The next few days are spent formulating a plan for drawing out Sub-Rosa and trying to figure out a plan for delivering the message to Callum and what will happen thereafter. I’ve been nervously listening and trying not to let my fear of Callum change my mind about helping them.
He’s a terrible man who needs to be stopped no matter what. The guys filled me in that his group stationed out here have been responsible for many deaths and even one of their prior squadmates. The fact that he’s involved in the black market and moving illegal weapons just means he’s going to continue hurting people, and we can’t allow him the chance to do that.
We remain holed up at the farm, continuing surveillance and staying quiet until Bensen gives us the all-clear that wecan resume target practice and return to town without bringing danger to the civilians. As boring as it sounds, it’s actually not so bad. Movie nights with the squad and tucked in Roman’s arms hasn’t been anything I’ll complain about.
“We’re going out tonight, Squirt.” Roman draws me against his chest. We’re tangled in the sheets and a stream of daylight is filtering in through the tear in the trash bag we have taped over the window.
I long to stay wrapped up in his embrace like this every morning…or afternoon. I have no idea what time it is anymore since we do most things at night now. It’s been a shock to my system, but it’s also been sort of fun to live like a secret agent.
“We are?” I whisper drowsily. Roman brushes his hand over my face, coaxing my eyes open to see his ridiculously handsome face. His morning hair is my favorite, all tousled and soft like he’s a normal guy in a sleepy town.
He nods, eyes barely open like mine are. “Bensen hasn’t seen any activity from Sub-Rosa, and we’re clear to stir things up again in town.” He winks at me, and I chuckle.
“Let’s not cause trouble, but I wouldn’t mind going out. Where to?” I nuzzle into his chest, and he gently holds me. I wish he was this soft around the others. He still puts on that cold front, like he’s indifferent to me when everyone is watching. But at least he isn’t calling me Whoreton anymore.
“The Rose Diner,” he says, and it makes me flinch.
It’s just now occurring to me that it’s called Rose’s Diner. That can’t be a coincidence. I pull away from him and quirk a brow.
Roman smirks. “Smart girl. Exactly what we’ve been thinking, but we haven’t been able to prove shit. We think it’s their gate, but after all this time we’ve had nothing to show for it.” He slowly sits up and glances down at me. “We’re goingtonight, and since they’ve been escalating their tactics, it’s time we did too.”
Oh, I don’t like the sound of that. I frown and sit up. “Escalate how?”
It’s incredibly uncomfortable sitting in the diner after Roman ran me out of it when we first met. We’re all even sitting in the same booth. Although I seem to be the only one who feels weird about it because the guys are as rowdy as ever.
Roman grins at me from across the table, interlocking his foot with mine and making my cheeks flush. God, this man does things to me. My mother would roll over in her grave if she knew this is where I’m at in life right now.
Lana is working again tonight. She looks like a completely different person from the first time I met her. Her eyes are sunken and her hair is frazzled like she’s been skipping brushing it. Has she been crying?
My stomach drops as she sets down six coffee mugs for us. I catch eyes with her, and she’s just as venomous, giving me a glare that sinks below my flesh and into my bones.
Did she know one of the men killed in the field? I haven’t built the courage to ask Roman if he killed any of them. I know he likely did, and it wouldn’t change my opinion of him given that he already showed me the guy he killed in the lake. But now that I’m seeing her state, I wonder who they were as people. What could’ve led them down this dark path?
“I’ll be back to take your orders,” she says with a raspy voice. Her eyes connect with John’s before she walks back to the kitchen behind swinging doors.
Taylor and Gale stop chatting and Bensen looks at John, nodding. I feel like I’m playing catch-up, trying to follow their nonverbals. But obviously they caught on to the same thing I did.
Roman glances at the kitchen window cutout that overlooks the counter before returning his attention to the table. “It seemssafe to say that she’s definitely rooted with them. Just like Hailey.”
I lift my head in surprise. Hailey? “Wait. Is that why she warned me about Grahm? That’s why he…” I let my words trail as I remember how beat up she was. She could hardly even walk to her car. His hoodie I found that had blood on it comes to mind.
My chest constricts.
“Did Grahm do that to her on the night of the party?” I ask, swallowing thickly as I look at Roman. Gale and John are sitting on either side of him with grim expressions.
“I bet it was Hogan. He was known for being rather violent. Grahm just doesn’t seem like he’d get his hands dirty, but he may have helped.” Roman stares at the mug of coffee in front of him. None of us have taken a sip. I guess that shows how comfortable we feel eating or drinking here now that it’s pretty much confirmed they are a part of Sub-Rosa.
Lana wouldn’t actually poison us though, would she?
Taylor shifts next to me and stands, lifting his hand to his hip. “We should check it out in the back, Lieutenant.”
Roman nods, and the rest of the squad moves to follow Taylor. I slip out from my seat so Bensen can get up, and then I stand awkwardly by the table.
“I thought we were going to have dinner and escalate, not fully blow the top off this thing,” I whisper shout since the squad is already in stealth mode and pushing through the double doors.
Roman shrugs as he pulls out a little packet. It’s black and has the lettersDFon it. He tears the top off it. He pours it into a mug of coffee and I watch as the liquid turns blue. “See that? She started it. We’d all be dead if we took a single sip.”
The blood drains from my face. She really tried to kill the whole squad. I hesitantly lift my eyes to the many windows. It’s getting dark, and the diner is surrounded by fields.
