, which I no longer consider stolen when it’s given freely. Then I’m grabbing Dean’s jacket, my phone, and my wallet from her hands, and heading out, before I opt to finish what we started.
By the time I reach my place, the weight of last night is back on my shoulders.
“There were snakes tucked in your sheets,” Dean says when I enter.
“Summer’s version ofgood night.”
“No woman has ever done such a sweet gesture for me,” Connor chimes in, dreamy eyes drifting to the ceiling. Yep. The man in a nutshell... or more like a nutcase shell.
“Jacob paid me a visit at her dorm this morning,” I snarl at the memory of how I let him get out of there unharmed.
“He came here drunk and wanted to talk to you,” Link explains. “He seemed broken. All the desire to beat some sense into him evaporated when I saw him like that.”
“Mine didn’t. He should thank Summer he walked out of there in one piece.” I grit my teeth while joining the guys at the table.
“We stayed up late, but the body is taken care of. Belongings burned and all, so nothing to tie back to us.” Connor shifts the topic.
“All the footage outside the warehouse is also deleted. This guy had no family, and his circle was all junkies. No one’s going to look for him,” Link adds.
“No loose ends?” I ask, even though what I really want is a name. Not that it would make any difference.
“None,” Link confirms.
“Can you send some untraceable funds to Kyle’s girlfriend? Make it more than enough, so she won’t struggle to raise her child alone.” I point that request to Link.
“Sure. But there’s something else—”
“Did you tell her?” Dean interrupts, steering the conversation in a different direction.
I focus on him, but restrain myself from answering.
“Did you tell her you killed someone?” He asks again.
“I did.”
“For fuck’s sake, Ace!” Connor is first to react.
“You out of your freaking mind?! What if she reports you?” Link scolds me next, his hand coming down on the table with a sharp thud.
Dean shakes his head while Carter curses under his breath.
“She won’t report me.”
They trust me. But asking them to trust someone they barely know is another story.
“Beating someone up is one thing, but murder crosses into a completely different territory—one I’m sure she’s never stepped into,” Dean says in a calm manner, but his hands in fists contradict his tone.
“Her murder résumé is actually longer than mine.”
My words trigger a silence bomb.
It’s not my place to reveal her secrets, but she’ll be part of our family, and they have the right to know she won’t snitch on us.
“Sucker!” Connor bursts into laughter. “Your girl has a higher kill count than you.”
“You’re digging deeper to find everything about her.” Dean turns to Link with that demand.
“I dug deeper,” Link says, just as I slam my palm against the table with a roaring “No.”
