Page 38 of Incoming Layne Shift

“Gage, be ready to go by eight.” Joey didn’t want to run the risk of a last-minute time change when the ball was in Russell’s court. “I trust this fucker as much as I’d trust the devil himself,” Joey muttered.

Gage gave a nod back to Joey in acknowledgment. “For this? My schedule is wide open.” Already hearing of the history between Layne and Russ, hell if he was going to pass on the opportunity to be there.

She stared at both of them. “It’s a courtesy meeting, not a beatdown. So, both of your asses need to settle down.” Layne had no intentions of confronting Russ Spencer tonight if he was behind her troubles. She preferred to let him think she didn’t know better, while she gathered her resources behind the scenes.

That earned her a look from both the guys. Joey was the first to step in close to her, his hands cupping her face. Within seconds, Gage was at her back and his hands grabbed a firm hold on her hips. The combination of their two scents mixing around her while she stood in the middle of a mouthwatering De Luca sandwich was fucking intoxicating.

Gage’s voice whispered in her ear, “We have to keep our lucky charm safe, so you better settle your ass down.” The hum of his words prompted goosebumps to rise over her skin and her lips to slightly part.

Joey smirked as he watched Gage get the subtle reaction out of her. He pressed his forehead to hers so that she would be forced to stare into his eyes that could have commanded the stars in the sky to rearrange themselves. “You want to rephrase that, Layney? It almost sounded like you were trying to tell us what to do.”

She was frozen between them, disarmed by the proximity of their bodies to hers and held captive by their words. Layne swallowed down any smartass comments. Despite her independent nature, she hoped these men would never relinquish their protective hold on her.

That evening, Layne received the text at precisely nine p.m.

RUSS

Bethesda Fountain

LAYNE

We will be there.

RUSS

Bringing your lap dog?

She gritted her teeth at Russ’s snide comment making a jab at Joey. Her fingers typed a response that initially had some colorful language before she decided to delete it. Instead, she took the high road.

LAYNE

Can never be too safe.

See you soon.

“He wants to meet at Bethesda Fountain in the middle of Central Park. It’s a public spot, but at this time of night, it’s pretty isolated.” That was the nicest way of saying that anyone who had a care for their safety avoided Central Park when the sun disappeared, and the fountain was no exception.

Joey finished tightening his belt around his waist. “How romantic,” he sarcastically responded to the divulged location of choice. He made sure he had his skull mask in his pocket.

Stepping out of the bathroom, Layne noticed Gage had chosen to mirror his brother in choice of outfit. Both of them had on all black from the boots to the utility pants and black shirts.

Seeing the expression on Layne’s face, Gage gave a goofy grin. “If I had known that dressing like this would get that look out of you, I would have ditched the expensive suit from the get-go.”

Joey smirked and tossed a second mask over at Gage. “Wait until you see her face when you put this on.”

Catching the mask out of midair, Gage looked over the design and chuckled, “Nice.”

She was beginning to feel naked without her mask to round out the trio, but Layne reminded herself tonight wasn’t about kicking asses and getting herself in trouble. It was all about having diplomatic discussions. It was the whole reason why she was dressed in a dark-washed set of jeans and an ivory blouse underneath a black jacket. Her chestnut hair was half pulled back so it stayed out of her face.

Call her skeptical, but she wasn’t showing up without a firearm tucked in the back of her jeans. Joey had said it best earlier; it would be easier to trust the devil than it would be to trust Russell Spencer.

Since they were using the Challenger, Joey demanded he drive. He had seen the condition of Gage’s Jeep and Layne’s lack of parallel parking skills. Upon arrival, he ended up parking a short distance from the terrace that overlooked the fountain. Both the guys stretched their respective masks across their faces concealing their handsome features.

Gage’s mask didn’t mirror the toothy grin of Joey’s skull design. Instead, his artwork resembled a demonic smile with splashes of red, misshapen teeth, and canines that were far too long and curved to be human. Joey had been right, the look on Layne’s face when he put on the mask had been one of a woman about to pounce on a mate. He noticed the way she tried to hide her body’s subtle reactions, her thighs pressed together firmly and her hands grasped onto her arms tightly while her tongue wet her suddenly dry lips.

Reminding herself this was like any other discussion she had over the past few weeks, Layne drew in a deep breath to prepare to switch to the woman who both deserved and commanded respect while standing tall at the top of her empire’s ranks.

Both masked De Lucas fell in line behind her as they walked across the terrace to the large circular fountain with amber lights barely keeping it illuminated. There waiting for her at the north side of the fountain was one cocky-looking Russell Spencer. He had three men of his own keeping him company.

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