Page 9

“You look like shit.”

I smirk. “Thanks, boss. Nice to see you, too.”

“Oh, don’t give me that shit. You come in here at the ass crack of dawn and this is the best you’re gonna get.”

“Noted,” I answer, sitting in the chair in the corner of the room. “And I’m sorry but I couldn’t wait any longer.”

“I should have known,” he admits with a sigh as he rubs his hand over his face. “I would ask what this is about but you haven’t been exactly subtle about your intentions since you got released yesterday.”

I nod. “She is my one and only priority right now.”

“Figured. Let me ask you something, though. Are you sure she just didn’t bail on you? It wouldn’t be unheard of, Henn,” he says and my fist clenches as I nod.

“Absolutely. She wouldn’t do that - not to me.”

He meets my eyes and the look of pity staring back at me pisses me off. Why the fuck is everyone so quick to assume that my girl just up and abandoned me at the first hint of trouble?

“Seven years is a long damn time, Noah,” he says, softer this time and I nod, pushing myself up from the chair.

“Sure as shit is, which is why we should get started.”

Blaze sighs in resignation. “Better go wake up Streak then but be warned, the boy is not a morning person. His room is at the end of the hall.”

I nod and leave Blaze to get dressed as I march down to the end of the hallway and pound on Streak’s door.

Silence.

I pound on the door again and a low groan greets me.

“Who in the fuck?” he roars and a second later, the door is ripped open. Dressed in only a pair of blue plaid lounge pants, he glares at me. “What?”

“Time to get to work,” I tell him and he takes a step back, his eyes widening.

“Oh, is it, your Highness? I think fucking not. Get the hell out of here before I put my fist through your pretty face.”

“Travis,” Blaze calls from behind me and Streak’s gaze snaps to him before he lets out a sigh and turns back into the room.

“Who in their right fucking mind,” he grumbles before I can’t hear him anymore and Blaze slaps me on the shoulder as he comes up behind me.

“Don’t take it personally. In an hour or so, he’ll apologize for being such an ass.”

I nod. “I suppose you did warn me.”

“That I did.” He laughs, shaking his head. “But until you deal with him firsthand, you can’t understand.”

“Ain’t that the damn truth,” I murmur as Blaze walks over to Streak’s desk and sinks into one of the chairs and Streak looks up at me.

“Well, we’re all waitin’ on you, Princess.”

I shake my head as I walk across the room. “Streak, you do realize I was just released from prison, right? Like yesterday.”

“And?”

“I could literally make a shiv out of ninety percent of the things in your room.”

He shrugs, turning to his computer without responding and Blaze chuckles. “All right, wow us, boy genius.”

“This about Kady?” Streak asks, meeting my eyes and I nod. He sighs. “I wish I fucking could, but it’s like she vanished into thin air.”