Page 9 of Fractured Memories

I lean in so only he can hear me. “I need to check on something. I’ll take Jude. Get the other two to help you.” I nod toward the guards at the back of the room.

“You need to check on something without me?” Lochlan’s tone is disbelieving, his accent heavy as he says each word slowly.

“I’m not going to be stuck here watching you box shite up, now am I?” I raise my brows with a tilt to my lips. It’s our way to fuck with one another, but I’m also being serious about the mind-numbing activity.

Lochlan rolls his head to the side, pouting. “You’re going to have fun without me?”

I clap him on the shoulder. “Yeah, I am.” I straighten, looking over at Jude, who is definitely finding amusement in the interaction. “Let’s go, Jude.”

“Behind you, boss.” But his tone is far too teasing. He even plays up the slight accent he’s picked up from working with us for so long, just to poke Lochlan farther.

He glares at the both of us. “If you aren’t back in time, I’ll find my own entertainment.”

“Well, no one wants that, Lo.” I hear Jude chuckle behind me as we exit the room. “I’ll be back in time to babysit you.”

I glance back to see his nostrils flare, and I know it is killing him not to call me an arsehole. But he’ll have to bite his tongue until we are back at the compound. Then the little shite can provoke me all he wants.

Jude waits until we are in the car for him to finally ask, “Where are we off to?” He looks slightly suspicious since I haven’t cleared anything with him yet.

I don’t look in his direction. “The cages.”

He doesn’t respond, nor does he start to drive. Instead, he waits me out.

I sigh as I drag my gaze up to meet his in the mirror. “Say it.”

“You understand what time it is, yeah?”

“Jude?” He raises a brow. “Just drive me there.”

I half-expect him to push further, but he doesn’t. Like Rohan, Jude often watches something play out instead of asking too many questions. It makes him damn good at his job, and sometimes, unnerving.

That’s the problem with surrounding myself with people who are always assessing everything I do. They’re annoyingly cunning, and sometimes, it bites me in the arse.

Jude is silent as he drives to the back entrance of the cages. Since the sun is still up, no matches are going on right now, but I’m not interested in watching a fight. Instead, I’m going to pull the information on her fight and decide what to do with it later.

I could ask Jude to find it for me, but I’d rather keep this to myself. As long as I can, anyway.

The people in my life have an annoying habit of not allowing me any secrets.

“I’m going in alone,” I say as soon as he stops the car.

His brows furrow, and I know that this one, he’ll argue on. “You will not.”

“A few minutes. That’s all I need.”

“Grand.” He reaches for his door. “It’ll be quick then.”

“Jude,” I growl, and he doesn’t even flinch, the bastard. There’s only a handful of people that don’t back down from me, and I’m currently stuck arguing with one of them. “I’m telling you to stay here.”

He barks out a laugh. “You ordering me around now?”

“If you won’t listen, I will.”

That has him turning to look at me. I never talk to him like this, and I can see his mind working as he assesses me. He’s trying to figure out what I’ve got going on in my head.

“You up to something I shouldn’t know about?”

My jaw works. I could say yes. Even though there hasn’t been a part of my operation that Jude hasn’t known about in years.