I hop up and grab the joint from Caz’s lips, stubbing it out. “I didn’t say quit cigarettes so you could smoke this shit every day.”
“Aw, c’mon, princess.” He sends me puppy dog eyes. “A man’s got to have some vices.”
I plonk myself on his lap, lacing my arms around his neck. “You’ve already got two. Beer and me.” I lean down, licking a path up the side of his neck. “Trust me, that’s more than enough for any guy to handle.”
“You might have to convince me.” Caz’s wicked gaze is seductive in the extreme.
“Deal.” I purposely rub my ass over the growing bulge in his jeans. “I’ll start convincing you later.” I press a kiss to the corner of his lips. “I’m claiming you in my bed tonight.”
“Hell yeah, baby.” He nuzzles his nose in my neck.
My eyes meet Galen’s troubled green ones, and we share a lingering stare before he breaks eye contact, looking at Theo. “What about the rat?” Galen asks. “Any progress with those background checks?”
“Not so far, and I’ve had no luck getting past the firewall at Sainthood HQ.”
“Meaning what?” I ask, swiveling on Caz’s lap to face Theo.
“I can’t infiltrate their security system or get into their cameras.”
“Maybe, I could do it whenever I’m summoned there,” I say.
“Your pretty ass is not stepping foot in that place,” Saint growls.
“I thought you attended monthly junior chapter meetings?”
“We do, but you won’t be there.” Saint runs his fingers over his cropped blond hair. “I don’t trust any of those bastards with you.”
“That won’t cut it, and you know it.”
“I don’t fucking care!” he roars. “He’s not getting his dirty hands on you.”
I get off Caz, walk over to Saint, and sink down on to his lap. I tip his face up. “Agreed. But we can’t be stupid. We need access to those cameras, to watch things and to check logs for any evidence of the rat. Me getting summoned to HQ might help, and I’ll figure out a way to avoid being gang-raped by Sinner and his buddies.” A shudder crawls its way up my spine.
“I don’t see how,” Theo says. “And that’s another problem to solve. But we haven’t exhausted all options yet. I bet Diesel could get us what we need.”
I nod slowly. “Yeah, with what we’ve learned, I’m sure he could. We’ll ask him on Sunday.”
“There is another option we haven’t considered in relation to Taylor,” Galen says, and we all direct our attention his way. “Eccleston. He hooked up with her before, so maybe Bryant reaches out, wanting round two?”
“I should’ve thought of that,” I murmur.
“I still don’t trust that guy,” Saint says, and the others nod. “But he’s supposedly on our side now.”
“Supposedly?” I inquire.
“I don’t trust it. It feels like there is more we don’t know,” Saint says, running his hand up and down my back.
“We’re due an update from him,” Galen reminds us.
Saint eyeballs his cousin. “Set up a meet. Let’s get him to do this, and if his dick doesn’t get us the answers we need, we try the princess’s suggestion and kidnap the bitch.”
After the convo ends, I head to my room and take a long, hot shower. When I emerge, followed by a trail of cloudy steam, Galen is sitting on the edge of my bed. “I knocked,” he blurts, averting his eyes as I tuck my towel in tighter under my arms.
“What’s up?” I ask, picking up my hairbrush and running it through my damp hair.
“I have something for you.” He holds out a rectangular black box.
I walk to the bed, holding his gaze as I sit down beside him, taking the offering. I unclip the small lock on the side of the box and pull the lid back to reveal the contents.
