“Cool. Uh, thanks for… whatever this was.”
“Back at ya.” I lean across the bed and kiss him softly—once, twice, and then deeper the third time. I don’t want to leave him yet, but duty calls and my brothers come first. “I’ll call you.”
Bouche nods, smiling slightly. “Okay.”
I brush my fingers across his cheek and his eyelids flutter. Fuck, he’s hot, but more than that, he’s interesting. I think I could spend many more hours just staring into his eyes and listening to him talk.
But I can’t right now. I force myself out of bed and locate my discarded clothes on the floor. Bouche watches me dress, taking in every action until I’m fastening my belt. I feel weird right now. I shouldn’t have any issue leaving, but I do. I want moreeven though I know this is nothing but a hookup for either of us. He doesn’t look thrilled to see me leaving either.
“See ya, Bouche.”
“Bye, Wraith.”
“I’ll let myself out.”
With that, I focus on my feet until I make it out of his place. The cold air outside is harsh after being so warm and comfy all day, and the sun is starting to sink in the sky. I was here for a long time. And it was nice. Very fucking nice.
Shaking those thoughts away, I slide into my car and head back to Crestvale House to get Stealth. This should be interesting. We haven’t worked together in almost two years, but if he’s the same as he used to be, it should be a fun night. Carnage and Stealth are opposites in how they approach work, and I’m probably somewhere in the middle, though most of my targets require some heavy stalking on my part.
When I arrive, Stealth is already standing on the porch, engaged in what looks like a heated conversation with Shadow. Both of them look pissed off, and when Stealth pokes Shadow in the chest, I decide to intervene.
Lowering my window, I pull up closer. “Hey, guys.”
Both men turn to me, their faces creased with tension. Shadow steps closer to Stealth, whispering in his ear, and whatever he says seems to calm Stealth. He nods and they bump shoulders in a brief hug before Stealth steps off the porch toward me.
“All good?” I ask as he joins me on the passenger side.
“He’s being too protective,” Stealth grunts. “I get it, but it’s fucking annoying. I don’t want to be treated like I’m fragile. I’m not.”
“You won’t be getting any special treatment from me,bror.”
He glances at me, his lips turning up slightly in a smile. “Good. I’m here to do a job. Do you know where Carnage is?”
“A strip club on the westside.”
I head in that direction while Stealth leans back in his seat and stares out the window.
“How has he been?” he asks after a minute.
“Shadow?”
“Yes. Has he been more paranoid with all of you or is that reserved for me?”
“He’s been different since Specter was shot. A little more cautious, I’d say. He was tough on Specter for a while too while he healed.”
“How bad was it? The shot, I mean.”
“Fortunately, not as bad as it could have been. It missed all his vital organs and went straight through him. It didn’t take him long to recover at all.”
“That’s good. Must’ve been scary.”
“It was. We thought we’d lost him with all the blood. But you know Specter. The next day, he was itching to hunt down the guys who did it.”
Stealth chuckles. “Not surprising.”
“No.”
“And you guys found them?”
