Eris
“Ibet if you put some clothes on and left this sex loft, he’d find you real quick.” Roo’s voice cracks through the renovated warehouse like an errant streak of lightning aiming right for me.
I don’t look up right away. That would give the demon in luxury clothing all the ammo she needs to stir up her bullshit. She mutters Russian profanities as she strides through the living room toward me.
“Please, come in,” Silas deadpans, slamming the front door.
I’m curled into the corner of the couch, tablet open beside me, looping the same camera feeds I’ve already memorized. Hallway. Street. Lobby. Over and over, but it’s nothing new, and that’s a problem.
“Jealous,” I murmur to Roo.
She snorts. “Only if you’re taking all three of them at the same time in the same hole.”
“Why are you like this?” I complain, grinning up at her.
“Let me finish,” she warns, rolling her eyes. “Aside from you not taking full advantage of three dudes who definitely would love to rub their dicks together—”
“Is she serious right now?” Kieran asks no one in particular.
Roo doesn’t even acknowledge him. “How about you take a ho-bath, put on some real clothes, and let’s go find that desperate motherfucker?”
“I’ve missed you,” I tell her, trying to keep the laughter out of my voice. “I suppose I could leave the sex loft for a little bloodshed.”
She drops onto the couch beside me as if she owns the furniture and me, her head in my lap and her shoe-covered feet dangling over the arm.
Her expression is sharp enough to cut glass, but she looks exactly as she always has.
Whether she’s deciding whether to ruin someone’s life digitally or physically, it hasn’t changed since we were young.
The only difference I see is that now she hasn’t settled on which would be more satisfying.
“You forgot your shoes,” I point out, giving her boots a glare.
She huffs as she toes them off. “That’s your kink, not mine.”
I turn my glare to the demon in my lap.
“You know…” she adds casually, that deviant twinkle lighting up her eyes. “Your boys are good.”
I arch a brow.
“Very good,” she continues. “Redundant encryption. Obfuscation layers. Smart routing and all these cute little dead ends meant to scare off amateurs.”
I observe my HimLock guys turn to give her their undivided attention without invading the conversation. But it’s clear the questions are coming.
Roo’s smile turns feral. “It wasn’t enough to scare me away from my target. Tell them to stop hoarding you.”
“You found us rather quickly,” Jace says carefully, eyes narrowing as if he’s replaying the last forty-eight hours in his head and realizing something doesn’t add up.
Probably Romiliy Sokolov.
We’ve already established that math just doesn’t math with her.
“Please,” Roo replies sarcastically, finally sitting up to look at him. “Eris let herself be found.”
“That sounds like the deranged, adult version of hide-and-seek,” Jace whispers to Silas.
I close the tablet with a soft click. “Ivan cleared a route to the ship?”
She turns back to me, her focus locked as she nods. “Ivan cleared a route to the ship, and he’s prepared to move the body for us. Daniel is still breathing, though. You know, Ivs won’t take a breather.”
I don’t argue.
Roo grimaces as she glances around. “Eris, is it smart to talk about this in front of them? I trust you, and if you trust them, then I’m fine with this. But if they say a word about us—”
“They won’t,” I interrupt.
“I’ll be the bad guy if I need to,” she whispers, but when I just stare, she sighs. “Fine. Then let me ask you again,” she goes on, her eyes hard even as she changes the subject. “Why the fuck are you still sitting here waiting for a man who clearly wants to be found?”
I drag a hand through my hair. “Because the guys—”
“—are listening from the kitchen like overprotective golden retrievers,” she cuts in. “Hi, boys. Either get ready to help or get fucking lost.”
Silas never pretends he isn’t listening. “We’ll help; just put us where you want us. But first, I want to know who Ivan is. And second, no one is rubbing their dicks together.”
“Like today? Or ever?” she asks, batting her siren eyes like she’s not trying to start shit and see how far she can push them.
Roo gets three blank stares from my HimLock guys, and I cover my mouth to conceal my expression. I need them to get along, but I won’t step in and soften Roo’s edges. You either love her or hate her…
“What a shame,” she sings.
I sigh, bringing her back on track. “It’s not that simple.”
She stands, turning her back to the guys as she gives me a stern look. “Sure it is. He wants you scared. Or dead. Or under his thumb. You want him gone. And I want to be there when his eyes dim and his blood stains the ground.”
I tip my head to her in agreement.
I’ve become complacent over the last few days, and it’s not normal for me. Sitting and waiting isn’t getting me anywhere. And staying holed up with the guys, avoiding real life, will eventually fuck me over if I’m not careful.
It’s time to be proactive.
“You’ve been waiting for him to play his hand.
But he already did.” She lowers her voice.
“When he left flowers on a second-story balcony like a rejected extra from a C-list stalker thriller and watched from across the street? We should have killed him then. What about when he broke into your place?”
“He’s not a thriller villain,” I mutter. “That requires more finesse.”
“What is he? Annoying?” she inquires, crossing her arms over her chest. “Inconvenient?”
“Persistent,” I add. “Entitled. Dangerous. Stupid. And way too familiar with where I sleep.”
Roo throws her hands out in exasperation. “Then let’s fucking end it.”
I grin at her, and I know it pisses her off, but something about poking the riled demon invigorates me. “You’re so cute when you’re worked up.”
“I’m serious,” she snaps, grabbing my hand and dragging me to my feet. “Put your fucking boots on. Find some goddamn lipstick. Let him see you alive and thriving, and not hiding behind fortified glass. He’ll crawl out of whatever sewer he’s nesting in just to remind you he thinks you’re his.”
I nod, rolling my shoulders back. “And when he does…”
Roo drags a sharp red nail across her throat.
Someone coughs from behind her, and she turns to stand beside me so we can see the guys.
Jace leans against the kitchen island, watching me as if he already knows what choice I’m making. “I’m coming with you.”
“No,” Roo says immediately. “You three have had enough turns to get shit done. This one is mine.”
Silas steps forward, gaze locked on me. “Are you sure about this?”
“Yeah,” I admit, my confession slow and certain. “We’ll be fine. We’ve done this a time or two.”
“Tell us where we’re going.” From my right side, Kieran’s calm voice drifts in, but there’s a deceptive edge to it. “We can stay out of your way and still watch your back. Or we can help, maybe make a game out of it.”
I smile at him, and Roo gags dramatically, snorting with laughter when I elbow her.
“Let’s get ready,” I tell them. “This ends tonight.”