Page 34 of Harper’s Renegades

Ghost waved that off with a swish of his hand. “That list is an incredibly short one, and we would have known if they were in town. Most of them would have been staying at the hotel, unlike us who have our own place.”

“What does that have to do with it?” I questioned, scrunching my brows.

Magnus leaned forward, meeting my gaze as he answered. “It would have been easy for us to get information on their itinerary because they are staying at a hotel. They are some of the easiest systems to hack. Not to mention we have people we pay to keep their eyes and ears open in certain places… this being one of them.”

My jaw fell open at this. Honestly, nothing about what he said should really shock me, but I was blown away at the fact he was so honest and blunt about it. “How can you just come out and say that to me?”

Now it was Magnus’s turn to look confused. “Why would we hide things from you? Our plan is to spend our lives together, Harper. It wouldn’t do us any good to lie about who we are and what we do. While you might not participate or condone what we do for a living, that doesn’t mean I’m going to hide the fact it happens or the world we interact with. In fact, you being best friends with Dax changes how you need to view the dark underbelly of the world.”

I opened my mouth to argue but found he was right. Now that I was aware of Dax’s other life she’d been hiding from me, she no longer needed to keep me in the dark. Clearly, it was leaking out into every part of my life, landing me where I sat today.

“You make a fair point, Maggie, but you’re going to have to give me time to adjust. All of you talk about things that are so illegal like it’s common practice.” I held up my hand to stop Jaxson from speaking as I finished, “Yes, I get it is normal for you to hack into a hotel database, use a drug dealer’s gym, and get paid to kill people. What I’m trying to say is you’ve had years of doing this, and I’m going on a week. A person’s moral compass doesn’t change that fast.”

Ghost reached out and took my hand, sliding his fingers through mine, giving it a slight squeeze. “Angel, we don’t want you to change. The thing we love about you is that you are true north. Like you said, we’ve been in this too long. We don’t even second-guess doing things to get the answers we want. Seeing you react to them reminds us to take a second look at something to see it from your point of view. I won’t lie to you… the three of us aren’t going to change. We are killers, some of the fucking best in the world, but if we were ever to have kids, we want to teach them about right and wrong. My brothers and I ended up like this because we didn’t have a loving family to show us another way. Now we are just too deep. There’s no way to get out.”

“You want to have kids?” I blurted, my brain having zeroed in on that specific statement. The three of them each bobbed their heads yes without a second’s hesitation.

“Not just any kids, our kids, with you,” Jaxson clarified. “Obviously, we know you have the implant but don’t think it hasn’t crossed our minds to remove it and make it happen.”

I snatched my hand away from Ghost and scooched my chair back a bit so they couldn’t touch me. “You didn’t, did you?” I demanded, my tone brusque.

The two younger brothers looked at Magnus like he was the only one who could answer that question. Magnus stood and came to kneel before me, which didn’t help the panic building in me, but when he reached out for my hands, I gave them to him.

“Harper, while I won’t deny I would give everything to be the father of your child, one thing I will never do is break our trust. The time will come when you are ready for that to happen, and until then, we will wait, loving you every moment of every day. This has to be your choice as much as ours. We want a family with you, but if you’re not on board, then what’s the point? It wouldn’t be a happy moment filled with joy. Instead, you’d never be able to forgive us, and we wouldn’t be able to salvage anything.”

For some reason I couldn’t understand, tears pooled in my eyes. I leaned down and pulled him into a hug, whispering in his ear. “You’re right. If you’d removed it, I would have shot you and cut off your dick. I’m really glad you didn’t because I don’t want things to end between us just yet.”

Magnus chuckled and pulled me off my seat so he could talk with me in his lap. “I might be a pig-headed ass in most areas of my life, but I’m trying to be better for you.”

“Sure, I’ll believe that when I see it.” I laughed, hitting him halfheartedly on the chest. “Now, when are they going to feed us? I’m starving.”

“The food should be out shortly. There is a special menu that comes with being on the list. Trust us, it’s going to be amazing,” Ghost shared and sipped on his glass of water.

Magnus tucked his chin over my shoulder as they shared stories of some of the worst foods they have ever eaten while on the job. There were a few times I gagged at the description, making me think of the durian fruit I had yesterday. Finally, a group of four came out, setting a massive food tray before us. Two different wines were served along with a bottle of champagne, each with its own chilling bucket.

The scent of the spices and the colorful presentation made my mouth water. Even more surprising, Magnus let me have my seat back, and he took his once more.

The meal was incredibly interactive, scooping things into a bowl, using flatbread to eat some things and spoons for others, but all of it was an explosion of flavor in my mouth. With each bite, I couldn’t help but do a little happy dance at the taste. Much of the meal was vegetables, but the meat that was cooked was divine. They hadn’t been kidding when they said the food here was out of this world. I had a feeling I would be dreaming about this meal for a long time.

“This has to be one of the most incredible meals I’ve ever had before,” I shared with a contented sigh. “Can we do this again tomorrow?”

They all gave me bright smiles. Even Magnus managed to show some teeth with his. “If we have it too often, then it won’t be special,” he warned.

“Leave it to the grumpy one to be all practical,” I whined, giving them all a dramatic pout.

Ghost put a hand up to hide his mouth but loudly whispered to Jaxson, “We shouldn’t tell her that there’s dessert coming, right?”

I couldn’t help my squeal of glee as I clapped my hands. “I was hoping that was going to come next!” Standing, I looked around the area before turning back to the guys. “Bathroom?”

“In the main restaurant. Do you remember how to get back there?” Jaxson asked, grabbing Magnus’s arm and holding him in place. “Chill, she can manage going to the bathroom. We know this place is safe.”

Magnus didn’t look at all pleased, but he gave a sharp nod. “You have five minutes. Any longer than that, I’m coming for you.”

“That hardly gives a woman a chance to powder her nose,” I teased, giving them a little wave goodbye, heading toward the main building.

Reaching the dining room, I found a sign directing me to what I needed. The space was as lovely as the rest of the hotel—clean, simple, and full of natural elements.

Done with my duty, I washed my hands, and as I was drying them on the cloth napkin, I heard someone enter. Looking up in the mirror, I found an attractive man standing behind me dressed in a Bespoke suit. Clearly, he was meant to be in this place but possibly had too much to drink.