Page 15 of Betting Blind

“No one is calling dibs. She is fair game for everyone at this point.” I meet both their glares with a challenging expression. Hayden shrugs off with a scowl and Silas collects his electronics. Before I can make another snarky comment my phone rings on the counter. The number is blocked, which means it’s work. I pull the phone to my ear and exhale slowly. “Kennedy.”

There is static on the other end of the line that is broken only by a distorted robotic voice giving an address and a time. “1094 Pike Sail Avenue. 11am. We require the presence of all three.” I end the call, drop the phone in my pocket, and head down the hallway to break the bad news to the guys.

It’s time to go to work.

Chapter 10

Silas

Declan unbuttons his navy suit jacket and slides into the office chair gracefully. He exudes this dangerous confidence in almost everything he does, and it is the most infuriating thing that I can ever describe. Sometimes I just want to knock his signature smirk right off his face. I take up my spot standing behind his right shoulder with Hayden at his left. “How did you get this number, Mr. O’leary?” Declan says quietly to the man at the desk in front of us.

His red hair is slicked back, and his pale face is dotted with freckles. The man stares down his nose at us, his blue eyes flashing behind his glasses. “I require some assistance with a very specific skill set. You came highly recommended,” he states with a distinct accent and clasps his hands together on top of a thick green file on his desk.

“Well that’s evasive,” I mutter and Hayden snorts quietly. Neither of us takes our eyes off the Irishman. His bodyguards narrow their eyes at us.

“I realize that it is, but this is a time-sensitive matter that requires immediate action. Pardon me for not going through the appropriate channels.” He opens the file and turns itfor Declan to read. I scan the pages over his shoulder and recognize several words on the first page.

“What are you looking for?” Declan asks warily and flips through the pages briefly.

Mr. O’leary nods once and leans back in his chair. “We’ve been fighting for some time in this street war. I’m responsible for the guns moved and the IRA has run into some trouble with a particular entity in this area that needs to be dealt with quietly. I don’t need it wiped out, but I do need it to take a significant hit so that the IRA can finish this… project that we have going.”

“I see,” Declan says quietly and touches his lips with the knuckle of his pointer finger, deep in thought. “What did you have in mind?”

“Well,” the Irishman says slowly. “I’m not really interested in the details of the how. I just want it done.” His blue eyes snake up to Hayden, and I see his spine stiffen. “I’m sure that Hades won’t have a problem with the details.”

Shit. How does he know Hayden? My eyes dart between Hayden and Declan, but neither of them seems bothered by this name drop. Why am I always left out of the loop? Fucking assholes.

Hayden nods once and looks at me from the corner of his eye. I can see his jaw twitch as he clenches his teeth. “That shouldn’t be a problem, Samuel,” he says coldly and folds his arms across his chest. The two bodyguards shift uncomfortably, and I notice one’s hand twitch toward his waistband.

Declan rolls his eyes. “Enough of this. I really don’t like being summoned out here to receive vague orders. I’m not a patient man and don’t appreciate you wasting my time. If youwant a job done, then you tell us the job. Then we do the job. That’s how this works.” He pushes to his feet. “I’m not one for pussyfooting around with this type of work.” Declan closes the file and slides it back to Mr. O’leary.

The Irishman also stands and buttons his gray suit jacket. “Right. I appreciate your time, Mr. Kennedy. Hayden. Silas.” He tips his head to us in a small nod. “The job is this.” He slides the folder back to Declan and taps his finger on the surface twice. “Infiltrate the organization. Gather intel. Stir up some drama. Orchestrate a hit. Kill Em.” He straightens and slides his hands into his pockets. “Is that clear enough for you?” His smile is absolutely wicked.

Declan looks over at me and his eyes sparkle. A knowing smile spreads across his face, mirroring mine and Hayden’s. “Crystal clear, Mr. O’leary. We look forward to working with you.” He reaches out his right hand and they shake twice, sealing the deal.

“I’ve already created an issue within their internal workings. That should provide you with enough of an opening to get in.” O’leary says matter-of-factly.

“What kind of issue?” Hayden asks cautiously and arches an eyebrow. My eyes dart back to the Irishman, who is laughing to himself.

“I managed to slip a bug past their firewall, and it should cause quite the stir in their digital systems. I’m not known for my hacking skills, and this won’t actually do any internal damage, but it makes it look like someone is really trying to get into their system.”

“You planted synthetic hacking algorithms in the holes of their firewalls, didn’t you?” I say before I can stop myself, my voice full of curiosity. “That would cause their systems toconstantly alarm at different intervals and make them think that someone is actively looking for a weak spot without actually putting in any effort.” He grins and nods once. “That’s brilliant and sure to drive their entire digital security team up the fucking wall.”

My brain starts making calculation after calculation of how this could be used in the future and what methods I could use to tailor it to fit our needs. A quick jab to the ribs by an elbow pulls me back to the present and I blink at Hayden. “You did it again,” he mutters softly and the edge of his lip quirks up into a smirk. “Focus.”

“Right,” I mutter. I ball my hands into fists and shove them in my pockets.

Declan chuckles and turns to leave, walking between where Hayden and I stand in front of the door. Mr. O’leary waves us off without another word and turns to his guards. I track the movements for a few more seconds to make sure they aren’t planning any funny business before I turn and follow my brother with Hayden just a step behind.

“Well that was an interesting turn of events,” I say as we round the corner of the business complex and approach our bikes.

“Makes our lives easier,” Hayden states and drops his blacked-out helmet onto his head, hiding his expression. His tone sounds almost bored, but I know he is chomping at the bit to get into that organization. Part of me is a little worried that he has gone off the deep end with this girl. I’ve never seen him so focused and obsessive over anything before.

“It definitely came at the right time,” Declan agrees and climbs onto his own bike before placing his helmet on his head. “I need to make a few calls and do some digging, but I’ll have aplan by tonight.” The engine of the bike roars to life as he kicks it into gear and peels off without another word.

“Well bye to you too,” I shout after him and situate myself on my own machine. “See you later, Hay. I’m going for a drive to clear my head. I’m not used to feeling this…” I let my voice trail off as I pull on my gloves.

“I know,” he mutters and kicks his own bike to life. I can’t see his face, but I can tell by his tone that his brows are scrunched, and his lips are turned down into a scowl. “Don’t wait up,” he shouts before he speeds off, tires squealing angrily.

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