Page 16 of Lethal

Jasper and Grayson sit in captain chairs next to the couch. The former holds a glass filled with amber liquid and takes a sip, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he swallows. “How bad was it?” he asks, flicking his gaze to Vander.

Hot air blows past my ear. “He was a mess. Barely able to think clearly enough to not end up dead. If I wasn’t there, he would’ve been. I had to take more than a few men out who would’ve shot him.” Vander’s thumb swipes against my stomach underneath the shirt he took off for me to wear. “I’m glad he came to his senses when he did.”

A grunt sounds from Jasper, and he throws back the rest of his drink. “He’s always been a hair’s breadth away from a psychotic break. His recent obsession is the only thing that’s kept him somewhat grounded.”

I can’t help but smile. It’s flattering knowing I’m responsible for keeping Cole from snapping. At least most of the time. I’m his Grayson. My gaze falls on the man my thoughts went to, and I find him watching me. As if he knows what I’m thinking, he smirks. The devilish curve of his lips makes me lick mine, wanting a taste of him. The wink he gives me seals the deal, and I take a step toward him, only to be stopped by Vander’s tight hold. He’s not willing to let me budge an inch.

Before I can say anything, Cole comes out of the back room, running a towel over his hair, having taken a speedy shower. I know he’s itching to get back to his hunt to find his sister. I’m surprised he took as long as he did talking to me when they showed. It shows how much he’s willing to go the extra mile for me. A step in the right direction.

“Come on, let’s get you clean,” Vander says, tapping my hip.

“I don’t think so.” Jasper stands and cuts him off by stepping between us. “We all know what happens when you get into a bathroom with her.”

He has a point. And considering we’ve been separated for three days… there are some things to catch up on. I throw a smirk over my shoulder, and the heated gleam I find in Vander’s eyes says he had the same thoughts. Soon, my handsome guard. Soon.

“Hurry?” Cole asks as I pass him.

“I’ll do my best,” I reply, running my hand over his shoulder as I walk by. “We should’ve saved time showering together.” I might want him on ice for now, but it doesn’t mean I can’t help his balls turn blue faster.

I strip the shirt Vander gave me, and toss it over my shoulder, then tug on the ties of my bikini bottoms so they fall free. The heat of four stares follows me until I shut the door, cutting them off.

When I come back out, I find Cole pushing a button on a panel from the armrest of a captain’s chair. It’s the one right next to the couch, which is where I move to sit next to Vander and Grayson.

As I find my seat, two screens flip down from where the overhead bins would be. They’re perfectly situated in front of Cole, but we have a great view from here, too. My tech nerd adjusts his glasses, and says, “Give me a minute to open the files.”

“What happened to your accent?” Grayson asks, narrowing his gaze at Cole. I’m surprised it took this long for someone to ask, but I’m thankful he did because I want to know, too.

Cole freezes and slowly raises his gaze to settle on me. After a moment, he finally responds. “I faked it.”

“You faked your British accent?” Grayson sounds outraged. It’s probably how I’d feel too if I had normal emotions.

“It was a douche move if you ask me,” Jasper muses, pouring himself another drink.

Vander scoffs. “It’s been driving me nuts.” Then, under his breath, he adds, “The man is such a psychopath.”

Cole doesn’t spare a glance for any of them though, opting to keep me firmly in his sights. “Why?” I question.

A cocksure grin spreads across his face. “Because I knew it would get your attention right away. Don’t even try to lie and say you weren’t instantly attracted to my voice.”

He’s got me there. “I was also instantly attracted to your normal voice.”

“Hmmm…” he coos. “But was it my voice, or because you knew it belonged to your stalker?”

Fucker. I don’t like being boxed in, especially when it’s something I don’t really care about. Did he lie to me by using a fake accent? Sure. But he came clean with his reasoning the first time he was asked. I can’t expect him to dump the truth about every lie all at once, in a single conversation. It’s unrealistic.

“Didn’t you want to apologize to the others so we can start searching for your sister?” I throw at him. If he doesn’t want the claws, he shouldn’t back me into a corner.

Instead of my words working as a backhanded slap, Cole grins. “Yeah, that’s what I thought. But you’re right, we have other priorities.” He turns to the screens again, calm as a cucumber, typing away. Seems as if he found his serenity again. I guess he was right about needing me.

It only takes a few seconds before the screens fill with information. “You know we’re not waiting for you to show us whatever you dug up, right?” Jasper interrupts Cole’s concentration.

Cole glances over at Jasper, and after a second of studying him, he pushes the keyboard out of his way. He leans forward and rests his elbows on his knees, looking between the rest of us in turn.

“We all know I fucked up.” He sighs, searching for the right words. “Listen, I smoothed things over with our girl.”

“Nah, man. This isn’t about Raven,” Vander says quickly, cutting Cole off from saying anything else.

“This is about you forgetting we built a family here, and we don’t run off on family,” Jasper chimes in. “It wasn’t only her you needed to apologize to, asshole.”

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