11. Dax
DAX
Never in my life did I think I’d find myself in a place like this.
The Little Orphan Annie was now her own Daddy Warbucks and needed no man to foot the bill.
While the hotel itself wasn’t my style, it was exactly what I asked for—swanky, safe, and the tub I was staring at was going to be glorious to take a bath in before we left.
The guys had all scattered to scope the place out, and I could hear them oohing and ahhing over things, making me smile.
It seems I wasn’t the only one feeling out of place.
I ran a hand along the gold-flecked marble that bordered the infinity soaking tub.
God, how I wished I could just peel out of my clothes and jump in now after this crazy day, but the loud growl from my stomach told me that eating something was probably the smarter choice.
A sigh escaped me as I walked out of the bathroom past the extravagant four-poster king-size bed and down the stairs to the first level.
“Loba, perfect timing… we were just talking about what to do for dinner,” Cognac announced when I saw him holding a binder in his hands.
“Seems they have a few restaurants in the place, but with this room, we also get our own private butler to bring us whatever we want. The man even said we could order from any restaurant in the city, and they would get it and bring it up to us. I think I’ve been vacationing all wrong if this is a possibility. ”
Between Wes and me, if we combined our incomes, I’m pretty sure we could live like this forever without the other guys having to chip in.
The Phantom Saints was no charity case. They did well for themselves, but from what I’ve seen in my time with them, they give a shit-ton of it back to their members without them even realizing it.
Pretty sure none of those people pay property taxes or shit like that since they cover it in one lump sum on the land itself.
“I’ve reached the point where food in whatever form will be instantly devoured,” I shared as I walked over to Cognac to peek at the options listed in his hands.
He wrapped an arm around my waist, sticking his hand in the back pocket of my jeans as we looked over the massive list of food.
“You know, I was going to tell you I could be your dinner, but now I think it might be safer to feed you real food first,” Cognac teased, groping my ass playfully.
“I’m thinking if we want food fast, ordering it from the hotel will get it to us the quickest. Then we can play all night long, and I won’t have to worry about you devouring something you shouldn’t. ”
Grinning, I looked up at him. “Why don’t I believe you? Pretty sure you loved when I devoured your cock, swallowing down your cum.”
Cognac’s amber eyes blazed with heat as they fell to my lips as if he remembered the moment I was referring to. “Loba, that mouth of yours can do wicked things to me, and you’re right, I do love it. But I also know how dangerous it can get when you’re hangry.”
Snorting a laugh, I plucked the menu out of his hands and hopped over the back of the couch to get comfortable as I looked over this novel.
They had anything and everything you could possibly want.
Some of it I wasn’t sure was really food or not since I couldn’t even begin to guess what the hell the word meant.
If I had to take the time to google shit like that, then it was gonna be a ‘no’ for me, dog.
Someone plopped down next to me and rested their head on my shoulder as they also looked over the food options. “I’m thinking a steak sounds pretty amazing right now, don’t you?” Sprocket said.
At his words, my stomach voiced its agreement. “Seems that’s what I’m going to be having… the bottomless pit has spoken.”
He chuckled and flipped the page. Not finding what he was looking for, he turned to the last page. “Let’s see what desserts they have. There must be something we can adapt to eat off you later. Oh, chocolate-covered strawberries… that could do nicely.”
A thought occurred to me, and I looked up at the others. “Would this count as a honeymoon?”
Void scoffed. “Little demon, when we are done with all this and get the chance to take you away for two weeks, you won’t have to question if it’s the honeymoon or not.”
“Two weeks, hmm? Has someone already been planning this trip?” I questioned.
Sprocket’s fingers curled around my jaw, turning me to look back at him.
“Do you think we’d put in all the effort to get you to marry us and not have a honeymoon planned?
Yes, it will be two weeks, one week there will be no clothes allowed.
I want to be able to take you anytime, anywhere.
