Page 43 of Veiled Vengeance

SPENCER

We sit in the surveillance van just a couple of houses down from the address in Poughkeepsie Dahlia gave us. She said she has been to this house many times to visit August, and I have a sneaking suspicion that she lived here for a while herself.

The two-story house is an old Victorian with dirt-covered wood siding and red trim. The driveway is made of gravel, and the porch looks like it needed restructuring about fifty years ago. The dark curtains that hang in all the windows remain closed. The sun recently set, allowing the inky black of night to coat the air.

It’s a little cramped with six people in here.

Fifteen passengers, my ass.

There are screens, keyboards, and chairs all in the back—I feel like I walked into an episode of CSI or something. Asher and Rio are in the front seats, while Zane, Dahlia, Hayes, and I are in the back. Zane types away on a keyboard and monitors multiple screens at once.

“What is this? Like a mobile bat cave?” I spin in a circle in my chair, distracting myself from the anticipation of what we’re here to do.

Rio snorts. “Bat cave? Like superheroes? We’re not superheroes, Mama.”

I narrow my eyes. “Agree to disagree on that one.” With another glance around, I finally ask the question on my mind. “Not to sound rude, but . . .”

“But what, Angel?”

Scrunching my eyebrows, I finish my thought. “Where the hell did you get all of this stuff?”

This time, Rio, Zane, and Asher laugh together. Dahlia and Hayes look just as confused as I feel.

My head tilts to the side. “What’s so funny? Is there some joke I’m not allowed to know? Did you steal it or something?”

Zane answers my question. “No, we didn’t steal anything. We purchased everything you see here.”

Skeptically, I eye all three of them. “Why do I sense there’s more to it?”

Rio leans his head from side to side as he thinks through his vague answer. “When we . . . find those who the justice system has failed to . . . serve justice to, we uhh . . . help ourselves to some of their money.”

“Huh?”

“We take money from those we kill.” Asher’s response is blunt and honest.

I shouldn’t be surprised, but I am.

I stare down at my feet. “I’m not sure how I should feel about that.”

Rio turns in his seat. “Ultimately, it’s your choice how you want to feel about it. But if you’re curious, we don’t use the money for ourselves. We use it for things like this van.”

“Why doesn’t that shock me?” Dahlia questions rhetorically.

Of course, they do. Of course, they do shit like this that makes me fall harder for them.

Maybe we could have some fun . . .

Fuck no. Horny Spencer should be satiated by now!

“I got something.” Zane interrupts my dirty fantasies.

“What’s up?” Asher asks.

“Someone is pulling up the driveway.” Zane squints at his screen.

Fuck. What if it’s Anthony?

Leaning forward to get a closer look at Zane’s monitor, every muscle in my body stiffens as I wait to see who exits the car. I don’t have to wait long before I see it’s just another damn lackey, and he’s carrying . . . groceries?

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