Page 67 of The Wicked
I smiled at him and then at all of them staring at me with worry. “Guys, come on. I can do this; I’m perfectly okay, mind and body.”
Devil shook his head. “It’s not that. It’s the person you’re going with.”
My gaze locked with Devil’s. “I can handle him,” I said with assurance.
“Like you handled him when he tried to drown you,” Dog muttered. “That bastard.”
“It would take more than a little foreplay at some pool to drag me down. You guys have nothing to worry about. Let’s just get this over with, close the deal with this damn painting.”
“I still hate the fact that we’re doing this for such a little amount of money. Do you think we should have demanded more since they want it so badly now?” Milk said.
Devil shook his head. “No. I want us to be done with the client. I don’t have a good feeling about it. I mean, they reached out to us months ago, sent the money, and disappeared, and then out of nowhere, they pop up again, wanting ittonight?”
Upper frowned. “And weren’t we supposed to have it in our possession for like a week before delivering? But now all of a sudden, they need it… Something doesn’t sound right about that.”
I nodded. “Yeah.”
“Maybe they had a change of plans?” Milk considered.
“That could be the case, but what about the radio silence all this time?” Upper chipped in.
There was a hard knock on the door, followed by a gruff voice. “Marino’s here; get out.”
“Watch your fucking tone!” Dog yelled at the soldier outside our door. “Rude fucking motherfuckers,” he muttered, beckoning to Upper to recheck the sound transmitter for my comm device.
I sucked in a breath, channeling my social spirit, my pretense aura, and my alter ego.
“Hey.” Devil held my elbow, gently pulling me towards the door. “You sure you can do this?” he asked quietly.
“I am. I was serious when I said I knew how to handle him. He doesn’t scare me.”
“I know, but—it still doesn’t stop me from worrying, Z. I don’t want you to be in the same space or even country with him at this point. I don’t trust him with you.”
“Then trust me.”
“I do,” he whispered, fingers running up my arm in a sweet, nerve-awakening brush. “I trust you to come back to me in one piece—” His gaze lingered on mine before it traveled down to his fingers on my arm. “Because… when you come back, there’s… something I wanna tell you.”
I frowned. “What is it?”
He smiled, meeting my eyes once more. “Good, now you gotta come back to me in one piece, so you can hear it.”
I smiled, shaking my head at him. “You’re a devil.”
His hand on my arm moved to hold the side of my face as he leaned down to press a kiss to my lips, careful not to ruin my lipstick, before pulling away and speaking. “If he tries anything, I give you permission to shoot him.”
I chuckled. “Of course, if that’s what youreallywant.”
His smile was sad. “You should get going; we’ll start up here.” He pulled back.
I turned towards Upper and Dog on the couch, catching Upper’s stare on us. His eyes held an emotion that had me frowning slightly. But it disappeared as quickly as I spotted it, and he forced a carefree smile. “Be safe. I’ll see you on the inside.”
I nodded. “See you guys soon.”
We bid our goodbyes, and I forced away the thoughts that swept through me after that look from Upper.
As I approached the vehicle, the driver opened the door with a slight bow, and I thanked him with a smile.
When I got into the back seat, Elio was at the other side, holding a black hardcover book in his hand, his reading glasses on his face as he flipped the pages and spoke without looking at me. “Good evening.” He greeted me politely, an action that made me pause.
