He flushed and planted a kiss on my lips before he went stalking off toward the door. I blinked after him. Rowen chuckled and left. Aspen gave me one last quick kiss before he followed after them at a slow pace. Sloan strolled out to talk to them in the entryway, and they gathered around him nodding, along with Corbin and Tadgh.
Conall held his left arm against his chest and scowled.
“This is fuckin’ awful. We just watch them go?” I didn’t like it. Normally I had a job, and this felt a hell of a lot like waiting at home to hear whether or not they made it out of some scary shit alive.
“Welcome to my world,” he said darkly. “Sloan probably won’t let me out of the house for a year.” He pointed at the cast. “I’m being punished for other people being assholes.”
I groaned.
Conall laughed. “Let’s go find Lor and Vail.”
“Yeah, sounds good,” I said, following him out. He didn’t bother Sloan because he was busy talking, and together we went up the stairs. I pulled my phone out and texted to our group chat as we walked.
Fallon:Be careful. I love you.
Holding my breath, I sent the message. I was tired of hiding how much I was starting to care about everyone, and I would feel bad forever if something happened to them today and I just hadn’t said it.
Aspen:I will. Same.
Cillian:I’m always careful.
Rowen:Aw, your twee feelings are showing. We will be. ;)
Vail:Why do they need to be careful? I love you all, all the time!
Smiling, I rushed to catch up with Conall.
17
ASPEN
I closedmy eyes and relaxed against the front seat of the Audi that Sloan had loaned to Cillian. It was a smaller SUV than the Expedition and didn’t have any personal touches. When things calmed down he’d buy a new car, probably the latest model, but that didn’t make the sting of loss any less frustrating. The Reyes Cartel attacked and hurt us, something the Killough Company wasn’t used to dealing with. Reyes got us in a sore spot no one had found before him, and Sloan would make an example of Reyes. I had a feeling that meant hitting the cartel boss where it hurt—not only his businesses but drawing retaliatory blood from his partner. Reyes had made Conall bleed; Sloan would do a lot worse. He’d rain hell on them, and we were the soldiers he’d sent in to continue the battle.
“Who’d you get?” Rowen asked from the back seat of the SUV, irritation dripping from his tone. It wasn’t often I heard him this annoyed, but I knew exactly what had gotten under his skin. He’d always been by our side when Sloan sent us on missions, and with the announcement of us going to Miami without him he was probably frustrated and confused. I had my suspicions about why Sloan had made that choice, but he probably wouldn’t appreciate my thoughts.
“Luís David Juarez Robles.” I smirked at his name. We’d had run-ins with Luís and it would be my absolute pleasure to take him out. He was a low-ranking drug dealer who was as slimy as an eel. In the past we’d given him a warning to stay away from our territory, and Cillian and I’d had plans to take him out the next time we saw him on our turf. Apparently we didn’t have to wait. His name on my hit list meant he was doing deals with the Reyes Cartel, and those shit choices had signed his death warrant.
“I fecking hate ye.” Cillian snorted as he slammed his hand down on the smooth black steering wheel. “I wanted the wee fecker.”
I winked at him. “Don’t worry, I’ll work him until my knives meet his bones.”
“Motherfecker.” Cillian grinned at me. “I got Robert Suter. Who the feck is this weasel anyway?”
“What’s it say in the text message?” Rowen asked from the back. I could almost hear the eye roll in his voice.
“It’s got his latest address and where he owns a flower shop, and they suspect him of feeding the cartel information on us. I’ve never even heard of him.” Cillian would have punched me for suggesting he was pouting... but he was damned close to it.
“Maybe that’s why he’s a good informant, knows how to keep a low profile.” I shrugged. “You know, the kind of guys Sloan keeps around in Cali to get us the downlow on Reyes.”
“They didn’t tell us he was planning on fecking attacking us, did they?” Cillian grunted. “Me poor wee baby.” He patted the dashboard as if maybe the caress would transfer to his lost one.
“Are ye seriously talkin’ about yer car?” Rowen asked, amusement coloring his words. “Ye can buy another one, Cillian.”
“It’s not the same.” He glared in the rearview mirror at Rowen. “She was me darling.”
“Ye needed a new one anyway.” Rowen shook his head and stared down at his phone, frowning. “This bloke is Drew Hogfress, and his home’s on the outskirts of the city, as we enter. We should hit him first.”
“Think ye can do this one on yer own?” Cillian asked.
