Page 32 of Veiled Vengeance

“I will pull out the handcuffs if I have to,” Zane threatens.

Spencer’s cheeks flame, and she pulls her shoulders back. “Try it and see what happens. I took both of you the other day no problem.”

Dahlia and Hayes chortle, and Spencer’s cheeks flame in a whole different way now.

“Finally got your donut holes glazed, I see,” Dahlia teases.

She stammers through her explanation with wild hand gestures. “Holy shit, that’s not what I meant. It’s just that . . . we were fighting and I tackled them. But it’s not what you think.”

Zane strokes his chin sarcastically. “Mmm, but it turned out to be exactly what everyone is thinking.”

Spencer lets out a horrified gasp, and her eyes widen briefly. “Oh my God! Shut up!” She swats at Zane, but he catches her wrist and brings her close.

“Calm down, Angel. The fact remains; you’re not tagging along.” Zane turns to Dahlia. “And you’re not tagging along.” Then he turns to Hayes. “Andyou’renot tagging along.”

Hayes makes an offended face. “Hey now! What did I do? I more than proved how helpful I am yesterday.”

Rio waves a hand at Hayes. “You did one thing, Superman—whoop-dee-doo. Sit down. The grownups are talking.”

Hayes’s voice is hard. “August is Iri—Dahlia’s son. Dahlia is my girlfriend. Are you making the connections that I am? I’m fucking going.”

Rio, Zane, and I all look at each other. Our eyes convey the skepticism we all share. If we leave them here, they’ll probably follow us anyway. And if we bring them with us, they’ll just get in the way.

This is going to be a shit show.

I clear my throat. “Fine. Let’s discuss ground rules first.” There are some complaints from Spencer, Dahlia, and Hayes as I tell them that they have to stay with us at all times, and that none of them are getting guns. But after Zane twirls his handcuffs around his fingers a few times, the three newbies keep the objections to themselves.

After groceries are delivered, I make breakfast for everyone, Rio runs to The Mudhouse for coffee, and Zane continues digging through Anthony’s client list at the breakfast bar. Spencer and Dahlia went to the bathroom together—traveling in a pack like all women do when they go to the bathroom—and Hayes is standing guard at the window. No one asked him to, but I can understand his instinct to protect those he loves.

“Oh fuck. Asher!” Zane leans back and puts his hands on the back of his neck.

Finishing up the last of the scrambled eggs, I turn off the burner and walk behind Zane to get a look at his screen. “What’s up?”

“I dug into his finances and found the transaction we were looking for. He definitely made the purchase.”

My eyes flit across the screen, scouring for what he wants me to see. I lock on a single name and slam my hands down on the marble surface.

“That son of a bitch.”

CHAPTER 14

SPENCER

Breathe. Aim. Bend. Release.

The knife embeds itself at the bottom of the target, nowhere near the bullseye. “Damnit.”

Rio smirks next to me. “You’re at least hitting the target. And it might help if you aim with both eyes open.”

Giving him a deadpan glare, I cross my arms. “Very funny. Mr. Flores is full of jokes today.”

Zane snickers on my other side. I attempt to give him the same look I gave to Rio, but when I lay my eyes on his profile, I fail. I melt into a puddle of goo as I trace the line of his jaw with my gaze. My pussy clenches, empty and begging to be filled, as I remember the other night on their living room floor.

Focus. Training, not banging.

Blinking away my horny haze, I clear my throat and turn back to the target. “Both eyes open. Got it.”

Walking to retrieve my knife, I take in the warehouse one more time. When Rio, Asher, and Zane brought me, Dahlia, and Hayes here on Monday, I thought they had lost their minds. I don’t know what it is with men who kill and warehouses—it must be a requirement. Is there a book on this shit?

---