I ENDED up throwing myself into another workout, pushing the muscles in my arms and legs to the limit, until the tension inside me faded again. Every now and then, my mind flashed to the other release I’d gotten not long ago, to the way Talon’s hands had held my body and his hips had thrust into me, and my panties dampened all over again. I pushed myself harder.
I’d learned something from him, something about myself and what my body was capable of that I hadn’t known. That was the important part. It wasn’t as if I could pursue any kind of relationship with him, not that he seemed likely to want that. He was a cop, and I killed people on a regular basis. Also, he and his friends had essentially kidnapped me, even if I’d sort of allowed them to the last time.
But I couldn’t say I had any regrets about the interlude we’d shared. If nothing else, it’d give me plenty of fodder when I took matters into my own hands in the future.
When I was done, feeling looser than I had in ages, I ducked into the bathroom, because I could definitely use a shower too. I lingered there for longer than usual, scrubbing all the sweat from my skin and working a lather through my hair. The soap I grabbed had a bit of Talon’s tang to its scent—it must have been his. There was a weird intimacy to having it wrapped around me alongside the water streaming over my body.
When I’d dried off and dressed in a fresh pair of clothes—Steffie had run my discarded outfits through the laundry like she did for the guys, which I couldn’t complain about—I stepped into the main room to find that all four of the men were now home.
They’d gathered around Julius’s small table next to the whiteboard, and the man in charge was pointing out a few details in a sketch he’d made that looked roughly like the layout of a building. He had several army figures set out on the table. He motioned to them, moving a few, knocking one over, and the other men nodded. Blaze tapped away on the laptop he had balanced against his lean chest, his expression unusually serious.
They were up to something, making plans—I could taste it in the energy in the atmosphere as well as their body language. But other than a quick glance Garrison and then Julius shot my way, they didn’t acknowledge me. They didn’t intend to loop me in on this particular plan.
I could pretend I hadn’t realized that, though. I ambled over with an air of casual curiosity. “What are you all up to, tucked away in the corner like this?”
“Discussing business,” Julius said in that commanding tone of his. “Why don’t you relax in your room until it’s dinner time?”
I folded my arms over my chest. “If it’s about the massacre at Anna’s house, it involves me too. I want to know what’s going on.”
“It’s got nothing to do with your friend,” he said, but his expression was so impervious I couldn’t tell whether I should believe him.
They’d all fallen silent, waiting for me to leave. Talon looked at me briefly with no sign he even remembered how tightly we’d been entwined a couple of hours ago. What would his colleagues have thought of him if they’d known?
I didn’t have any interest in throwing him under the bus, though. That’d just destroy any chance there was of getting a second opportunity to enjoy the intense pleasures he could offer. Still, the thought of going back into the exercise room where the smell of sweat and him still hung in the air made my skin itch.
“I’ll just go hang out on the sofa,” I said, turning away, thinking I might get a chance to spy on them like I had before, but Julius cleared his throat.
“No, I think it’s better if we have the room completely to ourselves.”
Damn it. I held back a frown, not wanting him to realize how much I’d been counting on learning more about their mysterious mission.
Glancing around, I realized that I might be able to turn this into a different sort of opportunity. “Fine. Can I go up to the roof instead? I’d rather get some fresh air if you’re going to insist on me being out of your way.”
Julius’s gaze followed mine in a moment of contemplation. I braced myself for a refusal, but he nodded. “I don’t see how that could hurt anything.”
He didn’t think I had a hope in hell of escaping the apartment that way, he meant. We’d see about that. It’d be far from the first time someone had underestimated me.
I followed Julius as he strode to the locked door. He typed the code into the numeric lock quickly, angling his body to prevent me from seeing the numbers, and I made a show of not caring anyway. If they were going to let me go up on my own, I didn’t need to sneak up there. I just needed to figure out what I’d do once I had the whole outdoor space at my disposal.
The door opened with a click. Julius pushed it wide and gestured to the stairwell. “I’ll leave it unlocked so you can get back in when you’re ready.”
A small act of generosity. I gave him a similarly small smile. As I marched up the stairs, I felt his eyes on my back until the door thumped shut behind me.
Emerging onto the rooftop deck, I simply stood there for a few moments, looking at the bright blue sky and sucking in the fresh afternoon air. I hadn’t been lying when I’d said I enjoyed it. Another thing to add to my list for Blaze. Air made me happy.
How pathetic was that?
But then, I hadn’t gotten to savor the outside air very often. I’d stayed in my rooms in the household for days at a time in between missions or the occasional outdoor training session. My section of the mansion hadn’t even had windows. The household had wanted to ensure no one could possibly find out I was living there, their secret weapon. The secrecy protected both them and me.
It made sense. But that didn’t mean I couldn’t enjoy this sort-of freedom while I had it, right?
The solitude was nice too. Other than when I’d been in one bedroom or another, this was the first time I’d been totally, blissfully alone since the moment the men had surrounded me after I’d crashed the car.
It probably wouldn’t last. How long did I have before one of them came to check on me or tell me to get back downstairs?
