“Where the fuck have you two been?” Rex calls as we walk in, leaning back in a chair with his legs perched on a table.
“Last I checked, I’m the fucking boss around here,” Saint answers.
He looks completely unruffled, not like me.
I’m overly aware of how aroused I am, and I’m certain my cheeks are flushed.
A childish giggle erupts from me at his response, and it earns me a warning slap to the ass as he walks by me.
Gina watches me heading towards her, holding out a protein bar of the same kind she’s eating. I groan in appreciation; we managed to find these the other week in the kitchen, and they’rethe best out of all the options. She’s been ransacking the flavour whenever they come in.
“Thank you for your service,” I say, sitting myself down next to her on the sofa.
She bobs her head, mouth still full from the bite she took. “It’s nice, you know. It makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside.”
My brows dip, and a bemused laugh comes from me. “The protein bar?”
I mean, they’re okay. I wouldn’t go that far as to say I enjoy them that much.
The guys have us on the same meal plan as everyone else here, seeing as we’ve joined up for their training. All that working out and eating shit would defeat the purpose of keeping us strong.
She scoffs. “You’re a fucking idiot.” She shakes her head with a smile on her face. “I mean that ridiculous smile on your face. It’s the same one you had all those years ago. I’m glad to see it back. Plus, Saint doesn’t seem to be as oddly terrifying as he was when we first got here. Don’t get me wrong, that fucker’s still unnerving, but now I feel like he’s got more of a tolerance for my bullshit.”
My smile is bashful, and I can feel the tinge of red creeping on my neck at my confession. “I feel like the missing piece of me has been slotted back in place.”
Despite everything that’s going on, being hours away from walking into what could quite possibly be the closest place to hell on earth, I feel at ease.
And it’s because of him.
“I’m glad, Indie. You deserve it,” Gina says, her hand reaching for mine in a reassuring squeeze.
I unwrap the bar. “Any updates on you and—”
“I don’t kiss and tell,” she cuts me off.
I scoff through a mouthful. “Uh, yes you do. That’s an unwritten rule of friendship! And you already told me you—”
“Later.” She smirks.
My eyes narrow into slits at her, and I can tell she feels the burn of my stare, because her fucking smile breaks into a grin.
I poke my finger into her ribs, causing her to yelp, and all eyes falling on us.
“Plan of action,” Rex says from up ahead, eyeing us both suspiciously. “Omnia event starts at 7pm tonight. Saint and Indie, when you arrive, you’ll head to Ross and be greeted at the door. Saint knows who he is, so there should be no problems there.”
My eyes shift over to where Saint leans against the wall, arms folded across his chest, and he throws me a wink.
He’s radiating an image of complete nonchalance, not a hint of worry about what lies ahead.
“Saint will have a discrete bodycam on; we need to catch faces of every single fucker that’s in that premises.” Rex bites out his last words with bitterness.
He’s relying on us too, and with everything Regina and Saint have mentioned about his feelings, I know he’s still haunted by the loss of Jenna.
It seems the four of us are laced with the same variations of vengeance.
“This is their big year-end event. Our opportunity to get information on who and what goes on behind those fucking doors.” Rex’s eyes land on me. “Indie, I’m not gonna lie, some shit might be hard to see. Expect the unexpected, then drag that image to hell. You need to listen to everything Saint tells you. This is our one and only shot at our target.”
“What target?” I ask, slightly confused.
