I’m glad one of us does, and seeing her do something she loves has satisfaction uncurling in me. All these years, and I never imagined sharing the work with someone. Hopefully, it’s enough to make her stay with me.
I’ve already started arranging her things around the house as if she blends in perfectly with my life. She watched me arrange some of her framed photos on the fireplace’s mantle yesterday. When I presented it to her, she smiled brightly, her hands on her hips with silent acceptance.
“Are you ready to go?” I muse.
Her nose scrunches as she riffles through a few folders. “Not quite. Let me find the logs I’ve been keeping track of, and I’ll join you.”
I lift a brow. “Do you know how to find Dale’s?”
She gives me a smirk as sarcasm falls from her plush lips. “Yes, I know where to find the bar, Row Row. I’ll be right behind you.”
I purse my lips, not liking the idea of leaving her behind, but knowing that she won’t let this rest until she has what she needs. “Alright, Sunshine. Call me if you have any trouble.”
She waves me off before grabbing the collar of my shirt. “Oh, wait! Kiss.”
I chuckle before stealing her breath in a slow, heated peck. When we pull away, she looks dazed and fucking edible. Her cheeks are slightly flushed, and if I don’t tear my gaze away from her, I’ll stay behind.
“Ten minutes before I come searching for you,” I warn her as I head for the door.
“Okay!” She calls.
My spirits are high as I walk across the compound. Dale’s is only a few acres away, but I hold my shoulders high as I trudge across a couple of backyards to get there.
Mrs. Jade, Dominic’s grandmother, is outside on her back patio, sweeping away the stray leaves that have accumulated with the changing season. Her white and gray hair is pulled up into a tight bun, and she gives me a small wave before going back to her yard work.
I’ve never felt so…lighthearted.
I greet anyone lingering around the compound and get a few double-takes as I near the bar. I’m sure it’s unusual to see me with a smile, but I can’t help it. Addison brings out a side of me that isn’t weighed down by expectations. I feel like I’m on top of the fucking world.
“Are yousmiling?” Noah asks as he cocks a smirk at me. He’s standing on Dale’s porch, smoking a cigarette.
“Don’t get used to it,” I pat his shoulder before pushing past him.
The bar is jumping with its usual crowd. People are scattered around the room, taking up the tall tables that make up the dining area. Above the long bar, the kill catalog switches through names of hits and whoever is currently working them.
I spot my family seated to the far right, and Connor waves me over. “There you are. Where’s Addie?”
I take the seat beside my brother and his wife, smiling as I settle. “She’s getting the logs for Alana. She’ll be here soon.”
The intel expert vibrates with excitement in her seat. “I’ve been thinking about this all morning! I can't wait to see the system she set up.”
Blair, Loxley’s employee-turned-hacker, is seated beside her mentor, a laptop propped on her knees as she frowns at the screen. “I can’t wait to get my hands on it. I hope it’s better than the mess Row Row turns in.”
I scowl at her. “My logs aren't that bad.”
The trainee gives me a scathing look. “I beg to fucking differ.”
Alana eyes her mentee pointedly. “Are you focusing on the homework I gave you?”
Blair sighs, ashamedly getting back to her work. “Yes,Professor.”
Connor snorts at the nickname he gave his fiancée years ago.
Alana turns her nose up at them. “I can't help my curiosity. Row Row has been raving about our newest addition. It’s nice to have another great mind join the syndicate.”
Atlas rubs a hand across his wife’s shoulders, staring at her with so much conviction and lust that we all feel like we’re imposing on something.
“Addie is a wonder with numbers,” Loxley praises her friend, preening as she ignores my brother’s heated eyes on her. “Do you think she’ll stay here?”
