The boys are understanding, to a degree. After all, she’s objectively attractive. Logan even had a whole new camera system installed so I could see her better, “your Christmas present,” he smirked. Asshole.
What none of them get is why I won’t just meet her. It would take our team less than ten minutes to get her contact info.
But I’m not ready. Not yet. When I make myself known to her, it will be to possess her. Nothing less.
And possessing girls, even the lonely, broken Oakley type, takes preparation.
“Did you hear me, Damien?” asks Logan. “I said, we have a problem with the pet.”
“What?” I grunt, snapping out of my thoughts.
“She stole something.”
I snort. “Isn’t that her thing?”
“I mean, a real something. Not a perfume package.Theperfume package, the one we used to hide the chip.”
I stare at him in confusion. “The nanochip? What the fuck?”
“I know. She intercepted the handover. Now neither Angel nor we have it, and everyone’s freaking out.”
I pass a hand over my eyes. “Where did she find it? There’s no way we could have been sloppy enough to leave it lying around…”
“It wasn’t lying around. Lucy says Angel gave her the package, as planned, but the pet stole it right from her. Literally took the perfume out of her hands. Like she was looking for it specifically.”
“Doesn’t make sense.” I shake my head. “She’s not that kind of girl.”
“We don’t know that. We don’t know anything about her.”
I bite down a reply. He’s right. And it wouldn’t do well for me to insist. I need to keep this absurd obsession under control.
“Walk me through it,” I request. “I suppose this was after the surveillance cameras got turned off?”
“Right after,” confirms Logan. “Like she knew. She never shoplifts in the evening. Just this once. She never goes to the third floor, but she did, as if she was biding her time.”
I shake my head. “None of that proves anything.”
“It’s too much of a coincidence,” insists Logan. “She was on the third floor, the clothing department, right until the surveillance cameras turned off. Like she was timing it.”
I listen, my hands clenched into fists. I know in my gut the girl is innocent, but I’m going to need to use tact.
“The last footage we have is of her taking the escalator up,” continues Logan. “Just two minutes later, according to Lucy, the girl grabbed the perfume.”
I shake my head. “I never liked this deal.”
“Well, it was the best thing we could negotiate. An Angel guy gave it to Lucy, Lucy was supposed to hand it to Vale. That way, everyone’s hands would have stayed clean. None of us would benefit from getting dragged down over the Cole affair.”
“But you know who would benefit from the chip getting stolen?” I argue. “Angel.”
Logan stares at me blankly. “Why would it benefit them?”
“Angel had the most to gain. Hold on to it, remove any information related to them, pin the murder only on us. I said from the start involving them was a mistake.”
At this point, Vale walks in. He’s clearly heard what I just said, and his face is tight.
“Don’t be an idiot. Why would they steal it back? They gave it to Lucy. She had it in her hands. The Angel guys were nowhere in sight by the time the girl went up. Check the tapes if you don’t believe me.”
My jaw flexes. Amongst us Devil boys, Vale is the most power-hungry one. But he didn’t end up the de facto leader of our little group. I did. Because what he has in ambition, he sorely lacks in social skills.