That thought brought my mind back into full alertness. I had a small mission of my own here, and I needed to see it through before I was interrupted. I wasn’t sure I’d want to take off on the men right now, still with no real sense of direction, but it’d be good to be prepared in case I decided I needed to make a quick escape later.
I started by walking the entire length of the wooden wall, feeling for imperfections or rot. No surprise, the wall was as secure as it was tall. When I returned to the spot beside the door, I stepped back, analyzing the barrier from more of a distance.
It was taller than the wall around the household by a few feet, so jumping it would be impossible without help, but with a chair stacked on top of the patio table, I knew I could make it to the top. But from there… I didn’t know exactly how high up we were, but the length of the elevator ride and the absence of any taller buildings in view suggested it was at least ten stories. I’d bet more.
With a grappling hook and a good length of rope, I’d have been just fine regardless of what the outer walls looked like. Somehow I didn’t think I could ask the cops to pick up those items for me at the store. Tying sheets and other items together was always an option, but I didn’t think there were enough in the apartment to guarantee I’d make it close enough to the ground to jump the rest of the way.
Maybe there was another building nearby, or a tree or cables or some other object I could make use of. I wouldn’t know until I got up to the top, though, and if they caught me clambering along the wall, they’d never let me up here alone again. I had to be sure I was ready.
Lost in thought, I ran my tongue over my teeth and found myself meandering over to the telescope I’d examined earlier with Blaze. I drummed my fingers on the smooth metal. Too bad it wasn’t an X-ray machine like one of the gadgets in Spy Time, built to let me see right through the wall.
Who said it might not show me something in the sky that would be useful, though? A more distant building or some other landmark? That would help me orient myself and the apartment in the city.
I bent down, leaning toward the place where I assumed I needed to put my eye.
A snarky voice carried from behind me. “Most people know not to touch other people’s belongings without asking. Hands off the telescope.”
I jerked back and whirled around to find Garrison stepping out onto the deck. I’d let myself get so lost in thought I hadn’t heard the door open. Sloppy, Noelle said in my head with a tsk of her tongue.
Blaze had mentioned that the telescope was Garrison’s. Garrison stood watching me with his hands slung in his pockets in a careless pose, but his expression was chilly. Why did he have to be such an ass all the time?
Well, there was nothing stopping me from poking the bear and seeing what came out.
With a taunting smile, I lowered my fingers to the telescope and stroked it. “Get my hands off of this?”
Garrison tilted his head and looked between me and the telescope, his hands not leaving his pockets. “Do you know how to use it?”
“Not particularly.”
“Then I’m sticking to my demand. Hands. Off.”
I rolled my eyes and folded my arms over my chest, stepping toward him. “Buzzkill.”
Not dropping eye contact, he sank onto one of the lawn chairs surrounding a small coffee-style table. He stretched out his legs and leaned his head back as if making a statement about how little he was intimidated by me.
He just didn’t know better.
“Let’s not pretend you’re actually up here to stargaze,” he said.
I made a sweeping gesture toward him. “Feel free to enlighten me about my own motivations, then.”
He glowered at me. “You’re looking for escape routes. Hopefully you’re smart enough to have figured out by now that it’s hopeless.”
I let the corner of my lips quirk upward. “You think I’m smart, huh?”
Garrison let out a huff of annoyance. “That wasn’t what I was getting at.”
“But you said it anyway.” I plopped down onto the chair kitty-corner to him, matching his careless demeanor. I didn’t think I’d given away anything about my intentions. He was just guessing, and when I’d tried to run off on them a few times already, guessing that I might be thinking about doing it again didn’t exactly require major brain power. “What makes you so sure I’m in a hurry to get out of here?”
“You’ve been trying to take off since the first day. What makes today any different?”
I could think of a few things that made today different, but I wasn’t going to mention them to him. Instead, I scooted to the edge of the chair and leaned forward. If I’d slid my foot out, I could have brushed it against his ankle.
“What’s wrong?” I teased. “Are you worried you’d miss me if I got away?”
I could see his hackles rise—the way he sat up straighter and the cunning smirk on his face tightened, remaining only because of his iron will to remain cool and collected.
“If you got away,” he said, “it would solve every single problem I’ve had over the past week.”
I smiled and pushed him further. “You’ve been worried about me that much? I’m flattered.”
Garrison scoffed and gripped the armrest. “You’d like to think so, wouldn’t you? Having someone worry about you instead of giving you reasons to worry would be a nice change of events.”
Wow, if I really had been fleeing an abusive boyfriend, that would have been a low blow. I feigned a wince. “Ouch. Well, maybe it takes one to know one.”
His eyes flashed, and I restrained an outright grin. Another item to add to my happiness list—I enjoyed this back and forth with Garrison. Rolling with his verbal punches, finding the best way to throw the jabs back at him. It was like a different kind of sparring. Not quite as thrilling as the way I’d tangled with Talon but exhilarating in its own right.
Garrison considered me with a scowl. “Why did you come up here then, Dess?”