Then I suppose we could venture outside of whatever private island we have rented and do some fun things. ”
“Fuck me,” I stated.
Sprocket’s slow, easy smile appeared on his lips. “Oh, I intend to, little rebel. Don’t you worry.” Without taking his eyes off me, Sprocket tossed the menu to the others. “Make it quick, guys, my cock is hard as a fucking rock, and I doubt it will get better with time.”
“I’m not sure I’ve had a fully limp dick since she stepped into our lives,” Eagle muttered. “I say we all order a steak, get a whole bunch of sides, and call it good. What do you guys think?”
Everyone murmured their agreement, and Wes made the call while the others settled on the couch. All but Cam, that is. He simply stood in the living room watching me with an unsure expression.
“What’s wrong?” I asked, sitting up a little straighter like I was bracing for bad news.
“You asked me earlier today what I protected you from over the years,” Cam started, then paused and took a seat on the giant ottoman.
“There was a lot, some you knew about, others I’m not sure you would have ever seen coming.
I’ve always been on specialty task forces with my background and unique connection to the criminal world.
Even had a stint in blue-collar for a bit, then got back into more organized crime cases that let me help you better.
“If Marco has had his eyes on you for the past five years like you’re guessing, then I absolutely stood in his way.
The reason he never suspected there was someone like me working against him was how I managed to take out his people.
On the job, I followed the letter of the law, there were too many eyes, and I needed to have them trust me enough to get me to the point I’m at today.
As you know, I’m all about not needing to reinvent the wheel, so my logic was, why not use what I know as both an agent and a criminal?
” Cam explained, but I wasn’t quite tracking with what he was saying.
A beer appeared from behind me, and I found Picasso was the supplier. I smiled my thanks as I took it, worried they thought I needed it for this conversation.
“There are two things you need to know, Dax Rose Blackmore,” Cam said, his gaze so intense as if he was trying to read my mind as I sat here.
“I love you more than anything else in this lifetime or the next. Everything I’ve done is to keep you safe until I could reach out and make contact without ruining all my work. ”
“Now you’re freaking me the fuck out,” I said and narrowed my eyes at him. “What’s the second thing I need to know?”
“Your man Brian. He’s an undercover FBI agent in your organization, and I’m his handler,” Cam answered, laying it all out there.
Frozen with shock, I just gaped at him. My brain couldn’t make sense of the words he’d just said.
I’ve known Brian for years. Everything he knows about the criminal world I’d taught him, even going as far as to consider him a close friend.
Holy shit, does that mean he didn’t really torture the people I handed off to him?
Has he been selling me out to the FBI this whole time?
Wait, how was I still walking around a free woman if that were true?
“There it is,” Wes murmured to himself.
My head snapped in his direction. “Excuse me? Why does it sound like you’re not the slightest bit surprised by this?”
“Because I’m not, shortcake. Don’t stab me just yet. Let me explain before you decide I deserve to be skinned alive,” Wes requested as he held his hand up in self-defense.
I glared at him, letting my gaze break from his as I searched them just as Cam had been doing to me a few moments ago. “Talk fast.”
“Dante is the one who told me,” Wes started.
“The fucker pretended to be wasted at the party before we left. Started gushing about how he was so happy we were family now and crap like that. Then he just carried right along telling me how Cam had been so devoted to you, he put one of his best men right by your side to watch over you. Obviously, I knew it wasn’t me, Jeff is dead, and the only other person you rely on besides me is Brian. ”
“Motherfucker,” Eagle blurted. “We stopped by the drug store on the way back to get my meds, and I saw Brian in a smoke shop. He seemed super uncomfortable and really didn’t want to be at the compound while the FBI was there.
Bastard was afraid someone was going to recognize him.
Come to think about it, he was always a passing ship in the night while we were in Vegas. How the hell did we not see it?”
Hearing that Eagle picked up on something being fishy made me even more confused than ever. Why the fuck wasn’t I in jail?