I made it to Brynne’s house just in time, letting myself in through the front door. I’d be concerned for their safety regarding the unlocked door and the way no one noticed me walk in if it weren’t for the fact that Booker, Austin, and Henley were a dangerous group of men. The three of them might run this ranch in the day, but atnight? They weren’t afraid to get their hands a little bloody.
Speaking of…
Now that I wasn’t in the dim light of my car, I inspected every inch of my fingers to be sure I hadn’t missed any of the blood, then made my way toward the murmur of voices coming from the kitchen. The house was massive, filled with dark oak and moody furniture. The men had designed it themselves, according to my cousin McKenna, but Austin no longer lived here with Booker, Brynne, and Henley. He’d moved into McKenna’s house recently, after their obsession with each other turned into something more.
“Speak of the devil,” McKenna said as I walked in. Her blonde hair was in its normal high pony, her ass perched on Austin’s knee where he sat on a stool.
I arched a curious brow. “Oh, no. What did I do?” I was typically what one might consider a soft person. I was nice, listened to whatever anyone had to say, never involved myself in drama because, frankly, I hated it. I kept to myself. But being hired to end people forced me to learn a new persona, one that made me seem unbreakable. Around my cousin and her friends, though, I could let a little of myself back in.
The locked muscles in my shoulders eased a bit with the comfort they brought.
“You’re late. That’s not like you,” Brynne filled in, a slight lilt to her tone. She stood on the opposite side of the island, a sparkle in her eyes.
I double-checked my watch. “Two minutes.”
Booker, Brynne’s boyfriend, was nowhere to be found,and I wondered if he was outside at the grill. I thought I’d smelled something smoky before coming in. In addition to Booker, Henley was gone. I wasn’t even sure why I’d taken note. We’d never spoken before, only sharing a few simple glances in the few months we’d known each other existed. Yet still, his absence was noticeable.
McKenna slid off Austin’s lap, his hands lingering on her hips for a moment before she crossed to me, plucking the black gift bag from my hands.
“It’s just a plant,” I explained, holding my hands up in surrender before Brynne could dig into me further. “That’s why I’m late.” I hated lying, but sometimes it was necessary.
“Way to spoil it,” McKenna teased, plopping the bag on the island in front of Brynne.
Brynne dug her hand in, pulling out the tiny glass filled with a small amount of water and a plant cutting. “What kind is this?”
“Satin pothos. Don’t worry, it’s easy to care for.” As far as I knew, I was the only one with a green thumb in this group.
“Easy or not, we’re probably going to have to throw a funeral for it in a few weeks,” McKenna mumbled, a sardonic grin on her face.
Brynne shot her a lighthearted glare, the blonde tips of her brunette hair falling over her shoulder. “I wouldn’t have a funeral for a plant. It’d simply disappear after turning into a crisp.”
“Well, the nice part about it being in water is that all you need to do is make sure the glass doesn’t go dry. After the roots grow out a couple inches, you can plant it.” Herblank stare had me adding, “Which I’ll come over and help you do.”
She set the glass on the center of the island, admiring it. “Maybe this’ll turn into a new hobby.”
“You’re not turning this house into a jungle,” Booker grumbled as he walked into the kitchen holding a sheet pan of grilled steak. The savory smell had my stomach growling, reminding me how I’d fasted leading up to today’s job.
It wasn’t the blood that made me queasy. It was the victim’s concoction of vomit and piss. I couldn’t handle the sound of yacking, or the smell of human urine. I found that out all too quickly with my first kill.
I grabbed the empty gift bag sitting on the counter to make room for the tray, then crossed to the trash can, stepping on the pedal to open the lid.
After tossing it in, I turned, planning to move back to my previous spot—but instead of taking a step, I slammed face-first into a chest. Averyhard one.
Chapter 2
Grace
My eyes trailed up tattooed script etched into the side of a neck before meeting Henley's gaze.
It felt like I’d been dragged thirty feet underwater, a pressure in my ears clogging my hearing and homing all my senses in on him.
He scanned my face, focus catching briefly on my mouth before trailing to my neck and back up again.
A sort of humidity filled the room—or maybe I was getting hot, and the blazing fireplace from the living room was making the place stuffy. Either way, my palms grew clammy, and that shy side I tried to bury seemed to rear its head.
I couldn’t look away, but it also hurt to look. His stare was so…heavy. Like he was flipping through the pages of my memories and discovering all the secrets I hid.
Something in his cheek ticked a moment before he stepped around me, disappearing from my sight. I didn’t dare turn around because looking at him wasn’t important,and I certainly wasn’t wondering what the fuck had just happened.
