Page 44 of Toxic Vengeance

“Not even a little?”

“Not a single clue.” It still amazed him how she’d hidden everything from him for that long. She was one hell of a liar. And an actress. Though of course he’d lied too, by omission.

“Must have been eye-opening for you when you found out.” Heath’s blue eyes gleamed with humor.

“Yeah. She dove out of my car as I was driving her away from the place where she’d just murdered the guest of honor in front of everyone.” He’d never forget it. “I got out to run after her, and she doubled back and stole the damn thing while my back was turned. Left me standing there on the sidewalk like a dumbass.”

Ty hooted, rocking back on his heels. “That’s awesome.”

Zack couldn’t help but grin, because itwaskinda funny. Now. “Didn’t see that one coming.”

“Don’t feel bad, we’ve all been there.”

“Yeah? What happened with you?”

“Megan escaped her cell during SERE training and scared the shit out of me by showing up unannounced at my campsite in the middle of the forest one night,” Ty answered.

“Holy shit.” Having seen and learned what he had about the women so far, that wasn’t a stretch. “What about you?” he asked Heath.

Heath grimaced. “Chloe cornered me outside a train station and put a knife to my junk.”

Zack’s eyes widened. “Seriously?”

Heath lifted a shoulder. “She only nicked me a little, just to make a point—pun intended. Wasn’t the greatest start, but it left an impression.”

“I’ll bet. Hell, sounds like I got off easy,” Zack said.

“Are we shooting here, or just shooting the shit?” Jesse strode over from his ATV with a rifle in his arms.

“Tell him what Amber did to you on that highway outside Damascus,” Ty said to him.

Jesse shot him a frown. “Why?”

“Because, we’re comparing notes about how badly we underestimated the ladies when we first met.”

Jesse turned his gaze on Zack, a fond look on his face. “It was a motorcycle chase. We were on a highway, and I couldn’t catch her. Came around a bend going full tilt, and there she was standing in the middle of the road pointing a weapon at me.”

Yeah, Eden had let him off easy compared to the others. “What did you do?”

“Dumped my bike. Wound up like road kill on the side of the road. She drove off and left me lying there all beat to hell and feeling sorry for myself. Bike was completely trashed, so I had to hitch a ride back into the city and start hunting for her all over again.”

Zack shook his head, impressed and glad he’d only been drugged and left behind. “You can bet I won’t underestimate any of them ever again.”

Jesse nodded. “Smart man. Each of them are incredible in their own right. But together?” He whistled, his expression saying it all. Their enemies were in deep shit.

“I can imagine.” It was sexy, though. Knowing Eden was that capable in so many different areas. What other secrets had she hid from him?

“So, we doing this, or what?” Jesse said.

“Always busting our balls,” Ty said, smirking as he put on his earmuffs.

The four of them shot until they were out of ammo, then loaded back onto the ATVs and started back for the manor house. Testosterone got the better of them, and turned the journey back into a race approximately six seconds in.

Ty shot out in front initially, pursued by Jesse. Always game to be part of the group, Zack gunned his ATV to catch up, only to be cut off by a rooster tail of dirt kicked up by Heath.

They jockeyed back and forth on a different and longer route back, trying to cut each other off in their quest to come in first. A quarter mile from the outbuilding where the ATVs were kept, Zack saw his chance and took it, flooring it up an incline to the top of a hill, then veering sharp left toward the others.

Ty jerked his ATV out of the way just in time to avoid a near collision. Zack whooped as he flew past, holding a fist up with his middle finger extended.

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