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“That was some fast thinking with the security system. You saved our ass,” Milo said, beaming at me.
“Yeah, I thought we were toast,” Nicole added, pulling a sweatshirt over her head. The rest of us also changed, making our appearance different in case we’d been picked up on a camera or were pulled over; we wouldn’t look the same as whatever description they had. All of my disguises were coming in handy again.
Asa jumped out after he was dressed like a hippie surfer and took the magnet off the side of the van that had advertised tanning oil and put up one for floral arrangements. He got into the driver's side behind the wheel, and I felt my body relax entirely as we made it a few blocks without any trouble.
When he took a turn a little harder than necessary, I tried to contain my laugh when Guzman fell out of his chair and smacked his head. He jerked upright, confused for a second, and then pretended he hadn’t been asleep. I didn’t want to break it to him that he hadn’t passed. I would let Ryker or Cohen be the ones to share that news.
Milo pulled me between his legs onto the floor, and I snuggled back into his arms, liking that he was becoming more comfortable with touching me. I guess seeing me get railed by two of my other boyfriends earlier opened the door more for physical touch. My cheeks heated at the memory, but I couldn’t argue I wasn’t a fan of how it had turned out.
Laying back against him, I closed my eyes, glad we’d made it through. I wasn’t sure which I preferred now since, in the end, being in the van hadn’t been as dull as I’d initially imagined. Though, part of me knew I’d always prefer to be on the front line, the need to control the outcome more in my grasp.
Yeah, yeah, I’d admit to being a control freak, and I was learning to be okay with that.
Ten
FINLEY
Cohen and Rykerwere waiting for us when we returned. I couldn’t make out Ryker’s expression, but Cohen had a massive grin on his face, and it was all aimed at me. As soon as I stepped off the elevator, he swooped forward, picking me up into his arms.
“I’m so proud of you,” he whispered. “You were amazing and the team leader they needed.”
His words fell over me, taking me back. Leader? I hadn’t been a leader. I was the non-valuable one on the sidelines.
Cohen watched my face, his eyes narrowing at whatever he saw play across it. “Yes, leader, sweetheart. It takes leadership to know your strengths and how to use them the best instead of just wanting to be the hero. But you were still that in the end with that fast code-breaking. I’m unsure if anyone else could’ve managed that in the time you did. The motorcyclists were another unforeseen hurdle, but you tackled it together.”
He set me down on my feet, looking at the rest of the group. I caught Ryker’s eye just before he turned his head, and I wondered if he’d been watching us.
“Great job, Team Campbell. You’ve all earned a night off from night watch. You can pick which one you’d like. Just let me know so I can alert the others to the schedule.” He spun to leave, stopping in his tracks. He gaze flicked to Guzman. “Except you. You’re out.”
The big brute began to protest, but two guards headed toward him, one a little more aggressive than the other, and I wondered if that was his brother. He didn’t look too happy with his younger bro if it was.
We all waited until he was escorted off the grounds and let out a cheer, laughter spilling out as the adrenaline continued to pump through us.
“You guys aren’t bad. I’ll catch you later,” Nicole said, waving as she walked off and joined a group of people playing cards at one of the tables.
As one, we all headed toward our room. I didn’t know if they were as eager as I to debrief together or just needed to not feel like we had eyes on us, but I was itching to change clothes and relax. And definitely keep ignoring the thing Cohen said.
Stepping into the suite, I headed for the bedroom, a change of clothes the first thing on my mind. An arm stopped me, and I turned, finding Asa watching me.
“Where are you going, babe?”
“I just want to change clothes. I’ll be right out. Promise.”
He looked down at his own attire, a grimace forming on his lips. “Yeah, okay, good call.”
Laughing, I took his hand, dragging him with me. Pulling out a few things, I quickly realized I needed to do laundry again. I didn’t want to admit I might be a bit high maintenance when it came to clothes, but only having about eight outfits was torture.
Asa and I changed and gathered all the dirty clothes scattered around the room from over the week, placing them in the basket. “Why do I feel like this is about to become my life? Always doing laundry?” I joked.
“We could all just walk around naked and eliminate the need for clothes,” Cohen offered, stepping into the room as he unbuttoned his shirt. I smirked, licking my lips, liking where this was headed.
“Um, there was a pizza at the door,” Milo interrupted, holding the box like he wasn’t sure what to make of it.
“Have you never seen a pizza before?” I asked, wondering just how rich he was. He’d been at the hotel when we ordered one for his graduation, so that couldn’t be why he was looking at us strangely.
An uncharacteristic smirk grew on Milo’s face, and I stopped, getting hot for a whole new reason. He peered at me from behind his glasses, and I felt like I should be saying,“Yes, doctor, please check me there.”
“It’s the note on top of it that I didn’t know how to take, not the pizza itself,” he sassed, his eyebrow lifting and making me wonder if he could suddenly read my mind and knew exactly what I’d been thinking.
