Page 29 of Betting Blind

I sit up on my elbows and draw in a ragged breath, reeling from the emotional whiplash and blue balls. “We have a lot of things to discuss,” I agree and push to my feet. “Like how we’re apparently pining for the same girl.”

His head jerks up at the bomb I just dropped at his feet. “Looks like we’re all keeping secrets,” he whispers with a glint in his dark eyes.

How many secrets can this house of cards hold before it collapses?

Chapter 17

Declan

I pinch the bridge of my nose between my fingers and let out a long sigh before looking at Silas and Hayden again. “Run this by me one more time,” I demand in a low voice and narrow my eyes.

Hayden opens his mouth to speak, but Silas cuts him off with a glare. “Cliff Notes version, because if I have to listen to Hayden repeat this one more time for the fourth day in a row I will lose my shit,” Silas says and leans his elbows against the kitchen table. “We scoped the place out. Found a shit ton of weapons and disguises that would put even Austin Powers to shame. Got attacked by a demon dog and narrowly made it out with all our body parts intact. Then we came home, called you with a recap, called Mr. O’leary with a recap, and then waited for you to get off your assignment to come here for a recap in person.”

I roll my eyes as Silas ticks the events off on his fingers one by one. Now that we’re all sitting down together, maybe I can nail out the missing details. “What kind of weapons? What kind of disguises?” I ask slowly, resting my elbows on the table and steepling my fingers in front of my nose.

“The kind of weapons that a secretary has no business wielding,” Hayden mutters and picks at a chip on the tabletop. “They’re hiding something over at The Crown. That woman is…” He stops and shakes his head.

“The disguises are elaborate. I mean, custom wigs, makeup, different color contact lenses, prosthetics. It was like being backstage on a movie set,” Silas states and shifts in his chair. His discomfort is evident.

“Spit it out. You’re not telling me something. Both of you,” I add sternly and gesture for someone to speak.

“She was the woman I met in the coffee shop a few weeks ago. She, uh…” His cheeks flush as he shifts in his chair.

“Gave you the best blowjob of your life in a club bathroom?” Hayden supplies wryly.

“Yeah,” Silas mumbles and keeps his eyes on the floor.

Hayden continues before I can comment. “I saw her on my last assignment. She was… I literally cannot find the words to describe her other than a goddess of death. I’ve been watching her closely,” he admits quietly.

“Do you think she knows something?” I ask him pointedly.

“I don’t know. At first it was just intel, but now… I can’t stop. She’s hypnotic… addicting… and I find myself chasing her for another high.” Hayden meets my eyes and for the first time, I can see the emotions swirling within his irises.

“So, what you’re telling me is that you are both obsessing over the same pussy?” I ask crassly and shake my head. “Unbelievable. My team is falling apart at the seams over a pair of hypnotic green eyes and a tight cunt,” I mutter and fold my arms across my chest.

“So you agree that they are hypnotic,” Silas chuckles and leans forward to catch my eyes.

“I won’t let some chick get in the way of my assignments, no matter what her eyes look like or what her pussy feels like,” I snap at him and he flinches. Guilt flares in my chest as I watch his eyes fall and he sags in the chair.

“It feels like heaven,” Hayden murmurs reverently, still lost in thought. I slam my hand down on the table and he cuts his eyes to me. “What? You know how horny I get during a gunfight. She was covered in blood and debris, and I just had to taste her.”

“You did what?” Silas roars and bolts to his feet, the chair nearly toppling to the floor. His chest is heaving and his eyes flash with anger and pain.

“I didn’t know she was the one you were after,” Hayden says calmly. “After we cleared out of the warehouse I gave her a ride to a car. I couldn’t stop myself even if I had wanted to.” His voice softens and his eyes glaze over. “She was perfection on the seat of my bike, and I lost all control with her. Literally,” Hayden whispers and clenches his hands into tight fists.

Well that explains the bike fetish he has developed.

“Well in that case,” Silas concedes quietly and moves to walk away from the table, but he turns on his heels and lunges at Hayden. They both crash to the floor in a heap of flying fists and strings of curses.

“For fuck’s sake!” I bellow and rush over, grabbing Silas by the back of his hoodie to yank him off of Hayden. The sole of my boot presses down on Hayden’s chest, preventing him from rising. I stand over both of them and scowl. “Throwing hands is my job. I suggest you both take a few minutes to cool down. We have bigger targets to drop, and I need you both focused.”

Silas jerks out of my grasp and stomps down the hall. A moment later his door slams. I remove my foot from Hayden’schest. He sits up slowly, licking the blood from his busted lip and sporting an already swelling eye. “I never thought I’d see the day that one erupted,” he mutters as he takes my hand, and I pull him to his feet.

My cellphone vibrates in my back pocket with an incoming call. I pull it out and grind my teeth together. “Are you fucking serious?” I mutter and show the screen to Hayden.

He rolls his eyes and makes a beeline for the exit, disappearing into the garage. His bike engine rumbles to life, and I hear the squeal of tires as he peels it down the driveway.

“O’leary,” I answer smoothly and lean my hip against the counter.

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