Sexy Freckles snorted. “They’re to torture us into compliance. She’s more comfortable in shitkickers.”
“Not around guests,” Lucifer hissed.
Stan flicked Freckles a look. “Flame.”
With a mane of hair like that, I understood how he’d earned the nickname. Throw in the incessant flicking of a Zippo lighter and I got the memo real fast.
“Stan.” He hovered the flame uncomfortably close to his beard. “How’s the fam?”
“We’re doing all right.”
“Heard you were in the hospital.”
“Axe, don’t be rude,” Lucifer purred at one of the other men who leaned against a window.
“How is he being rude?”
Lucifer popped her hip and sassed the guy behind the desk. “Wolfe, it’s rude. And dumb. Now he knows we got eyes on him.”
Stan released a huff of laughter. “I figured as much already.”
When Flame carried on waving the lighter around, I cleared my throat. “Excuse me, Mr. Flame, but beardsareflammable, you know?”
Lucifer chuckled. “He likes fire.”
I shared a wide-eyed look with Raisin, who gulped.
Reassuring.
“You sure there’s a problem with that private jet of yours?” grumbled Wolfe, the President—at least,I assumedfrom the ‘Prez’ patch on his leather vest.
How handy that these guys came with name tags!
“Trust me, I want to be here as much as you want me hanging around. You seen these three women? They’re not jailbait anymore, but I can guaran-fucking-tee that your brothers will be sniffing around them like they got out of jail after a forty-year stint?—”
“Is that supposed to be a compliment?” Raisin protested.
“—and the last thing I need is a problem with the Irish.”
“Why the Irish? Your brother’s married to one, ain’t he?” A pointed look flicked between the pair of us. “And you’re in the same tricolor boat, no?”
“Dagger,” Lucifer fussed. “We do not interrogate guests.”
It seemed to me that Lucifer’s men didn’t consider us guests.
Stan, in apparent agreement with Lucifer’s men, reflected, “If I don’t return these women to their brothers in one piece, then I figure we’ll be starting another turf war between the Irish, the Sicilians,andyou. Seeing as they’re one of your biggest buyers, that might present a problem for your MC.”
Gah.
Checkmate.
So hot.
Even hotter when four men glared at him and without a care in the world, he sauntered over to the visitor’s seat, sank into it, and thenplanted his folded hands on his abs. “You didn’t have to put us up. I’m sure there’s a motel somewhere.”
“We wouldn’t hear of it.” Lucifer’s tone sharpened. “Would we?”
Stan’s threat had clearly made its mark.
