He doesn’t say anything, but I hear his soft huff of amusement. I nuzzle my face in further, soaking in his warmth and letting the comfort of his arms soothe me to sleep. He starts to resume fiddling with his new toy, and the soft movements help to relax me enough to drift off to sleep in the arms of my sort of—maybe—boyfriend.
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
DEX
Ismirk when I see them jealously watch her sleeping in my lap, soft snores escaping her plump lips.
She could have sat with anyone, and she choseme. The biggest mother fucker in the room. In most rooms. Small scars cover my face, and yet here she is, sleeping in my arms like I’m not the biggest threat she’s ever met. And I’m not, not to her. But to anybody who so much as looks at her wrong, I’m definitely a threat.
And for some reason, my little cuddle bug chose me. Not only that, but she wants to help free me, even though that might mean taking out her brother, the only family member she has. I can tell she’s still holding on to her love for him. Maybe she thinks somewhere inside he’s redeemable, or maybe it’s just not that easy for her to let go. Whatever the reason, with each lie that’s exposed, it’s chipping away at the connection she thought she had to him.
Soon she will see him the way we do, as a ruthless psycho who will always choose himself over her.
“What do you think we’re gonna find in AshfordSprings?” Pete asks, ripping open a bag of mixed nuts and grabbing a handful.
“Could be anything. A house, a warehouse, a field,” Sly says as he continues to set up one of the cell phones.
Jagger nudges my arm and passes me a smartwatch. I frown at him, then he points his chin at Wren.
“Oh, it’s for her.” I carefully place it on her wrist in my attempt not to wake her.
“I’m setting it up on all our phones so we can track her,” Sly adds, his eyes glued to his phone screen.
“Thank fuck for that,” Pete says, leaning back with an exhale of relief. Maybe we can actually sleep tonight. But as we all exchange weary glances, I know that none of us are sleeping well for a while. Having her stolen out of our room while we were asleep has put us all on edge.
But I have a plan for that. I smirk, thinking about what I picked up at the store today. Hopefully, she doesn’t object too much. It’s for her own safety after all.
“So we’re all in agreement that Robert has to die, right?” Pete asks before tossing a nut up and catching it in his mouth.
“Obviously,” Sly says, without raising his gaze.
“She’s gonna be upset,” I warn them. “She still loves him.”
“She’ll come around to it,” Sly says, finally lifting his head to look at her. “And if she doesn’t, we’ll just keep him locked up indefinitely.”
I’m not sure how that would work, especially since we are all wanted fugitives, but I figure there’s plenty of time to figure out the details.
“I’m going to order some food. You guys good with some Chinese?” Pete asks, pulling out his new phone.
“Get me some General Tso’s chicken,” I tell him, and he nods, placing the order as Jagger and Sly finish setting up all the phones and tablets.
By the time the food arrives, a sleepy Wren is yawning and stretching as she sits up in my lap.
“Hey, cuddle bug. Have a nice nap?” I ask as she rubs her eyes.
“Mmm, yes, you make a great napping chair.” She leans back into me with a contented smile on her face. My heart warms to see her like this, happy, snuggly, and in my lap, where she belongs.
I run my nose up the side of her throat, inhaling her delicious scent as I go. She smells like peaches mixed with my own scent, and I love it. I want her to always smell like me.
“What are you doing, Dex?” she whispers as I pause just below her ear and place a gentle kiss on her soft skin.
“Just enjoying your company,” I mumble as Pete starts to pass out plates.
“Have you ever had Chinese food before?” he asks, and she shakes her head.
Just like every mealtime with her, it’s filled with her trying new things and loving almost everything. And as usual, her moans fill the room, making me hard. It’s probably a good thing she’s now seated between me and Jagger, instead of in my lap. I wouldn’t want to scare her off with how hard my cock is getting from those noises.
“Angel, if you keep moaning like that, I’ll—” Pete is cut off as Jagger tosses a fortune cookie at his face.
