Page 47 of Trapped Truth

I let myself drift while they update him, ignoring the twinge of my stitched bullet wound every now and then. I’m not taking another pill. The more I pop, the longer it’ll be before my teammates get off my case and let me get back to work.

A hand on my leg rouses me, Ember’s sexy smile looming overhead when I open my eyes. She presses a kiss to the corner of my mouth then settles into the empty spot at my side, ignoring the narrowed look her brother trains on our touching legs.

“I take some time off, and everyone starts breaking the law left, right and centre.” Tom pinches the bridge of his nose. “You can’t just invite convicted criminals into the fold and start trusting their intelligence.”

“Then what exactly am I?” Blaine supplies coolly.

“You’re a stowaway, Blaine Madden. Your freedom is denoted by a scrap of paper.”

“You are a charmer, Mr Lawson.”

Smothering a laugh earns me a frigid look from Blaine. After my recent behaviour, it’s nice for someone else to be caught in the firing line for once.

“Speaking of stowaways…” Tom sighs exhaustedly. “I’ve been asked by the directors to approach the courts with a clemency proposal for one Gunnar Slaughter. Since when are we in the business of pardoning assassins?”

Beside me, Ember curses. “Gunnar has offered to aid Sabre with gathering intelligence on Madden’s trafficking operation and his ties to the Gael cartel in exchange for a plea deal.”

“No shit! Why are we entertaining this?”

“Because someone knew we were on that road, Tom,” Warner barks at him. “We wiped out Madden’s overseas base, yet somehow, he’s still one step ahead of us.”

“The authorities can’t just hand out get out of jail free cards every time the company needs a leg up in an investigation,” Tom argues back.

“You’re over-simplifying. None of us want this. But what we do want is to see an end to this case without any further casualties.”

Right on time, multiple sets of eyes slide in my direction. I merely flash a saccharine smile back.

“The bullet my brother put in me was personal, for the record. But I do agree with Warner.”

“Because men who attempt to kill their family members in cold blood definitely should be trusted.” Tom shakes his head in dismay.

No one can argue against that. I’m not even going to fight my case. While the past is a matter for me and Gunnar to resolve, he put my team in danger. That’s the first issue I’ll be raising with him when I get the chance.

“Sure you don’t want that beer?” Hyland jokes around a deep pull from his bottle.

“Got anything stronger?” Tom massages his temples.

“Only the best. Hold on.”

“Make that two.” Ember raises a hand. “I need a drink.”

With a glance at Warner and Blaine, Hyland ducks out to pour everyone a measure of whiskey. I stifle a pout while he hands them out. Damn, I’d kill for a real drink.

“So should I be expecting a wedding invitation soon, or what?” Tom breaks the silence.

Across the room, Warner splutters on a mouthful, almost coughing up a lung. “What?”

“You heard me. My sister deserves no less.”

“Fuck me sideways,” Ember mumbles. “No wedding invites. That wouldn’t even be legal between the five of us anyway. Why do you have to make things weird?”

“Just looking out for you, sis.” He winks at her. “And—wait, five? Did you say five?”

“Um…”

Gaze flickering around our group, I watch Tom mentally count. His heavy stare lands on Blaine last. I’m glad not to be sitting next to the convict. He’s about to get the same ass-kicking I hear Warner received.

“You.” A vivid flush creeps over Tom’s face. “You’re number five?”