Page 110 of Savage

36

COOPER

IDIDN’T KNOW how long I stared gaping at the door before Benoit’s laugh filled the now-empty space.

He turned around, and even though it was dark, I could see the amusement playing across his face from the dim light on the screen.

“Now you get it, don’t you?”

No shit I got it. I’d seen the masked man—Lachlan—in action, and Benoit was right: everyone in that building should be fucking terrified of him, not the other way around. I’d seen him take out an alley full of men on his own with hardly any effort, and now he had the rest of his brothers as backup.

“Oh…my…God.” It was all I could manage. All I could think. Because Lachlan was the masked vigilante, and somehow, in my gut, it all made sense. The déjà vu, the familiar feelings that came out of nowhere that I couldn’t place. He was right there in front of me and somehow I hadn’t seen it. Or was it that I’d refused to see it?

“Piecing things together?” Benoit said. “I heard all about Lachlan’s little escapade in the alley with you. Well, I saw it too?—”

“Yousawit?”

“Oui.And I should say, you’re very lucky to be so attractive.”

I blinked, wondering if I’d heard him right. “You’re saying Lachlan saved me that night because I’m attractive?”

“Non.But it helps.” He winked, and I realized he was teasing me.

“So…wait, how did you see what happened? Were you there?”

“Eh. Violence isn’t really my scene, but I did enjoy the recap.” He tapped the screen.

Cameras. Lachlan must’ve been wearing one that night.

I ran a hand over my face and squeezed my eyes shut, trying to reconcile everything that had happened with both men—well, one man and his alter ego. Maybe I should’ve felt embarrassed somehow, even upset at the revelation. Lachlan hadn’t been forthcoming about being the one who’d saved me, the one who’d snuck into my apartment. The one I’d practically begged to fuck me.

Okay, maybe I was a little embarrassed over that fact, but mostly I was surprised that Iwasn’tsurprised at all. Lachlan in either form had always looked out for me and made me feel safe, and even now he was out there taking down the bad guys. Now I understood what he meant when he’d said he wasn’t always the good guy, because I’d seen him do things with my own eyes that crossed the so-called ethical line.

Maybe the craziest part about it all was that I didn’t blame him one bit.

“Ah, here we go,mon ami,” Benoit said, settling back in the driver’s seat like he was about to watch his favorite TV program. The different squares on the screen had gotten progressively lighter as Lachlan, King, and the others made their way to the warehouse.

Even though I knew Lachlan was capable of taking care of himself, my stomach still did a nervous flip. “You, uh, don’t seem stressed about this,” I said.

“I’m not.”

Even with that reassurance, my heart began to race as they split up into two teams to approach from different points.

It’s going to be fine. They’re all going to be fine.

The only thing I could hear in the SUV was the sound of my heart thumping as both teams moved with stealth through the cool night.

Lachlan had split off with Alessio, which was no surprise considering how tight they were, and the final person making up their trio was none other than King himself.

“Lachlan always heads up a mission like this,” Benoit explained. “Always goes in first. Always protects the King.”

“Because he’s the best?”

Benoit smiled. “Partly. But mainly to make sure the coast is clear before?—”

“The most important person walks in the room.”

“Exactly. Lachlan is more dangerous than any weapon our guys carry, so he usually…assessesthe scene first.”

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