Page 47 of Two Tricks

I rolled off the couch and walked over to a cabinet, opening the doors to reveal a dartboard. “The first person to get a bullseye gets to pick the movie.”

A wide smile grew on Picasso’s face. “Now this I can get behind! Alright, I’ll go first since this is your home turf and you have the advantage.”

“How about I even give you one extra throw to even it out?” I offered.

Harper paused and looked at me with a shocked expression. I just frowned at her and handed two darts to Picasso. Showing him where to stand, I stepped back and waited as he settled in for his first throw. After a moment, he sent the dart sailing down the length of the room, and it hit just outside the bullseye. Shifting a little, he threw the second, hitting dead center.

“Wait, he didn’t play the right way though,” Harper interjected.

“Different rules for this situation, babe,” I said, flinging my dart over my shoulder as I walked back to the couch.

“The fuck?!” Picasso blurted, letting me know it had indeed also hit the bullseye. “How do you normally play?”

“Depends on how heated the argument or how badly the other wants to win, but they’re always blindfolded. Sometimes they spin each other around or do some other crazy thing to throw them off their game,” Harper said as she plucked her movie off the shelf, ignoring the fish impression Picasso was doing. “Alright, we’re gonna start the night off with Crazy Rich Asians!”

Picasso leaned down until I could feel the heat of his breath on my skin. “Does she always pick chick movies?”

“Every single time. But she’s taking pity on you—this isn’t as bad as you think. It’s actually kinda funny,” I whispered back. “Now go pick what you want to watch.”

Harper danced over to the DVD player, and I got everything turned on and cued up for us when the sound of the doorbell echoed in the room.

“I’ll grab it, it’s probably the pizza,” I called as I headed for the front door.

Glancing at the security feed that popped up on my phone, I saw that it was indeed the pizza, but it was a new driver. Tino was typically who they sent to our place, knowing that we didn’t like just anyone coming to the house. Lucifer’s was one of the businesses that hired us for protection, so they knew who I was and who I worked for. Weston and I had worked out a deal with the owner to make sure only vetted staff knew our address.

I paused and walked over to the closet, where I had a single handgun safe bolted to the wall. Placing my hand on it so it could scan my palm, the safe popped open, and I grabbed the gun. Walking slowly to the door, I watched the guy holding the insulated delivery bag, but his head was down and he wasn’t looking around or getting impatient at the wait. Nothing about this sat right with me. Clicking the intercom on, I listened for a moment, but the man’s breathing was calm and steady.

“Hey, thanks for the delivery. Could you leave it at the door? I’ve got my hands full dealing with a sick pet,” I said into the intercom.

The man shifted and opened the bag and set the food off to the side, but what also spilled out was a handgun. Quick as I could while he was bent over, I tossed the locks and yanked the door open, hitting the guy over the head with the butt of my gun. He dropped to the ground, thankfully not on top of our food. Shoving my gun into the back of my waistband, I grabbed the food and brought it to the cave, making sure I didn’t show off my back.

“Pizza! Hey, let me go grab some plates and stuff out of the kitchen, I’ll be right back,” I said as I backed out of the room again, rushing to the front door.

Grabbing the man under his armpits, I pulled him into the house and over to the garage door. Once in the garage, I pushed a set of shelves to the side, revealing a hidden door to the basement. Hoisting the stranger up, I dragged him down the stairs, his feet thudding on the steps as we went. Bless Weston for making sure we did soundproofing through the whole thing. Reaching the bottom of the stairs, I heaved the man into the metal chair that was bolted to the concrete floor and strapped him in. I plucked one of the gags off the wall, wanting to make extra sure that my guests wouldn’t know this man was down here if he decided to wake up screaming in the dark.

“God, it’s good to be home,” I sighed as I jogged back up the steps and covered the entrance. I grabbed two fresh beers, plates, and everything else we needed before heading back to the cave.

“What did you pick out, Picasso?” I asked, setting things down as if I didn’t just tie a man up in my basement.

“Windtalkers. I’ve never seen it, but I heard it’s a good movie,” Picasso said as we all got comfy to watch Harper’s choice first.

“I warned you the Ringburner wasn’t a joke,” I teased as Picasso glared at me when he came back from the bathroom.

“It wasn’t that spicy to eat, how was I supposed to know the exit was gonna be worse?” he grumbled.

Harper and I just laughed as we picked up before heading into the kitchen.

“Ah, I forget how much fun it is the first time someone eats that pizza,” Harper sighed, a smile on her lips. “The sauce on the wings was extra in the best way tonight, too.”

“Do you two even have a stomach lining left after eating shit like that?” Picasso asked.

Sticking out my bottom lip, I walked up and rubbed his stomach. “Poor baby, was it too much for you to handle?”

He batted my hand away and frowned down at me. “Only a demon like you would enjoy something that fucking spicy. You could have at least warned me before I ate one.”

Grinning, I divided the leftover wings and gave half to Harper as she grabbed her stuff to head out.

“Thanks for making time for me in your sex-filled life,” Harper said, then winked at Picasso. “Hopefully I’ll get to meet his brother and friends sometime soon.”