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“He was the one killed?” At Jericho’s short nod, Sebastian said, “Doesn’t sound like he’s going to be causing either of us any trouble.” There had to be more to it than that. It sounded to him like this was done and dusted. So what were they doing here?
“Don’t believe in ghosts?”
“Are you seriously about to tell me I need to worry about someone coming back from the dead to get me? Hard pass. I have enough living people to worry about.” Tenfold.
“Being popular is such a chore,” Jericho quipped.
“I hope you don’t expect me to believe that’s a problem for you.”
Jericho’s smile turned sly. Was he trying to make it sultry on purpose? Sebastian’s gaze traced the edges of it. He had nice lips, shaped by his short, scruffy beard. Sebastian shifted uncomfortably, wishing he’d never gotten out of bed.
Jericho titled his head wordlessly, a hint of canine showing as his mouth tipped up further. Sebastian couldn’t look away, and he didn’t know why. The green looked strange on him, almostwrong. Was it his natural colour?
“Should I leave and give you two some privacy?” Hunter asked, an edge to his tone.
“Would you?” Jericho hooked his thumbs in his pockets, puffing out his chest and drawing Sebastian’s attention back to the dark hair visible from the top of his shirt. His grin wasallpredator.
Itdidn’tmake Sebastian’s heart rate spike. He’d made a lot of stupid decisions over the years—some a hell of a lot worse than others—and reacting that way was not going to be added to that list.
“Make your point and get out,” Sebastian said roughly. He sat at his desk and pushed his glasses back up his nose. He absently tugged on his eyebrow piercing as he moved his mouse and woke his laptop up.
“He was killed at the apartment that Jericho was using as Warren,” Hunter said. He changed his stance, crossing his arms over his chest and spreading his legs to keep his balance. “It was a professional hit. Cold, efficient.”
“It was also bait,” Jericho added.
“Bait?” Sebastian asked. Why couldn’t they just get to the point instead of dancing around what they wanted to say? He wouldn’t tap to their tune like they wanted him to; he was no one’s puppet.
“For me,” Jericho clarified.
Sebastian should have appreciated that it was finally a straight answer, but he didn’t. “This is all starting to sound like a ‘you’ problem,” he said acerbically.
He’d done what they’d asked and gotten Jericho out of jail. In the ridiculous timeframe that Hunter had set, even. His part in the play was over, and he just wanted them to leave him alone. Forever.
Them being targets couldn’t have been a rare occurrence, not considering what they did. If there were dots that he was supposed to be connecting, he was way too tired to put it together. Plain speaking was all he was good for right now. He might be a shark in the courtroom, but hepreparedfor that. He was running on minimal sleep, lacklustre coffee; his tolerance was at an all time low. He flushed as he gave Jericho an unintentional once-over. He was built a lot like Quinn, with similar height. His hair was a similar length to Peyton’s, though dark brown instead of dirty blond, and wavier. He was very “Gerard Butler.” Sebastian pushed the thought away. All they were doing was irritating him.
“We found a list of names that are slated for the afterlife. Yours was on the bottom,” Hunter said, a muscle in his jaw twitching.
Oh,excellent.“Should I be offended it was last?”
“Probably,” Jericho said with a quiet chuckle that didnotsettle in the bottom of Sebastian’s belly.
Hewasa bit offended. If he was going to piss someone off, he liked to do it properly, at least. Make the hassle worth it.
“I thought you said you’d handled this.”
“I said wewerehandling it. Currently. This is something else,” Hunter said.
“This isn’t coming from Howell and Derrick’s ragtag operation,” Jericho said. “This was calculated, and they almost caught us in their net. Whoever has stepped on the board knows what they’re doing.”
Oh, for— “Who the fuck are Howell and Derrick?”
“The men that your boyfriend killed?” Jericho said slowly. “You don’t know their names?”
“I know their first names. We didn’t exchange licenses and insurance, sorry,” Sebastian said insincerely.
Sebastian ran a hand across his jaw, feeling the prickly stubble. He needed to shave. “This is what you came to tell me? Someone might try to kill me soon. We don’t know who or why. Good luck?”
“I told you already that you’re an important asset to me,” Hunter said. “I need you alive, remember?”
