AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Go on,” Lyric interjects, twirling a strand of my hair around his finger. He pulls me closer, peppering my neck with distracting kisses. I suspect he’s doing it on purpose.
“My contact said the old man only had two people on that truck. On Sal’s side, there were four. The odds weren’t great, but…” He pauses, looking at Lyric. “If I could, I’d show up with the dead and the truck…”
“You thought I’d accept you, and you could talk to Lyric.” Desmond’s voice is dangerously calm. “I blame you, Lyric.” He turns to his friend, his voice low and laden with frustration.
“Well…” Lyric licks my neck, sending a pulse of desire through me. “We are all here now, so I guess it all worked out.”
“No, it didn’t,” Desmond snaps at Lyric, the tension escalating. “Six men, Lyric. We found four bodies, and I don’t know who belongs to whom, leaving two unaccounted for.”
Lyric pulls away to address Desmond, his sigh suggesting he doesn’t consider this issue to be that significant, but I can sense otherwise. “Matty and I will go hunting.”
Matty seems taken aback. “Excuse me?”
“Yeah.” Lyric shrugs, seemingly unfazed. “You wanted in so badly. Welcome.” He turns to Desmond, his gaze carrying a challenge. The tension continues to build. “We’ll find the missing men, kill them, and then he’ll be in.” He makes it all sound so simple.
“You and I are going to have it out, Lyric,” Desmond snarls, his frustration palpable. He runs a hand down his face, weariness overtaking him. “I don’t care how, but you two will fix this. Kill anyone who knows anything. As for you—” He pivots to face Matty. “You want in so damn badly?”
Matty swallows, his gaze briefly flicking to his brother before locking onto Desmond. “Yes. I found my brother, and I’m not about to leave him now.”
“There’s darkness in us all, little dove,” Lyric whispers against my neck. “I’m about to destroy my brother.” His words send a shiver down my spine, tinged with fear for Matty and uncertainty about what Lyric might do.
“Good,” Desmond barks at Matty. “Because you and Lyric will rest for now. Then, you will find those men using every resource you have. And, Matty?”
“Yeah?” Matty responds with anticipation in his voice.
“You won’t quit the FBI. In fact, you are about to get a raise.” Desmond stands up. “Now you’re a fucking dirty cop.” Desmond’s eyes bore into Matty with a firm intensity. “If anything happens to her” —he nods toward me— “because of your recklessness, I won’t hesitate to end you myself. Clear?”
Matty nods, his expression serious. “Crystal clear.”
Desmond’s gaze shifts to me, his tone slightly softer. “You too. Be cautious. This is a dark path we tread.” He throws the words out with a snarl before leaving the room and slamming the door shut.
“He’s cranky because I lost a pint of blood,” Lyric says, tracing a pattern on my neck with his tongue.
He’s terribly distracting.
“Fuck,” Matty grunts and turns to us. “Can you get me a couple of monitors and a laptop?”
Lyric smiles against my throat before pulling away to look at his brother. Somehow, I feel like all of this is a fun game to him. “Yep.”
“Good. I’m going to find them before the day is out.” Matty winces as he sits up and tosses his legs over the side of the bed.
“Well, dove, looks like I’ll be busy all afternoon. Rain check on that mac and cheese?”
“You’ll have to explain to Milo.” He will be disappointed, but I’m not sure how much with his new grandparents spoiling him. He may not even care.
“You know I will.” He kisses my cheek, then licks me again as though he can’t help himself. “Go on and shower.”
“Visit me later?” Matty asks hopefully.
“Sure,” I whisper, because I know one way or another, my feet will end up walking me right back here. As the word leaves my mouth, Matty and Lyric focus on each other.
I slowly rise from the seat and walk to the door. The guys seem to lose themselves to their conversation. I look back once to find Matty and Lyric staring at each other. I hope they can find some common ground, and maybe that common ground is working together to take out a few rogue soldiers.
As I step into the hallway, the atmosphere changes. The tension inside the room seems to dissolve, replaced by a quieter intensity that floats in the mansion’s expansive hallways. They adorned the walls with framed pictures, capturing moments from a time that feels like a different world than the one I now find myself in.
Chapter Seven
The hot waterpours over my skin like a waterfall, cleansing away the sweat and exhaustion from my long night. Every muscle in my body aches, my limbs heavy with fatigue. I lean against the shower wall, allowing the water to soothe my aching body. My mind drifts to the long night behind me and the uncertain road ahead. I think of the events that have led me to this point, and the decisions that have brought me here.
