Page 58 of Riordan's Revenge

Cassie hung up and folded her arms, her toe tapping.

A minute passed, then footsteps sounded on the stairs and Shade shoved through the door. His piercing gaze shot over us all, his typical pissed-off expression installed.

“What’s the problem?”

Cassie pointed a finger between us. “We’re back. Apparently we need to know the protocol to come back inside. I’m annoyed and just want to go to bed so I called ye.”

Shade gave a world-weary sigh and palmed his tattooed throat. “Jed, check the fucking list next time. They’re both on it.”

“They’re armed,” Jed hissed.

Shade pursed his lips. “Good. Cassie, Riordan, follow me.”

He led us past the basement entrance and up the steps to the ground floor, taking the corridors through to the management office. Inside the room, he rested back on the big desk and adjusted the bright lamp so it wasn’t blinding us.

“I assumed you’d be back today. Jamieson filled ye in, then?”

Cassie nodded. “Bronson’s in the skeleton crew’s slammer. I want a piece of him. Or several. I’m thinking of starting a trophy cabinet, and he’ll be so pretty as a piece on my shelf.”

Something glimmered in Shade’s eyes. Maybe the promise of blood.

Cassie examined her nails. “I’ll stay back at first, if ye like, but I’m serious. I want to be in the room.”

The gang enforcer chewed on her request for several seconds. If he said no, she’d be gutted, but I didn’t think that was going to happen. Shade and Cassie had a kind of mentor/protégé relationship going on, from what I could tell. He’d let her take on Piers Roache as Everly’s champion. More, if Bronson was the killer, he’d threatened Cassie directly. She had a right.

He inclined his head. “We’ll have a strict game plan, discussed in advance.”

Cassie’s eyes flared. “I’ll follow your lead. Have ye already started?”

“No. He’s out cold until tonight. Arran will delay telling Red until after we’ve made a first attempt. The whole plan is being set back as there’s no sign they know he’s gone.”

“Good. I need sleep and to talk to my ladies first. We need to girl-detective what questions to ask.”

Shade adjusted his position, a hand coming up to stifle a yawn. “Ev will be glad you’re back. She missed ye.” His attention settled on me. “What’s your story? Here voluntarily?”

I bristled at the jibe. There was no love lost between me and Arran’s second-in-command, or at least there hadn’t been when we met. I’d gone after him for kidnapping Everly. The arsehole had damaged my bike. But Everly was dating him now. If they were serious, he’d be in my life because she was. The sister I barely knew. Since then, he’d offered to pay for the bike repairs, though I’d already made them, scratches to my bodywork the only remaining injury.

I thought our position towards each other had changed. His attitude towards me had shifted slightly. Softened was the wrong word, but he’d been less hostile. He’d even offered advice.

Holding his gaze, I tipped my head at the woman across the office. “I’m formally telling you I’ve claimed Cassie.”

“Funny, I thought it was the other way around.” He slanted his eyes at her. “By the way, if ye ever touch my drugs again, I’ll?—”

Annoyance shot through me. “Don’t finish that threat.”

He lifted his eyebrows. I was begging for trouble. Twice, I’d gone up against him. Still, I would never let him talk to Cassie like that.

Shade held my gaze. “Noted. And I’m naw saying you’re whipped. Just need to know you’re here because ye want to be.”

“Leave my fiancé alone, and I’ll do the same with your drugs,” Cassie chided.

Shade’s mouth fell open. “Fiancé?”

Christ alive. I dropped my glare on her. “Cassie, come here.”

Dutifully, she trotted over. “Yes?”

“Tell him we’re together by my decision.”

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