“Yeah.” He kissed me again. “And you like it.”
Before I could drum up a fake protest, his phone buzzed in his pocket. He pulled it out, glanced at the screen, and all the softness left his expression.
He shoved the cell back. “Sorry, gotta go soon.”
There was a lot about the Hounds that Poppy couldn’t share with me when she was falling for Ace, but I knew enough not to ask questions if Ronan wasn’t volunteering answers. “Okay.”
He studied me for a moment before kissing me again. Slower this time. And deeper.
When he pulled back, he rested his forehead against mine. “See you soon, baby.”
I watched him walk out of the maze, butterflies swirling in my belly as I pressed my fingers against my tingling lips.
He’d shown up. Tolerated my brother. Helped my dad. Made a good impression on my mom. Kissed me senseless. And let me know he’d be back again.
My answer to Harper’s question about whether I thought Ronan might be the guy for me was well on its way to becoming a resounding yes instead of just maybe.
5
REBEL
When I walked into King’s office, the low rumble of conversation cut off abruptly, every eye shifting toward me. The prez sat behind his heavy oak desk, his face set in its usual stern scowl as he leaned back in his leather chair, his arms crossed over his broad chest. Blaze and Kevlar were sprawled in the chairs directly in front of him. Cross was positioned near the window, leaning casually against the wall, while Echo was sitting at the conference table. Wizard and Ace lounged on the couch in the corner, the former with his sharp gaze focused intently on the screen of his tablet.
Blaze smirked. “Nice of you to join us, Rebel. Had us waiting around so long, I thought Kevlar might just put a bullet in your head the second you got here for dragging him outta bed with his woman.”
Kevlar lifted his head, his gaze cutting toward Blaze. “Fuck off. You’re the one over there pouting like someone kicked your favorite puppy.”
I raised an eyebrow, my gaze meeting Blaze’s directly as I moved farther into the room, leaning against the edge of King’s desk. Since Blaze’s old lady, Courtney, was in California visitingher brother for a few days, the idea of him pouting didn’t seem so far-fetched. I decided to poke the bear anyway. “You know, Blaze, you missed me that bad, coulda just called. Didn’t have to sit around writing poetry about your feelings.”
Ace snorted softly, shaking his head as he flipped through a file on the conference table. “I don’t know what’s scarier—the idea of Blaze writing poetry or Rebel actually knowing what poetry is.”
Wizard didn’t look up from the tablet he had balanced on his thighs, his voice flat and bored as usual. “Pretty sure Blaze’s poetry would consist of two words: fuck off.”
Blaze chuckled, his eyes gleaming with amusement. “Hell, Wizard, that’s my everyday greeting just for you.”
Kevlar cracked a dry smile, glancing at our treasurer. “Still better than the love notes Ace scribbles all over his precious account books.”
Ace lifted his head slowly, the corner of his mouth curving into a dangerous smirk. “Jealousy isn’t a good look, Kev. If you wanted a poem too, all you had to do was ask.”
King cut in smoothly before Kevlar could respond, his voice cool and firm. “Enough bullshit. Cross, fill Rebel in.”
Cross pushed off from the wall, stepping forward and shifting his stance slightly. He crossed his muscular arms over his chest, his voice deep and serious as his expression shifted back into business mode. “Had a customer at the garage today, a local real estate agent who brought his bike in for a tune-up. When I finished up, he pulled me aside and told me about an abandoned industrial site in Cedar Hills that was sold to a private security training company recently.”
My spine straightened, my attention fully snagged. That had bullshit written all over it. A company like that, choosing property on the outskirts of Riverstone? It raised every damn red flag in my head. “We know anything else?”
Cross pulled a thick file folder off King’s desk and handed it over to me. I flipped it open, skimming the pages while he continued. “Just the basics. But the real estate agent said something about it rubbed him the wrong way. The guy didn’t handle the sale himself, but he did some digging, and he passed along the details.”
Kevlar shifted his weight slightly, his mouth curved into a thoughtful frown. “Could be legit. Could be a clusterfuck waiting to happen.”
I nodded, taking in the photos and documents in the file. Cedar Hills was barely a stone’s throw from Riverstone. Firmly within our territory, even if it wasn’t technically inside the municipal lines. Our influence extended past official borders, and everyone in the area knew damn well that anything suspicious came to us first.
King’s voice was low as he picked up the explanation. “Whatever they’re doing out there, they kept it quiet enough to avoid notice until now. But it still caught local attention, which means something’s off. Could be nothing, or it could be a situation we need to shut down before it becomes a real problem.”
Wizard glanced up from his tablet, his eyes narrowed thoughtfully. “We don’t need any bullshit like that operating unchecked so close to home. Especially not if it’s shady enough to raise red flags for locals who usually mind their own business.”
Ace leaned over his shoulder to scrutinize something on the screen. Wizard tried to shrug him off, but Ace just pressed in closer, his eyes narrowed as he tried to focus on the tablet.
“I suggest you stop trying to cuddle with me, asshole.”
