Everett roughly wipes his hands on his jeans, irritated. “DB wants him in Wimberley?”
Odd claps his hand on his shoulder. “Sorry, Everett. This one’s way above our pay grade.”
Everett gives him a sharp nod, then finally acknowledges my presence with a look that is pure head-down-looking-up-past-his-eyebrows evil. He’s lousy with sexy murder charisma, and I genuinely might be having a hot flash. Walking over, he puts his hands on my shoulders, ratcheting my hormone levels up to critical.
“Did that bastard hurt you?”
I gulp and shake my head as he continues touching and examining me all over. Our breathing becomes heavy, and maybe it’s just the leftover adrenaline, but I’m hard as a rock. I’ve already been embarrassed by my cock once tonight, so I lay my hand over his. “Everett…I’m, I’m okay. Really—mph.”
He pulls me in for one of his big Everett hugs, and I squeeze my eyes shut, hoping he can’t feel my hardness against his leg. I angle away from him, but he pulls me in tighter.
Oh god, it’s a new level of fucked-up to be turned on by murder.
Well, it wasn’tmurdermurder. He was just a little overprotective with a body count. A fact which happens to turn me on.
…Yeah, I can live with that.
Anders scratches his head. “Sorry to break up the little lovefest, guys, but we have got to get the hell out of the public eye.”
Everett pulls back, his eyes never leaving mine. “Yeah, we need to go.” Leaning back in, he whispers into my ear, his voice deep and resonant, “To be continued.”
My breath catches—shit. Hejustsaid we couldn’t be anything and I damn near humped his leg with a murder boner. I shake it off, and we head in the direction of the tattoo shop. A few steps into it, Everett sees something in the distance and his jaw goes tight. “Fuck, there’s the other one. Let’s get them across the street.”
He gives Omar, Anders, and Odd a signal they apparently understand, and they take off. Parker and I share a bewildered expression but have no time to process it as Everett and Thane flank us and begin marching us across the street. I’m not sure if my feet ever actually touch the ground.
I’m not saying it added to my spank bank.
But I’m not saying it didn’t, either.
Everett opens up the shop and pauses to lock it behind us before continuing to propel us through the space, only stopping once we’ve reached the door markedPortal to Nowhere.
Looking up at Everett, I ask, “Are you shoving us into a broom clo—”
I bite off my words as the door swings open.
“Everett,what the fuck is this?”
19
Everett
I shove them inside, grateful that the room has a three-inch-thick steel-reinforced door with sliding bolt locks and its own ventilation system. Thane engages the lock with the punch of a button, cutting off Rafi’s question.
I hit the intercom. “I’m sorry, baby. I…I’ll explain later. I promise I’m just trying to keep you safe. If something happens to me, this will disengage in the morning.”
The speaker crackles and Rafi’s voice comes across the line, clear as a bell. “If something happens to you? What the—”
I have to cut him off because I’m needed out back; I also have to offload a metric ton of testosterone so I can think clearly. I didn’t want him to know about this part of me, but I’m not exactly disappointed it turns him on.
As I walk through my tattoo room out the door that leads to the alley, I hear Omar and the twins pulling up in the truck. I pop my head out, and Omar gives me the thumbs-up. The truck bed contains three bad guys stacked like corded wood, and two of them are still alive. I’m willing to call that a win.
“We need some rope.”
I nod and head back inside, my head still spinning, feeling like I’m on the Iron Rattler at Fiesta Texas.
Seeing those two men drag Rafi and Parker into the wooded area by the empty stage nearly shredded my heart. Watching him watch me under the canvas of trees and stars was exhilarating—all the things I’ve been hiding were out in the open. Forcing myself to pull away from Rafi was a five-G plummet to the earth, but realizing he still wants me, that his body still needs me as badly as I need him…zoom, straight back to the top.
I’m also fighting back a tide of panic, knowing we’re only in a semi-decent position due to plain dumb luck.
