Page 12 of Two Tricks

“I didn’t fucking think so, because you of all people should know what happens to those who go against my judgment,” Enzo said as he pulled his arm away. “Go get a burner phone so we can get this done.”

As Void left the room, I could feel my eyebrows raise in shock. There was more to this president than met the eye if he could make a man like Void come to heel with just a question. Seeing this gave me a new perspective on the man before me, and I was more than pleased with the challenge it presented. Now it was my turn to poke the bear.

“Would now be the wrong time to ask you the final thing?” I ventured, stepping closer to him.

He waved a hand, gesturing for to me to continue.

“It’s actually more of a statement, if I’m being honest,” I said distractedly as I let my fingers run over the patches on his leather cut.

“Spit it the fuck out already,” he said, the fire still in his eyes, but now for a new reason.

I gripped his t-shirt and pulled him down so I could reach him. Leaning in, I let my lips brush against his ear.

“I’m not one of your members. I’m not a hang-about you can fuck whenever you want, and you’re not my fucking president,” I whispered and kissed his neck right below his ear. He jerked away from me, eyes wild. “Don’t expect me to fall in line like everyone else around you. I have my loyalties to another person, and that isn’t you.”

Enzo didn’t speak; he just looked at me, breathing fast like he was trying to hold himself back from either killing me or fucking me. The second option I wasn’t entirely opposed to—it’d been way too long since I last got my itch scratched. Just when I thought he was going to make his move, Teo walked in.

“Void said you wanted a burner phone,” he said, holding it to him and totally ignoring the rampant sexual tension going on in the room.

This seemed to snap Enzo back to reality. “She’s allowed to send one text, and it can’t be longer than a tweet. You can be her keeper today—I have other things to deal with.”

Done giving orders, he stalked out of the room. Unable to keep the smile from my lips, I focused on Teo and the phone in his hand.

“How did you get him to agree to this?” Teo asked as I took the phone from him.

“Every prisoner is allowed one phone call.”

“Not prisoners who are second in command to a guy like Two Tricks. You don’t get that spot by being a model citizen… no, that’s for someone who has more than a few tricks of their own up their sleeve,” Teo said, frowning at me. “As his counsel, we agreed that you wouldn’t have any outside contact, and within fifteen minutes of talking to him, he goes against his better judgment.”

“Was there a point to that statement or are we just sharing our thoughts?” I quipped as I wrote out my text to Wes. “Sorry, I just wasn’t ready for us to reach ‘girl talk’ level friendship already.”

“Damn, that’s some mouth you got there, sweetpea,” Teo chuckled.

I grimaced at the pet name. Not much about me was all that sweet, and I hated peas. Who decided we should eat the little green fuckers anyways?

“Yeah, that nickname isn’t gonna happen,” I said, handing him the phone so he could look over the text.

Teo looked over it before glancing back up at me, searching my face. As if I would spill all my secrets that easily. Wes and I had developed a code throughout our years of friendship, filled with inside jokes and connections no one else would make.

“That’s all you needed to tell someone?” Teo asked. “Taking a few days off, feed the cat and water the plants. Don’t fuck up running the shop while I’m gone.”

I batted my lashes at him, channeling my inner damsel. “What else would I tell my manager? Like I told Enzo, I just needed to make sure the tattoo shop knew I was going to be gone. He’ll contact my clients and handle things for a few days.”

“Whatever. It’s sent. I’ll hang on to this and let you know if your manager has anything to say back,” he said, slipping the phone into his pocket. “Let’s get you something to eat. By then Sprocket will have found some clothes for you.”

I padded after Teo, but he stopped at the doorway and turned to look at me over his shoulder. “I would also advise you not to call Eagle by his given name. He doesn’t like when people call him that. Same goes for me. ‘Picasso’ is the only name I’ll respond to.”

“Duly noted,” I said, not making any promises.

The rest of the house had way more personality to it than the bedroom. It was two stories, with four bedrooms and one bathroom on the top floor. The stairs led down into a large open living and dining room area. A massive leather sectional couch took up most of the space and seemed to be the place where everyone hung out. It also happened to have one of the biggest flat screen TVs I’d ever seen, as well as a pool table where the dining table should’ve been.

Turning the corner, I found myself looking at a long counter with five stools, marking the beginning of the kitchen, which surprisingly had the most personality. They had kept its original look with dark wood cabinets and matching wood counters. The appliances seemed to be upgraded, but the feel of the space was definitely not what I would have pegged for a bunch of bachelors.

“Sit,” Teo said, pointing to a stool as he headed for the fridge. “I’m not as skilled as Eagle with cooking, but breakfast is the one meal I can manage not to fuck up.”

I glanced at the clock on the wall to see it was still much too early to be awake. I couldn’t remember the last time I was up at eight, much less eating breakfast.

“Any chance a girl can get a cup of coffee? It’s been a bit of a rough morning,” I grumbled.