Page 32 of Veil of Shadows

“Bexley,” Dom said with a twinge of warning to his voice. “You should be sleeping.”

Ronyn nodded his head toward me. “Good to see you.”

She tossed him a soft smile. “You, too, Ronyn.”

And when she turned to face me, she drew in a deep breath. “Voss.”

I tilted my head. “Bexley.”

Then, all was silent in Dom’s place as she walked over to the coffee pot, poured herself a mug, and made her way to the kitchen table in the middle of all three of us.

10

BEXLEY

The coffee tasted like shit, but that didn’t shock me. If there was anything I learned about food, it was that coffee almost always resembled the person making it. And we were all under too much pressure to give a damn about what the engine oil coming from Dom’s kitchen tasted like.

Still, I eased myself down at the kitchen table before a familiar hand with long, dexterous fingers settled onto my shoulder.

“You sure you want to side with the bossman on this one?” Dom asked.

Instead of looking up at him, I peeked over at Voss. “I believe you when you say she’s building an army. I just don’t think she’s doing it because she’s preparing for war or something.”

Voss approached the table and took a seat in front of me. “So, you think she’s doing it just because she can.”

I shook my head again. “No.”

Dom sat down to my left at the table. “Then, why do you think she’s doing it?”

Ronyn was the last to join us, and he sat to my right. He didn’t say anything to me. He just stared, pinning me with those steel gray eyes of his. I looked down into my coffee mug beforetaking a long pull of the liquid that I damn near had to chew just to get down.

“Jesus,” I said breathlessly.

Dom chuckled. “It’ll wake you up, that’s for certain.”

I placed my mug on the kitchen table in front of me. “Do you ever clean the damned thing?”

Ronyn barked with laughter, and I had to admit, the sound was phenomenal. It tugged a soft grin across my cheeks, and I couldn’t help but relish the way his tattoos bounced with his muscles as he chuckled.

Yet, all too soon, silence descended upon us.

I knew they were waiting for an explanation.

“The first night mission I ever ran with Delilah was the one where my partner died,” I said.

Their gazes focused on me as Dom slipped his hand on top of my left knee beneath the table. Ronyn cocked his entire body toward me, giving me his undivided attention. And Voss? Well, his stare never left mine as his steel-toed boot crept toward my bare foot beneath the table.

I felt him settle his boot against it before I continued.

“I mean, don’t get me wrong, Delilah had been my boss for a few months at this point. But I was running daylight, quick missions, and she was always the one planning and executing the blacksite’s nighttime, overseas missions.”

Voss folded his arms over his chest. “Should you be telling us this?”

I shrugged. “Who’s going to fire me over it?”

Ronyn chuckled. “Good enough for me.”

“Take your time, sweet girl,” Dom said as he smoothed his thumb against my knee.

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