28. Chapter 28
TIERNEY
In hindsight, insisting on bringing my bike probably wasn't the best idea. Still, it had given me nearly an hour wrapped around Ahren like a koala, so it was hard to find fault with the idea.
Ahren pulled into a school parking lot and turned off the engine. "We continue on foot from here," he said, lifting his helmet to reveal perfectly tousled hair I ached to run my fingers through.
My hands smoothed over my braid, suddenly feeling self-conscious about my appearance. He was perfection. Deadly with any weapon, it seemed. A face I swear was chiseled by the gods. Oh, and he was even a good cook. What was I in comparison?
Get your fucking head in the game, girl . I groaned internally.
He laced our fingers together, leading me toward the upscale neighborhood where the new broker lived .
I much preferred the run-down area the other guy lived in. No one there bothered asking questions. Here—well—let's just hope we don't run into the neighborhood busybody or some rent-a-cop while we're here.
In less than twenty minutes, we found ourselves standing beside a massive marble statue meant to commemorate some historical event I couldn't care less about.
"When this is over, remind me to burn this place down—just for spite."
His dark chuckle sent a pulse of need straight to my core, the few remaining solid parts liquefying as his hot breath fanned across my neck.
"Didn't know you worked for free, kitten."
"Kitten?" I asked, lifting my brow and turning to face him.
He shrugged. "It's short for Hellcat. That shit takes too long to say, though. You're both lethal and adorable."
Heat rose, staining my cheeks and even the tops of my ears felt the burn.
Carissa called me Tia. She was the only person who ever bothered with a nickname for me.
I wasn't sure how I felt about 'kitten', but just the idea that he thought enough about me to come up with one sent off tiny fireworks in my chest.
"I don't work for free." I said, circling back to his original question. "But whoever designed this place deserves it—just on principle."
"Interesting." His sly smirk was at odds with the edge of mocking disdain his voice carried.
"Come on, you know you're thinking it, too. No decent cover anywhere and cameras on every porch."
"Fair enough." He said, reaching into his bag and pulling out a cartridge and loading it into a smaller rifle. I thought it seemed odd he brought two, but I had ignored it. Now, though, I was curious .
He raised the rifle, taking aim at the nearest house. A soft tink following the squeeze of the trigger as his bullet found its target.
"Are you really going to take out every camera in the neighborhood?" I snorted.
"Why not? These just hit them with an electromagnetic pulse, a tiny one. It shorts the camera."
"So it just looks like a malfunction, not an attack. Stealthy. I like it."
The muscles of his arms and back flexed hypnotically as he worked, walking down the center of the deserted street, firing rapidly as each camera came into view.
My smile grew wider with each shot, my fingertips dancing at my side, wishing he had brought a second.
As if reading my mind, he asked, "Wanna try one?"
Before the words were out, I was already reaching for the gun, my head bobbing excitedly.
"That house," he said, pointing to a house three doors down from our current position. "That's the new broker."
I nodded, dragging in a deep breath before raising the rifle and quickly taking out the houses in our path.
"Mailbox," I started calling out the cameras in the broker's yard. "front door, rose bush. garden gnome, right corner."
"Sprinkler." he added.
"Sprinkler?" I turned, searching his face for any sign he was fucking with me.
"There is a pop-up sprinkler about six feet from the gnome. Notice anything suspicious?" he asked patiently, as if he were schooling a child.
"Ugh!" I growled, taking aim at the sprinkler imposter. "No freaking water."
His hand landed on my arm, softer than I expected. "Good girl. "
I offered him the rifle, and he slung it over his shoulder, pulling the pistol from his waistband.
"How do you know she's not home?" I whispered, my words nearly drowned out by the soft rustling of grass against our boots as we crossed the lawn.
"Now that would be telling," he murmured, tossing me that smirk that set both my patience and my panties on fire.
My mouth opened, only quivered a moment before snapping shut, giving him a chance to brush past me and step on the front porch first.
His fingers worked quickly, picking the lock with practiced ease.
"You're really not going to tell me?" I asked.
"Later. Kitten." he answered with a wink.
I sucked in a deep breath, ready to argue the point. But the glimmer of mischief dancing in his honeyed depths said he was prepared with some kind of 'curiosity killed the cat' retort, so I swallowed my protest, instead offering him an innocent smile just as the door clicked open.
"What's wrong? Cat got your tongue?" he smirked, chuckling softly to himself as he pushed the door open. "Ladies first."
I moved past him, raising my weapon as I stepped through the door, Ahren closing it with a soft snick behind him.
"I don't know how long she's going to be out. We need to make this quick," he added, all traces of humor gone and in its place a hardened soldier.
We swept from room to room, clearing the house, thankfully finding no one.
Just as before, the broker's office was on the second floor. I wasn't really a techy person, but I would swear the set-up was the same.
"Talk to me, Jax." Ahren said, putting his smart glasses on, allowing Jax to see what he saw .
One way conversations irritated me, so I focused instead on guarding the door as Jax talked him through the remote login procedures and systems we needed to access to cancel the orders.
I had scoffed the first time Ahren mentioned having a tech person.
After all, I'd done fine without one up until now.
But after all this, I had to admit, I could see the utility.
I stood still as a soldier made of stone, a silent sentinel keeping watch while Ahren and Jax worked through the layers of encryption. My ears strained, listening for any signs we weren’t alone. Looking for the slightest hint of movement, my eyes scanned the hallway constantly.
"Done." he said, ripping the glasses from his eyes and pressing them into their protective case.
I nodded. "Time to go."
Ahren's phone chirped in his pocket.
"More good news?" I asked, my voice tinged with sarcasm.
"It's a problem for another day. But not an unexpected one," he sighed, brushing past me.
My muscles burned as I dragged asshole number two toward the incinerator behind Ahren's house.
He helped me wrap my ribs, but dragging someone twice my size was still what Larissa would call 'over exerting myself'.
Even in my current condition, a broad smile flashed across my lips every time his head made contact with a rock.
It was a small consolation, but sometimes a girl had to take what she could get.
Ahren passed me up, his wannabe assassin slung over his broad shoulders, tipping him into the stone pit before coming over and lifting mine like he was a pillow rather than a large human.
"That's the last one." He said, blowing out a harsh breath, raking his eyes over my body, before looking away.
"Let me guess," I said, pulling my shirt over my head, dropping it in the dirt. "Our clothes should go in too."
I shimmied out of my pants, letting my panties drop with them. With my eyes locked on his, I summoned every ounce of courage in my body, then borrowed a bit more from the angels as I reached around and unhooked my bra, letting it fall to the ground—leaving me bare before him.
"Fuck." he whispered reverently, his eyes raking appreciatively over my body, giving equal attention to every curve.
His hands moved quickly, reaching behind him and tearing his shirt over his head. Eyes locked on mine, he jerked at his buckle, ripping his jeans open, dropping the remainder of his clothes.
"I want to kiss you." He murmured, closing the distance and dragging the tips of his fingers down the side of my face.
"Then do it." I answered, my hand coming up to cover his.
Emotions quietly warred between his eyes, his head shaking softly. "I want to fuck you more than I want to breathe. If I kiss you now, I'm not sure I can stop myself."
I opened my mouth to object, but his fingers covered my lips.
“You're not ready for me. Soon—I hope. For now, let's get cleaned up. Then maybe I can kiss you while we make dinner. ”
I nodded shakily, unable to formulate a coherent reply. His every word was too much for me to process, so I turned and headed inside to shower. Dangerously aware of his eyes watching my every step.