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"I always play nice," Cooper said.
"This is all sorts of fucked up," Hutton said with a grunt. "Fine, I'll be your spy. Chances are, Dagen will take one look at me and have me killed. They won't forget I turned my back on them. I'm starting to think I should have stayed lost."
"No shit," Jake said. "But you didn't. Now you have to be a grown-up about the choice you made."
Hutton looked at me. "How do you put up with this asshole?" He jerked a thumb towards Jake.
"I'm starting to wonder how I put up with any of you." I watched out the office window as a small boat sailed past. It looked like a nice day on the harbour. Sometimes I wondered what it would be like to have a simple life.
Then I remembered, I would probably be bored.
"At least I'm nice," Cooper said. "You're not gonna kick me out, are you?" He actually looked worried.
"Not today," I said. "But I make no promises if you start to behave like those two."
Cooper puffed out his chest and looked smug. "I won't."
"When you're as old as us you will," Jake said. "This lifestyle leaves people bitter, twisted and fucked up. All the good things."
Hutton nodded. "None of those things are good, but the asshole is right. Pack wars leave scars."
"Are you still here?" Jake asked. "Fuck off and spy."
Hutton gave me a look like he really couldn't believe I associated with Jake, much less fucked him.
The pair were like a couple of dogs fighting over a bone. I wasn’t sure I liked that analogy much. I preferred to be licked and sucked rather than chewed.
"Ben will have a phone for you," I said. "The number to contact me is programmed into it. If you get into trouble, I will do what I can. That might be nothing."
He nodded. "Understood. I can handle myself." He pointed a finger at Jake, who had opened his mouth to make some sort of smart ass comment. "I'm not talking about my cock."
"Right."Jake drew the word out. "If you say so."
Hutton leaned over so he was almost nose to nose with Jake. "Not only do I say so, asshole, I'm going to be so useful to Ivory, the only one handling my cock when this is over will be her."
I raised my eyebrows at him. His absolute certainty sent butterflies fluttering through my stomach. Apparently I liked when guys got all alpha and possessive. If he proved himself,whenhe proved himself, I might just see if sex with him was better than killing. I had a feeling it would be, but the bar was pretty high.
Jake put a hand on his chest and pushed him back. "Never gonna happen,asshole."
"That's up to her," Hutton said. "Not you." He shot me a panty-melting smile and stalked out of the office.
"You know, he calls me asshole more than Dagen does," Jake mused.
"Dagen probably says it where you can't hear," Cooper pointed out. "I mean, you wouldn't know, would you?"
Jake shrugged. "That's true, I guess. What sort of motherfucker talks about people behind their back?"
"Isn't that what we're doing right now?" Cooper asked.
"Yeah, but it's us. And he's him." Jake pulled a lollipop out of his pocket, took off the wrapper and stuck it in his mouth. "He deserves to be talked about."
"What the hells?" I asked him.
"Oh, sorry." He got up, walked over to a desk and opened a drawer. He pulled out an apple and tossed it to me. "I'd offer you a lollipop, but they're terrible for your teeth."
I was tempted to hurl the apple at his head, but I was hungry, so I bit into it instead. "One of these days, Jake Blakesley…"
"No one looks after you like I do," he said.
