Page 126 of Lamb

“I thought the FBI raid and highway chase was all your idea,” Ash quipped, playful sarcasm saturating her tongue. “Most guys just bring flowers and buy dinner.”

I moved toward her, reaching up to either side of her head as I cupped the helmet. I slipped it off her head, her hair flaming out in every direction as the wind had dealt its damage. She looked up with mischievous eyes. The fear and panic that had only a few hours ago haunted her face had diminished.

“I’m not most guys.”

“Let me guess,” Ash mused, her lips pushed out into a teasing pout. “Candle-lit dinner and wine? Honestly, I did not take you for the type.”

I dropped my head, taking a sweet, sharp nip of those chilled lips, her gasp like fire across my cold skin. “I didn’t take you for the type either.”

“I would not know,” Ash growled, bitter about being caught off guard. “I have never been on one.”

“A date?”

Ash shrugged.

A violent fever flashed through my nerves as the curse left my tongue. Having disappointed her, and being forced to abandon the date I had promised, didn’t sit well, and the bitter discomfort in my chest had me drawing up plans for every single agent that had stepped foot on a territory they didn’t belong. There were already going to be repercussions for them. Now there’d be revenge.

I lifted my hand to her pink flushed skin, her face fitting perfectly into my palm, her pale green eyes finding mine like alighthouse in the storm. “You’ll get your date,” I vowed. “One so incredible that nothing and no one could ever compare to it.”

“You make it sound intimidating.” Ash laughed, the light musical noise softening that fire. “I fear you will spoil me.”

I leaned down, and this time, when I caught her lips, it was soft, slow, and sensational as I explored her mouth and tongue, taking my time to savor her taste. “Then be afraid.” With that, I let her go, taking the helmet back to the bike before escorting her out and locking it behind me.

We didn’t walk far before I stopped in front of a different container. This one was covered in faded red paint, big scabs of rust and scratches screaming ancient and derelict. No one would fathom the fortune hidden away behind such old doors, but if one looked close enough, they’d see the similar lock and chain that had been on the earlier container.

Unlike the other, this one had no key. Instead, I pressed my thumb into the lock, and after a beat, it popped open, the chain slinking from the bar and dropping into a pile on the floor.

Ash tried to help me as I swung open the big door, and it stretched my polished acting prowess to make her think she’d contributed. The door was heavy and robust, and Ash’s feeble shivering arms were more decorative than effective. Even still, I flashed her a grateful smile that she was exasperatedly willing to accept.

“What is that?” Ash squinted into the dark, the covered object no different than a large slab to her eyes. On the other hand, I could make out the edges, the slopes, and the snags of fabric the huge, draped sheet covered.

“You wanted to know how I got my road name, right?” I stepped forward, grabbing two dusty handfuls of the sheet.

Ash’s eyes darkened with anticipation, her breath held on her parted lips, making a smirk tug at my lips.

I pulled.

Even in the dingy light of the container, the dispersed light of the overcast day peeking through the door, the canary yellow was a bulb in the dark. It was glossy and sleek, and not one scratch marred its surface.

“How did you …? Where did you …?“ Ash’s mouth dropped open as she moved slowly around the car. “A Lamborghini?”Her fingers hovered, hesitant to lay them on the surface.

“Vegas,” I answered, leaning my hip against the vehicle, earning a sharp glare from Ash. It amused me more. “And before you ask”—I wagged a finger at her—“it isn’t stolen.”

Ash’s mouth disappeared as her lips flattened. Shame flickered across her face as I caught her red-handed. As mysterious and guarded as she had first been, the moment those walls had begun to crumble, it was as if the fog had lifted, and I could see her as easily as a bright summer’s day.

“So, Lamb is short for …” Ash trailed, eyes jumping from the car to me, and back to the car. “Lamborghini?”

“It’s highly creative.” I rolled my eyes, the memories rushing back. “Let’s just say some older members weren’t so imaginative back in the day.”

I pushed off the car, rounding the steps to meet Ash on the other side. She opened her mouth as her thoughts flickered across her expression. Whatever she wanted to say, she thought better of it.

“So, you …boughtit?”

“I won it.”

“Won it?”

I fished out a set of keys from my pocket, a golden bull emblem crested on the smooth black fob. Lights flashed inside the tight container as I clicked the button. It flashed sharp across Ash’s soft face, her suspicious narrowed eyes glowing ethereal yellow for a split-second.

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