Page 8 of Lethal

“Okay,” I whisper, too confused by the emotions overwhelming me to say anything else.

Grayson presses a kiss to the side of my head, and the warmth of his lips helps me relax. “Come on, pit bull. Let’s get some food in you. Give you something else to sink your teeth into.” He offers his hand to help me climb from the car, which I accept willingly, if only because I enjoy his touch.

We step into the restaurant and, after a moment, are escorted to a quiet corner in the back, per Jasper’s request. The smell of fried food makes my stomach rumble and pinch in hunger. Salty french fries and greasy burgers. I can’t even remember the last time I ate. Maybe Jasper is right. I can’t find Cole if I don’t take care of myself. Running myself ragged until I pass out from exhaustion and starvation won’t help. It reminds me of the time he forced me to accept an orgasm so I could think more clearly…

I slide into the circle booth, closely followed by Grayson, and am pleased when I meet Jasper on my other side. Sandwiched between the two of them, really any combination of my guys, is somewhere I could consider my happy place. Well, killing is what brings me the most happiness. But they come in at a close second.

As if rehearsed, their hands innocently land on my thighs at the same time. Their combined touch brings to mind all kinds of deliciously sinful ideas of how we can defile this restaurant. A game of will the other patrons catch us sounds like fun.

Do I really need food? Or could I live off the sustenance of fucking my men like a succubus? What a life that would be. Killing and sex. The only two things a girl truly needs to live a happy and fulfilled life.

“No,” Jasper growls harshly, placing a menu in front of me. “You need food. None of those naughty thoughts until you’ve eaten.” I swear it’s like he can read my mind sometimes.

A small huff blows past my lips, and I pout the bottom one out for show. “Fine.” I pick up the menu and study it for an option that sounds good. Several moments later, I’m distracted when a ding comes from Jasper’s phone. A frown tugs at his lips as he fishes it out of his pocket.

Jasper takes one glance at his phone and a grunt of disbelief escapes him. He shakes his head and glances over at me. “What is it?”

“It’s Vander,” he announces, turning the phone so I can see it.

“What?” Vander has been silent since he boarded the plane; his phone has been going straight to voicemail shortly after. “Why the hell didn’t he text me?” I ask, pulling my phone out to make sure I didn’t miss it.

Not a single new notification. “Do you really think Cole would allow any unknown numbers to text you? He has your phone locked down like none other.” I glare at Jasper. That would have been nice to know earlier. Instead of saying anything, I snatch the device from his hand. He doesn’t try to stop me, simply smiles and wraps his arm around my shoulders, leaning in so he can look at the same time as me.

Unknown Number: Tell Raven that I’ve got Cole’s back. Nothing will happen to him, but I think it’s best for her to back off until he comes to his senses. He’s spinning out right now.

I drop the phone on the table and push it away, trying to get some distance from such a disgusting thought. Back off? Fuck no. Cole doesn’t get to exploit a psychotic break. He left me behind, and I’m not allowing it to go on for a second more.

The phone mocks me, its screen staying lit. I want to grab it, to tell him to let me know where the fuck he is so I can shoot some sense into Cole. Clearly, the first shot didn’t do its job… Maybe this time I should stab him instead.

“Hey there, vicious,” Grayson sweetly calls to me. His finger hooks my chin and turns my head to face him. “I know you want your way, but wouldn’t you enjoy it more if he realized he fucked up and came crawling back? Wouldn’t his punishment be that much better if he came asking for it?”

Jasper chuckles on my other side as I mull over the new scenario Grayson painted in my mind. I can’t lie, it does sound nice. “So what are we supposed to do until he snaps out of it?”

Chapter 5

Raven

We eat and leave the restaurant, and I still don’t have an answer for what we’ll do with our newfound time. Jasper remains tight lipped, and I’m too consumed with Cole’s disappearance to come up with anything. If he doesn’t give me something else to focus on soon, I’ll return to my previous fixation.

“You are so damn impatient,” Jasper says as I climb into the car and let out another huff of annoyance. He’s not wrong. I hate waiting, but I still shoot him a glare. “Don’t sass me. I’m not afraid of your brattiness. I’ll stop by a sex store and buy a whip to remind you who’s in charge here.”

One corner of my lips raises at the same time as my brow. I’ve never been whipped before… That sounds like it could be fun. Jasper watches my reaction and scowls at what he finds. “It won’t be fun, Little Bird,” he threatens. “I’ll get a cat o’ nine and make sure I don’t stop until you’re bleeding. You don’t want your pretty back to get ruined, do you?”

The horror has me sucking in a sharp breath. An image flashes across my mind of my tattoos being ruined, and it has me reaching for my knife. “You wouldn’t dare,” I seethe. The back door slams shut as Grayson gets in, having missed the conversation completely, or I’m sure he’d be objecting alongside me.

“Wouldn’t dare what?” he asks uneasily, sensing the dangerously electrified air between Jasper and me.

“I would,” Jasper says, ignoring his question. “Do you really want to test me on it?” The hardness of his eyes tells me he’d do it, but I can also tell it would be reluctantly. He knows how much I covet my tattoos.

“Sorry,” I mumble, not wanting to pick a fight with him or risk my back. I’ve been all over the place emotionally since Cole left, and it’s showing itself in unusual ways. Hopefully, this is something I can learn to navigate quickly, or I’ll have to suck it up and ask Grayson how he does it. I’m used to cold detachment when it comes to everything in life. That’s no longer the case.

Jasper leans over and presses a kiss to my temple. The tenderness does something to my insides, something I’m not comfortable with. It seems to be his latest theme. Finding new and unique ways to challenge my comfort zone, like he’s mapping out all the ways he can do it.

“I didn’t want to talk about it in the restaurant where someone could overhear.” He holds up a single finger, telling me to wait while he pulls out his phone.

My phone chirps and I find a text from Ravenmaster.

The eleventh rule of killing: Make sure no one can overhear you when making plans.

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