“Like I told Julius, I wanted some fresh air.” What else could I say to shut down that subject? I tipped back my head. “And maybe I wanted to sunbathe too. Got to look pretty when I have four manly men studying me all day.”
I flicked at my hair in what I hoped looked like a flirtatious gesture. Unfortunately, flirting was not my thing, and only half the hair I flicked went over my shoulder, the other half catching in the breeze and flying back into my face. I swiped it aside as if I’d meant to do that.
“Something tells me that you don’t particularly care about looking pretty for us,” Garrison said, looking me over.
With anyone else, I’d have worried it was an insult, but with Garrison, I couldn’t totally tell. He wasn’t wrong, after all.
I raised my eyebrows. “Are you saying that I haven’t been meeting your exacting standards? Feel free to tell me where I’ve fallen short.”
His mouth twisted, and I knew that I’d made it difficult to respond. He could purposely offend me, and I had no doubt that he was considering doing just that. But if I knew Garrison at all, and I had a feeling that I was quickly learning his preferred method of snark, he wouldn’t go for the obvious insult.
He liked the challenge of our conversations too, even if he pretended they irritated him. Why would he have kept up the snark with me if he didn’t? He could have just ignored me.
My mind flashed to Talon and the aggressive, dominating way he’d taken me in the exercise room. What would it be like to “spar” with Garrison that way? An image darted through my mind of us continuing our battle in the bedroom, fighting to claim our pleasure.
Maybe it was the thrill that came with the thought that propelled me onward, a spark of inspiration lighting in my mind. I didn’t give him a chance to spit out the response he was brewing. Instead, I took charge.
I sighed dramatically. “It’s okay if you don’t find me pretty. There’s more to me than looks. I wonder if the same can be said about you?” I cocked my head to one side. “I’m starting to think not so much.”
Garrison’s eyes blazed, and I knew part of him was seeping through the mask he wore so well. “I’ll have you know—”
“That your sharp tongue is only to deflect attention from your many flaws? That’s what I thought.”
He uncrossed his legs and brought himself slowly to his feet, standing over me in a way that would have intimidated a lesser woman. I’d expected it. I could see the way his frustration with me and his fascination roared inside him, battling for dominance.
He didn’t hate me. Not really.
“I think we’re done here,” he said. “Time to go downstairs.”
Oh, no, he wasn’t getting out of this that easily. I pushed myself off the chair, planting myself just inches away from him.
“Don’t be silly,” I said with a sly smile. “We’re just getting started.”
Then I grabbed the front of his shirt and tugged him toward me so I could capture his lips.
I hadn’t been sure if he’d kiss me back. I’d only been counting on a startled moment or two before he pushed me away. But the next thing I knew, Garrison was gripping the back of my head, molding his mouth to mine. A torrent of hidden emotion flowed into me with the fervor of his kiss.
Oh, he didn’t hate me at all.
As if he’d realized what he’d given away in the same instant I had, Garrison jerked back. His cheeks had flushed, but his eyes glinted with annoyance.
“Don’t fucking do that again,” he spat, running a hand through his shaggy blond hair.
I gazed back at him innocently. “Really? You didn’t exactly seem to mind in the—”
“I said don’t.” He took another step away, as if he needed the distance between us to control himself. Which maybe was true. Then he jabbed his hand toward the stairs. “Get back inside where you’ll make less trouble.”
He ushered me down the stairs, staying a few feet behind the whole time, and then stalked off toward his bedroom the second we’d come into the apartment. Blaze and Julius were still discussing something by the whiteboard. Talon had gone into the kitchen to heat up the dinner Steffie had left for us.
Perfect.
I turned toward Blaze’s workstation as if eyeing it curiously—and pulled out the phone I’d snatched from Garrison’s pocket while he was distracted by the press of my lips. A satisfied smile tugged at those lips now. He’d had no idea I’d made off with it.
But now I had to search it for what I needed before he or any of the others noticed.
I tapped in the passcode I’d observed through the kettle’s reflection. A part of me expected it not to work, but when the entire phone opened to me, I couldn’t help outright grinning. Jackpot.
I went immediately to the recent text messages, scanning them for anything important, though I had little context for most of them. The only message that really caught my eye was from Julius, sent this morning, and it was basic—102 Freeton Ave, which was an address I didn’t recognize, and the words, Blaze says this is the one.
Was this the address that they’d be visiting later? For their plans that supposedly had nothing to do with the household case?
The address was easy enough to commit to memory. Then I opened the browser history and knew my mistake the moment the page loaded.
A porn site was the last opened page, a woman and her pussy exposed wide to the camera. I rolled my eyes. Typical.
I opened the other tabs, finding only unimportant questions he’d typed into the browser. Nothing substantial.
Every second I had the phone on me was a risk. I closed all the apps I’d opened and turned it off, then ambled over to the sofa. When I sat down there, I let the phone slide between the cushions.
He’d assume it’d fallen out of his pocket sometime earlier. Nothing at all to do with me.
Now I just had to figure out why Blaze said that address was “the one” and what exactly the guys meant to do there.
