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Rue waves happily. “Welcome. I’ll have the bacon ready in just a few.”

“Great.”

“Want some coffee?” Whisper asks, nuzzling my hair.

“Uh, sure. Lots of cream and sugar, please.”

“Come over here.”

He leads me to a coffee bar and pours me a mug, then I fix it up just the way I like it. I didn’t expect this kind of domesticity in a house full of hit men, but if I didn’t know better, I’d think they were just a regular group of guys.

Minus the weird names and terrifying demeanor about them all.

“Would I get an ominous name too?” I whisper.

He chuckles. “The names align with our work styles, if you will.”

“Why are you called Whisper?”

“I’m a behind-the-scenes guy for the most part. I dig into people’s lives electronically, and according to Shadow, I’m also soft spoken.”

“Strong, silent type. Got it.” I glance at the others. “Do I want to know how Carnage got his name?”

“Nope.”

I nod and take a sip of coffee. “So when you aren’t working, you’re just regular guys doing ordinary things?”

“Yes. Just like you.”

“Hmm.”

We join the others and I listen to the banter and very normal conversation. They don’t talk about murder or bad guys, they talk about movies and bands and a vacation Cashmere wants to take with his husband.

Shadow tells them they can go in a month. Apparently August is always slow for reasons he hasn’t figured out yet. Then Cashmere brings up the name Bellamy and everyone’s attention shifts to Shadow and Stealth.

“He’s coming back from his family vacation in two days,” Cashmere says.

“I know,” Stealth says, glancing at Shadow. “He’s planning to visit.”

Shadow nods even as his jaw twitches. There’s definitely something going on there. “He asked us to take him to the new roller coaster that opened at the fairgrounds.”

“Us?” Specter asks. “Like, both of you?”

“Yes,” Shadow says stiffly. “Both of us.”

Cashmere grins and winks at me when I make eye contact. Oh yeah, definitely something going on there.

“Bellamy is a friend of the house,” Wraith says.

“A friend of the house?” I repeat.

“It means he’s welcome here,” Ghost says. “We trust him. I’m guessing since you’re here right now, knowing Whisper, that you’re now a friend of the house too.”

Whisper looks at me, a serene expression on his face. “Blush and I have decided to try a relationship.”

Carnage practically chokes on his food, coughing then pausing to sip his orange juice. “Whoa.”

Rue smiles warmly. “That’s so nice to hear.”