Page 58 of Cruel Games

“Don’t.” His eyes were pleading, begging the closest thing to a family he’d had since he was five. “Please.”

“Aw, hell,” I muttered, already mentally preparing myself for the next however long it took for her to learn the truth on her own, or decide it wasn’t important, or kill us, whichever she landed on in the end. “Why couldn’t you have picked an easier woman to fall for, mate?”

“We did this,” he mumbled slowly, eyes on his hands like they were still covered in the blood of her father. “We hurt her.”

“And you just expect us to roll over and play good dog for her because you have an attack of conscience? It was an accident. And he was a bad man.”

Jackal frowned. “He must’ve put up a hell of a front at home for her to idolize him this much. To seek trained killers out for revenge all these years later.”

“Don’t tell me you’re about to start feeling sorry for her, too. You, the asshole who doesn’t live with regrets.” I already knew from how his lips curled in a frown that I’d lost him, too. “Aw, fuck you guys,” I growled, feeling the walls close in around me. “This is a whole lotta bullshit, you know that?”

“He gave her his word, man,” Jackal pointed out. “We owe him that much, at least.”

Of course the only thing that would trump his devil-may-care attitude was his buddy, Coyote. “Fine,” I said, throwing my hands in the air. “But someone has to tell her eventually. And when that time comes, it’s not gonna be me.”

TWENTY-TWO

IVY

I was beginningto regret not tying them back up so I could make a stop at my house for a change of clothes and some supplies. Now, my cellphone battery was damn near dead, I still needed to call off of my shifts for the foreseeable future, and I was stuck wearing this fucking miniskirt and half-hoodie, pantiless in a house full of men who made it hard to forget the stickiness between my thighs, or the way my body had reacted to theirs.

If I were being honest with myself, I wanted more of it. So much more.

But at the same time, I wanted nothing to do with them or their dicks.

Jackal and Dingo had come out and sworn they wouldn’t try anything if I wanted to catch some sleep, but I was insistent on staying up. I wouldn’t put it past either one of them to lie to my face and put a blade in my back the second I turned around. So I’d loaded the pistol, double-checked the chamber, and posted up in the chair I positioned in front of the door, ready to shoot the first motherfucker who tried me tonight.

Except I was running on fumes, exhausted as hell, and very much aware that my grip on consciousness was fading.

When the whole apartment of men was silent, I let my eyes drift closed, swearing to myself it would only be for a minute. I’d hear them if they came out and tried anything.

I woke up to the sound of someone rummaging in the fridge. In the light of high noon, I could just barely make out a set of broad shoulders, his back in shadow, the sun casting him into shadow on my side. The way his hair swayed around his face, though, gave him away, and I breathed a sigh of relief when I realized it was only Coyote, the quiet one.

He seemed like he’d be the least trouble out of the three, but there was no way to tell for sure. It was always the quiet ones who surprised you in the end. I couldn’t afford to takeany chances.

He turned with two tall cans in his hands, as well as a bag of popcorn fresh out of the microwave, and padded slowly over in my direction, stopping on the couch with a soft smile in my direction.

“Hungry?” he asked quietly, holding up the popcorn bag to shake it at me.

I shook my head, even though I was drooling at the idea of that buttery softness practically melting in my mouth. Hot, fresh, and with just the right crunch to make it a perfect midnight snack. I skipped lunch and dinner at work, and I skipped breakfast to be inducted into the Guild. My stomach was ready to eat itself from the inside out if I didn’t put something in it. But I couldn’t show weakness in front of them. I didn’t want to give them any ammunition to use against me.

“Thirsty?” he tried again, holding up an energy drink I recognized. The logo taunted me, flashing in the sunbeams filtering in from the kitchen. Reminding me I was too exhausted to stay awake on my own.

I decided to take this offering, if only for my own well-being.

I got up, my legs a little wobbly and stiff as the blood rushed back down my veins and woke my sleeping feet up. “Fuck,” I swore, damn near tripping on my way to the couch, the feeling not quite back entirely in my strangled limbs.

Coyote reached out and effortlessly caught my arm in his grip, keeping me upright despite the exhaustion that swamped me all at once. With his help, I settled on the couch, irritated at the nearness of his bare torso, all too aware of the scent that clung to his body and teased my nostrils.

Fuck, he smelled like earth and pine and leather. Like he walked straight out of the forest a minute ago.

I wanted to lean in and inhale him, get high on his scent.

Something was really, really wrong with my brain right now. Clearly, I needed sleep.

“Do you guys work at night or in the daytime?” I asked as hecracked a can and handed it to me, his eyes watching me, always watching, like some kind of sentinel.

“Both.” His eyes never left me as he cracked his own can and took a huge swig. “Why?”

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