Page 134 of Nothing to Fear

“Oh, we’ll have security for sure. Ballard’s been out half the night casing the joint. Our equipment arrived early, that takes a while to set up.”

“Our… equipment?”

What equipment did they need for a car wash? Everything needed to wash cars was provided, soap, water, sponges…

“Mm hmm,” Roxie said with a glint in her eye. “You’ll see when we get there.” She got a squeeze. “Get changed quickly, you have to meet the rest of our team.”

“The rest of our—we’re only supposed to have six.”

“A maximum of six doing the washing at any one time. We’re allowed to have as many people on our team as we want. We’ll swap out.”

“And everyone else will just—”

“Keep the party going and round up more cars.”

“You don’t like half measures, do you, Rox?”

“Never met one that could handle me,” she said and kissed her cheek. “Now, come on, you need to have breakfast, this is going to be the hardest some of us have worked in a while.” She leaned in. “Sex doesn’t count as exercise, my personal trainer tells me. I think he only says it because if sex did count, what would Z and I need him for?”

On another laugh, Roxie faded out of the room. Uniform. Team. Okay. In the name of charity.

Getting changed didn’t take long. And when she departed her bedroom, she didn’t have to wonder where the party was at. The sound of laughter and conversation drew her to the gang.

And she wasn’t the only one wearing the uniform, thank God. All the faces from last night welcomed her. She approachedthe food spread on the kitchen island and those perched on stools around it. No Zairn, but… She stopped. There was a man there, one, and it wasn’t their host.

“Okay, no food fights,” Roxie said, rushing over to take her wrist. “Tripp is under strict instructions not to talk to you.” And the guy stood there, cup in hand, exuding more contrition than anger. His shirt was red, just like the women, only he had nothing on underneath. Well, shorts, he had red shorts. Guy could be a Baywatch extra… or superstar. “He’s here for the female element. Plenty of women with cars too. And, you know, he bleeds Crimson.”

Another reason she shouldn’t be there. “I shouldn’t—” A woman stepped from behind Tripp. Not that she’d been hiding, she put her cup on the counter and just stood there. “That’s Sway Sheridan.”

“Yes,” Roxie said, raising her loose arm. “Yes, see! Oo! Sway Sheridan, right there.” She leaned in. “You like Sway Sheridan? She selling it to you?”

“I didn’t see her yesterday.”

“Yeah, by design,” Roxie said, guiding her over to the island. “She was in the building, just chose to keep it low-key.” The hostess sighed. “You’re a fucking Queen, Sway. Since before I even knew what a Crimson Queen was. You have more right to be here than most of the freeloaders we catered to yesterday, me included. More right than him, he’s not a Queen.”

As the only man there, Tripp raised his cup in thanks. “Not for lack of trying, Rox Out.”

“I don’t know where the Rox Out thing comes from,” Freya said, licking her fingertips after selecting a croissant. “Should I know?”

“It came from London,” Tripp said. “When she—”

“Ah!” Roxie held up a hand. “What happens in London, stays in London.”

“Then you caught a break, Rox Out.”

“Does Zairn know?”

“He has a way of knowing these things,” Roxie said, grumpy like a petulant child. “I swear he drugs me and fucks it out of me.”

“You know, there’s a chance that’s true.”

“We’re getting close to—”

“Yes,” Roxie said to young Astrid. “Once a timekeeper, always a timekeeper. Thank God for you, Ast, where would we be without you? Late! That’s where we’d be. Buses are waiting, has everyone eaten? Grab food, fill up those insulated java lifelines, it’s time to go!”

Waving both hands, Roxie got everyone moving until catching something in the corner of her eye. The hostess immediately switched to go around to Sway.

So this was charity, Crimson style? She turned to follow the others, but someone snagged her wrist. Tripp.

---