Page 16 of Cash

A perfect brow arched. “What? To sit and spin?”

Oh, she was just too easy.

“I’m not opposed to a little ass play, though truth be told, I’m more of a giver than a receiver. But for you I might make an exception.”

I wouldn’t, but the way her cheeks tinged pink, it was worth the lie. I was under no misconception my comment shocked or embarrassed her. Nope, the color hueing her pretty face was from anger.

“Not on your life,” she spat her lie.

Stella could pretend she was a heartless bitch, but it was all a front. A well-practiced, hard earned smoke screen. I had no doubt if my life was in danger she’d do any number of things to have my back. That being said, when I got my finger up her ass it wouldn’t be because one of us was dying. It would be when she was on all fours taking my cock.

“And here I thought Z was just being dramatic. As per usual,” Shades said as I walked into the office. “Mind shutting the door?”

I reached over and gently closed the heavy wood door. Which made me wonder if it was simply solid wood or if Dutch was as paranoid as Zane and it was bullet proof.

“Zane’s always dramatic,” I noted. “But what specifically are you referring to?”

“You and Lore. At least once a month I get a call either begging me to come back to work in the office so he can retire or it’s to bitch about how the office has turned into a dating game show and the contestants are his men, and how no one listens to him anymore. First, the man’s full of shit and doesn’t want to retire—he’s just jealous I did and refuses to leave me be. And him bitching about his men not listening to his advice anymore is laughable, when none of us listened to it in the first place.”

None of us listened in the first place.

“You’re on Black?”

My question gave him pause. Then he smiled. “No, I retired from Red.”

Shades didn’t look any older than Zane. Too young for retirement in the real world. However, in our world, it was a young man’s game. At least field work was. There was only so much abuse a body could take before permanent damage was done. A smart man knew when to get out while he still had some of his sanity intact and a few joints that didn’t ache when he rolled out of bed.

“I take it he didn’t tell you about me?” Shades went on.

Now, that was a loaded question. Thankfully, the man didn’t make me answer.

“This isn’t the Navy, Cash. It’s not a ‘when you’re in, you’re the best. When you’re out, you’re a pest’ situation. Once you’re family, you’re family. Zane not mentioning me is his way of respecting my privacy. I’m still tight with my old team, and them not bringing me up, isn’t disrespect or not trusting the new hires with my identity, it’s their way of showing me respect. Nothing more.”

“I get it,” I told him.

“I know you do. Z might be a drama king and a sarcastic prick but he ain’t stupid. He wouldn’t have brought you and your team on if you didn’t understand brotherhood and loyalty.” Shades reached into his pocket and pulled out a flash drive. “Tell Z this is the only copy. All electronic communication has been wiped, and the paper copies have been burned. He loses this, there’s no recovering the intel.”

I took the flash drive Shades offered. “Copy that.”

With a nod he started for the door but stopped short. “Last time we were in Maryland to visit Eric we missed meeting you and your team. This year we’ll make that happen.”

I might not have ever heard of Shades, but I knew who Eric Wheeler was. And by visit, he meant visit the man’s grave. Eric was the brother they’d lost in Brazil. The brother that none of them had forgotten.

“Sounds good. And good to meet you, Shades.”

The man’s lips twitched. “It’s Drew.”

“Drew,” I acknowledged.

I waited until he slipped out of the room before I pulled out the RFID blocking pouch I had in my pocket and secured the flash drive. Once it was safely tucked in my pocket, I went back out to the living room. A quick scan of the occupants and my blood pressure spiked.

“Where’s Lore?”

“Said she had to make a call,” Dutch answered.

I let it lie only because Hollywood had sprawled out on the couch Lore had vacated.

“I was only fuckin’ with her,” Hollywood drawled.