Page 43 of Property of Azrael

“You know I do.” I want that and more for Hallie. I want her to be able to write without having to worry about keeping a roof over her head. I want her to have a reliable car. I want her to be happy.

“Let me do this. I need to do this,” Asher pleads.

“Fine. Do it.”

With a smile on his face, my brother shoves his knife into Mike’s heart, twisting the blade for maximum damage. It takes only moments for his body still; the color draining from his face. Van finally releases wire and walks away from his body. Asher steps back and smiles at his work, his knife still buried in Mike’s chest.

“Clean it up,” I order. “Leave nothing behind.”

HALLIE

Somehow,dinner turned into drinks, then drinks became a game of truth or dare. Somewhere between Eden daring me to tell her and Fox about what was going between Az and I, and my return dare for Fox to make out with Eden, things got a little blurry. Blurry enough that I don’t remember going to bed. I sure as hell don’t remember putting on my pajamas, nor do I remember Azrael returning from whatever he and his club were doing last night.

I also didn’t remember Eden and Fox climbing into bed together. Not until the sound of the shower running and giggling from inside wakes me up. Clearly, neither of them care that there’s two other people still in the room.

My head throbs with my poor decisions. I try to sit up, but Azrael’s arm is like a weight across my torso, holding me in place. Rolling onto my side, despite my stomach’s protest of the sudden movement, I peer over to see his blue eyes staring back at me.

He gives me a lazy smile. “Good morning.”

“Hey.” I cover my mouth through a yawn, trying to save him from an unpleasant combination of morning breath and alcohol. He leans in to kiss me, but I recoil.

“I need to brush my teeth.” The giggling in the bathroom gets louder. “And the bathroom is occupied at the moment.”

He reaches out, ignoring my protest, and draws me into a good morning kiss. “Morning breath will not stop me from kissing you.” He kisses me again. A long, drawn-out version of the first. When he pulls away, he laughs. “Fuck, I love your bed head.”

I try to tame my unruly locks, but without a brush, which is also in the occupied bathroom, it’s no use. My hair has a mind of its own.

Az rolls onto his back and stretches out his arm, inviting me into his warmth. He kisses the top of my head.

“Seems like the three of you had a good time while I was out.”

“Where did you go?”

“Club had to handle some things.” His lie is not only smooth, but obvious. I knew enough about club life from my book research to know I would always be on the outside, if whatever this is between us extends past the trip. Yet knowing he would and will lie to me about things doesn’t sit well. Honesty means everything to me, but dating Azrael would mean I would have to stow the drive inside of me to want to know more. “It’s settled.”

“Why didn’t you take Fox with you?”

“I wanted him to stick close to you.” His fingers strum my shoulder as he talks. “It made it easier to leave for a few hours, knowing that someone I trust had your back.”

I knew Fox had been lying about what the club was doing last night. It was all too obvious. The way he stayed glued to his phone, and his intent on keeping himself between me and the door, had been odd. Odd enough that he was showing his cards without even realizing it.

“Was I in danger?”

“No.” There’s a pregnant pause, leaving something unsaid. “All that matters is that it’s taken care of now, and in a few hours, I’ll be watching the sunset with you in Mexico. You got hold of your boss, right?”

“I did. She was fine with it.”

“Good.” We doze in and out until a crash from the bathroom has us both sitting up. The door creaks open slowly, with Eden’s rainbow hair peeking out. She moves forward, inching her way across the floor, wrapped in a towel. She tiptoes through the room, with Fox on her heels, but freezes when she peers over and sees us watching her.

“Uh, good morning.” She tries for an innocent smile, but she’s not fooling anyone. “We were just, um, well… conserving water.”

“That so?” Az laughs. “Conserving water at a hotel?”

“Yup,” she replies, popping the P. She looks over her shoulder at Fox, who’s smiling like a fool. “Right, Fox?”

“We were fucking in the shower,” he announces. “No need to sugarcoat it. They’re awake, and you weren’t exactly quiet last night or this morning.”

Oh, god. They screwed around in the bed next to me while I was passed out? I have never been more thankful for Jack Daniels than I am right now. The hangover is worth not being a witness to that. Eden and I are close, but not that close.

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