“What are you doing?” he asked, sitting up. I fecking hated the concern that slid across his face. We didn’t used to let each other see things like this between us, and I still didn’t quite know what to do with all this emotional garbage. I grabbed my phone out of my shorts and went into the bathroom, then slammed the door closed.
“I’m calling Jamie to run the roof plan past him.” I rested my hand against the door, and even though I wasn’t sure what the feck was going on, not really, this wasn’t all bad. I reached back and touched my arsehole, which was still slick with lube and some of Aspen’s cum. I didn’t hate the idea of a part of Aspen lingering in me.
Just the opposite.
“Feck this,” I snapped, then unlocked the phone and hit Jamie’s number. As soon as he was on the line, I didn’t even give him a chance to give me a proper greeting. “We have a wee idea.”
9
ASPEN
When I’d joinedthe Killough Company, I hadn’t expected to be scaling buildings, yet here I was with Corbin at my side on the other rope. Cillian and Jamie were at the top of a taller shop to the right of the salon, hanging over the edge and making sure our anchor wasn’t going anywhere so we could slowly descend. The bomb hung heavy against my back in a bag over my shoulder. This plan was stupid, but we’d done a lot worse. The minute we’d determined there was no surveillance equipment aimed at the roof, we’d moved ahead.
“Give us some slack in the rope,” I whispered as loud as I could to Cillian, who glared. “We need to be a little lower.”
“I can fecking see that, mate. I’m not blind.”
I rolled my eyes when my boots finally hit the roof of the salon. Sending Cillian the middle finger, I unlatched the clip on the harness strapped around my hips and walked toward the center of the roof. Corbin was right behind me, grumbling about the laziness of bosses while pointedly glaring at Jamie over his shoulder.
Jamie grinned. “I don’t need to hear ya to know what you’re saying, Cor.”
Corbin snarled something I thought was Gaelic, and I snorted, even though I didn’t understand the words. My father could speak the language, and he’d started to teach me, but life got in the way of learning something I’d never used—then he died.
“Come on, boys, we haven’t got all night.” Jamie’s amusement was obvious in his voice.
Corbin pursed his lips at me, and I nodded, stifling a laugh. I opened the bag and pulled out the bomb, holding my breath as I set the gray metal box flat on the roof. Corbin kneeled beside me and shouldered me out of the way, getting to work setting it up. It was interesting to watch his nimble fingers move with an instinct that had me impressed. While explosives weren’t my specialty, Corbin had used them more times than I could count on both hands. When Sloan wanted to make an impact, I knew for a fact that he called Jamie and Corbin into action.
“How big will the blast be?” I stared as he messed with the wires inside the box, then played with a small screen attached to them. I suspected he was making sure there was no timer set and the mechanism would trigger the explosion when given the signal from our detonator.
“Just big enough,” Corbin drawled.
I bit my tongue because I wanted to snap back with a smart-ass comment that was more like something Fallon or Cillian would blurt. I’d been spending a lot of time around them. The thought of Fallon cracking a dirty joke made me chuckle, earning an inquisitive glance from Corbin.
I shook my head. “Thinking about one of my boys at home.”
He grunted. “How do ya handle two of them?”
“Three now.” I tossed a smirk over my shoulder toward Cillian.
“He counts as ten, I reckon.”
I pressed the back of my hand against my mouth to hold in a laugh. He wasn’t wrong. Cillian had a reputation not only for being a mean asshole, but also for causing a lot of trouble. Most of the other Company men stayed as far away from him as they could.
Corbin snorted. “That lad’s as cold as ice. I’m surprised he doesn’t freeze your dick off when he gives ya a blowjob.”
“He warms up after a while.” I shrugged before standing, then laughed and slapped him on the shoulder when he finally got to his feet. “For a straight guy, you’re very interested in gay sex.”
His mouth twisted smugly. “For a guy who never talked much, you’re doing it a lot more.”
I rolled my eyes and gestured at the bomb. “Is it done?”
“Who do ya think you’re talking to? Course it is.” He tilted his head toward the ropes, and we walked over together. We hooked the latches back onto our harnesses and tugged on the ropes.
I frowned up at the higher building, not able to see Cillian or Jamie. “You all right up there?”
My question was met with silence and my skin prickled. I glanced at Corbin, and he nodded, sharing my concern.
“Oi, Jamie. Ya there?” he whispered, eyebrows dipping. “This ain’t funny. If this is a joke, I’ll drop your arse on this roof and blow it up with ya on it.”
