Page 98 of Colt

I was caught in a classic case of ‘fucked if I did and fucked if I didn’t.’ Everybody knew we were friends. Of course I fucking knew who her crushes were.

It would’ve looked more suspicious if I’d shied away from the question than if I didn’t, so I put my cell to one side, leaned forward, elbows to knees, and stared at Freya. “There isn’t ten; our Princess is picky as fuck, but let’s start with Clooney, but only since he married Amal and founded the Clooney Foundation for Justice. Doctor McDreamy from Grey's Anatomy. She cried for days after they killed him off.” I grinned. “Daryl Dixon from The Walkin’ Dead, she likes that he fights for the community. Han Solo, because he was all man, and last...” My eyes narrowed on my girl as she blushed prettily. Her eyes slid to Sophie, and I barked a laugh. “Massimo—fuckin’—Torricelli.”

Freya shrugged. “He knows me well.”

Breaker let out a hoot.

Cash chuckled.

Cara high-fived Kennedy.

Sophie giggled.

Atlas almost burned a laser beam hole into my forehead with his beady black eyes.

Sitting back, I turned my head toward the corridor as a voice yelled, “Officers! Church! Now!”

“Jesus, Abe,” Breaker rumbled. “We gotta get the kids from school soon. We just had Church this mornin’. Is Pop on steroids?”

“The women will have to get the kids today. Iris has got Wilder and Willow in the kitchen with her. You’re sorted.” His stare rested on me, and his eyes hardened. “You too, Colt.”

My gut sank, my first thought going to Freya.

Grumbles went up as we all rose from our seats and made our way toward Abe, who stood in the hallway with his arms folded across his chest. “There’s been developments,” he murmured. “Your prez has got shit to relay.” He turned on his heel and marched down the corridor toward Church.

We all followed. Cash fell into step beside me and murmured, “Thought Dad had rumbled you there for a minute.”

“Rumbled him for what?” Atlas barked from behind us.

I glanced back toward the SAA and shrugged. “You know me, always gettin’ into places I shouldn’t.”

His lips drew into a thin line.

The SAA suspected something. People assumed he was as stupid as he looked, but he was Sergeant at Arms for a reason. I needed to have a word with the boys and tell them to dial it down a notch.

I’d have come clean if I could, but there was work to do before I could leave. Plus, Freya wasn’t ready. My girl was still waiting to hear about the internships she’d applied for and as yet, had no clue where she’d end up.

For all my bravado, actually not being able to touch Freya since we’d returned from Denver had given me a new understanding of what life would be like without her in it. Had I caught up entirely? No, but I was learning fast.

Abe lifted his hand to the scanner and pressed his thumb to the pad. A loud buzzing sound filled the air before he pushed the door to Church open.We followed him inside, sat down, and faced our Prez.

Dagger sat forward in his chair and rubbed his beard. His eyes were glazed, deep in thought. “We’re sendin’ Colt up to the mayor’s mansion to plant surveillance equipment.”

Silence fell over the room before Cash sat back and folded his arms across his chest. “About fuckin’ time. Been tellin’ you for months, there’s somethin’ not right about Henderson. I wondered how long it would take for you to dig deeper.”

Atlas grinned. “I’ll go with techno boy.”

Prez’s head reared back. “No, you fuckin’ won’t.”

Atlas looked taken aback for a second before his face hardened. “I’m SAA. I need to make sure Colt’s backed up. I assume he’s sneaking in?”

The dim light in the office flickered behind Prez, who sat at the head of the table, his face a stoic mask as he regarded Atlas. “Listen up and listen good,” he began, his voice low and gravelly. “This shit’s delicate. You walk around town like the big man. Everyone knows you at a glance, brother. Your size alone raises eyebrows. We need to do this incognito.”

Mutters and grunts echoed through the room, but I remained silent, my mind already racing with the thought of what we were about to do.

“Colt,” Dagger continued, his gaze landing on me. “At four-thirty, you’re gonna rock up to the mayor’s house under the pretense of carrying out some upgrades to their internet. Elise Henderson will let you in, take you to where you need to be, and make sure nobody questions ya.”

For a second, the weight of the task settled heavily on my shoulders. I couldn’t let Prez down. I had a lot of shit to make up for. “Understood.”

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