AllFreeNovel
Share Us
TWENTY
After three days ofwatching Jarad Oolun, Rook could say with absolute certainty, he was a bastard. Seraphina wanting to kill the crime lord made perfect sense now that he’d been exposed to the man for more hours than he wanted to track.
Jarad boasted and bragged about everything from sexual conquests to his criminal activity without a modicum of shame. Throughout the first day at his home, each member of Ghost Unit took turns standing outside his bedroom door while Jarad sex shared with a parade of women the House of Oolun’s security led through.
Hahn grimaced when Rook arrived for his stint in the afternoon. “He’s loud, I’ll give him that.”
Rook shuddered. For several hours, he had to listen to groans, moans and screams from the other side of the door. Jarad came out reeking of sweat, stale scent enhancer and other things that offended his olfactory senses. The woman grinned and waved as she left. Jarad met his gaze and winked. “I have a lot of time to make up for. Be sure to let the next one through without a hassle this time.”
Then slammed the door shut.
On the second day, Rook turned a blind eye and ear to the comms made in his presence during one conference after another in Jarad’s office. Pickup, location and schedule times that more than likely involved Jarad’s drug trade were discussed freely. All while staring Rook in the eye and smirking.
If reported, the Alliance would no doubt ignore the information since they intended to catch the larger known criminals Jarad was helping them to set up in an elaborate scheme.
That night, Kjar said what they all were thinking. “He needs to die.”
From his bed across the room, Hahn snorted. Stretched out on a bed cattycorner to him, Dorian threw an arm over his eyes.
For whatever reason, Jarad put all of them in the same room with four single beds so narrow his shoulders hung off the edges. Maybe he thought they’d be insulted but considering Rook had slept outside plenty of nights in his youth, being with the men he trusted with his life day in and day out didn’t bother him in the least.
Rook sat upright with one foot braced on the floor and the other stretched out on his bed. He faced the others. “One more day and our part here is done at least.”
Hahn grunted. “Do you think Tempest will show?”
Dorian’s breath whistled from between his lips and he actually leaned up from his prone position to glare at Hahn. Kjar snorted, then let out a chuckle which turned into a full blown laugh. His loosened hair whipped about his shoulders in a frenzy.
“What?” Hahn snapped. “It’s obvious Rook hasn’t been the same since he spent the night with her at the Ice Ball. We damn well know what happened in that room last time we were on Pi Vista.”
Dorian shoved upright. His brows pulled low in a fierce frown. Dorian rarely let his emotions show. “It’s a tactless thing to ask when we have a kill order on her if she does. Especially, as you said, we know Rook has feelings for her.”
“I don’t have feelings for her,” Rook denied.
Three sets of eyes turned toward him filled with disbelief. He flushed and corrected. “Not enough to jeopardize the mission.”
He didn’t warn Tempest, didn’t seek to find her on the dark site to inform her of the kill order. Rook did none of that. And if for one moment he thought she hadn’t followed his advice and torched the known persona...he might have.
Expression serious, Dorian said, “If you tell us to stand down when she arrives, we will. I won’t take the shot.”
Rook swallowed, caught off-guard by the offer.
“I won’t either,” Hahn immediately said.
Their gazes shifted to Kjar. When he didn’t say anything, Dorian snapped. “Really, Kjar?!”
Kjar cleared his throat. “Fine! I’ll willfully disobey orders that came from the Jutak legend, Torkel Alonson himself, and risk my place on the team.”
Dorian continued to glare until Kjar rolled his eyes. “I. Won’t. Take. The. Shot.”
A grim smile curled Rook’s lips. “Thank you. All of you.”
Kjar rolled his eyes again and fell backward on his bed. “Consider us even for the training incident when you pretended to care about me.”
Rook huffed a laugh. “Now what?”
“Now we wait for your woman to off this shithead and save us the hassle of watching over him,” Hahn volunteered.
Dorian groaned. “I give up.”
