“You came,” Paul said, gently frowning as if he, too, had been heartbroken without her. “I almost didn’t think you would, given how long it’s been.”
“Well,” she said, finally pulling from Adam’s stare to focus on the others. “Couldn’t let you lot have all the fun, could I?”
Paul smiled, then, and Mercedes softened her eyes for him. For him only. Fuck, if that didn’t make Adam die a little inside.
“About time,” Dan said, making Paul shake his head. “What changed your mind?”
Mercedes smiled tightly, her eyes darting to Adam and holding a second too long to be coincidence, but she said nothing in reply.
“So, you’re in, then?” Carlos said, his tone fluttering with child-like hope.
“Absolutely.” Mercedes nodded. “In for life, remember?”
When Adam chanced a look at the infinity necklace still settled on her chest, her cheeks pinked.
“So you... and Blake?” Dan asked, stuttering over the words. God, he was trying to ask her if she loved Blake. See if he could get a better fucking answer out of her.
Aiming to confirm a suspicion of his own, Adam watched Paul. Paul’s jaw tightened. Judging from his strained reaction, he certainly knew something, if not everything. The others obviously weren’t as clued in. Not surprising, if anyone knew why Mercedes had agreed to marry Blake, it would be the ever-trustworthy childhood best friend.
“Still engaged, obviously.” She wiggled the obnoxious diamond on her finger. “But it’s you all that I love. For you, I’m in.”
“All of us that you love?” Adam winked. He knew it wasn’t the case, but he couldn’t help himself. Something inside him felt like it’d just come back to life.
Mercedes glared and Adam chuckled. Ah, contempt. There she was. He should’ve known that little reprieve wouldn’t last long.
“Someone fill me in, then,” she said. She shrugged off her coat and they all moved back into the room, spacing out and lounging casually, integrating her back into the fold without a second glance. Why would they need to? The team fit together perfectly at every edge, and now it was whole.
“Well, you obviously know about the yacht,” Paul said. She nodded.
Adam narrowed his eyes at his friend. He knew Paul had spilled the beans. Adam moved to the window to stare down at the street.
“Well, now we’re intercepting all the drug trades we can,” Carlos said. “Funneling them through my regular channels but skimming the profits.”
“Smart,” Mercedes said. “And what’s the next move?”
“More people,” Adam said. “We need to grow.” He rubbed his jaw but didn’t look away from the street below.
“No way you’re getting people on your side,” Mercedes said.
“You’re on my side.” Adam shrugged, smirking over his shoulder.
“Begrudgingly,” she frowned. “Because I lovethemand they’re dead set on riding headfirst into this fuckery right alongside you.”
“You love my fuckery,” Adam said. It had only been minutes back in his presence, but she already looked exasperated with him. “Some might say I was the best fu–”
“Alright, enough, children,” Paul said, cutting him off before he could finish. Once a cock-blocker, always one.
Mercedes looked like she could rip Adam’s head clean off his body. Her fingers even twitched like she was daydreaming about it. He couldn’t help but laugh, even when she was irritated and insulting him—hell, especially when she was irritated and insulting him—he craved her like an addiction he would never want to quit.
“Fine. More people. How do you suppose we do that?” Dan asked. Adam didn’t need to look to know Dan would be making a sarcastic gesture behind his back.
“I’ve got some old Cortez Cartel recruits in my sights. Old Blake exiles too. With Blake getting the monopoly on the only crime empire in the city, there’s got to be some seriously pissed-off people in hiding. With serious skills, too. And they’ve got no one to work for.”
“Huh,” Paul said, giving him an almost flabbergasted smile.
“What?”
“Well, recruiting old Cortez guys and Blake exiles? It’s pretty smart... and it almost sounds like a plan,” Paul said.
