Page 112 of Slay Ride

“Go on, little bird friend,” Cat says to the more timid of the two. “We won’t let the big asshole harm you. Get yourself a strip of flesh.”

Eve chuckles. “You’re like a Disney princess, only darker.”

The little bird hops forward, then joins its friend. It clings to the red jumpsuit and pecks at the blood dribbling down the man’s neck. After a few well-placed jabs, the bird tears off a bit of meat and tips back its head to swallow the chunk. All the while, the man keeps screaming.

“I think our work here is done,” Cat says. “Let’s allow the birds to finish him off. It’s cold, and they’re hungry.”

I wrap my arm around her waist and pull her against my side. “If that’s what you want, then that’s what we’ll do.”

Maverick and Eve agree, and we set off again.

The four of us hunt until dark. Cat surprises all of us when she tags a woman in a pink jumpsuit, proving me wrong about her inability to hit a moving target weaving through trees. Eve finished her off with a blade. Maverick and I don’t end up with a kill, but that’s okay. We’ve had more than the girls probably ever will, considering we’re contract killers.

Well, Iwasa contract killer. I don’t know what I’ll do when we get back from the trip.

“What’s bugging you?” Cat whispers as we make our way back to the starting area. Maverick and Eve walk a few feet ahead of us, arguing over who gets to hold the compass.

I don’t really want to talk to Cat about my employment woes. A man without a job isn’t exactly sexy. I also don’t want to give anyone ammo. Who could encourage their friend to date a man who can’t even keep a roof over his sickly mother’s head?

So I smile down at Cat and shake my head. “Nothing at all, kitten. I’m just thinking about the masquerade tonight.”

“Oh, shit!” Eve says, and she and Maverick stop walking so that we can catch up. “I completely forgot that was tonight. How will you two manage this . . . whatever this is?”

“I have no idea,” Cat says. She hooks her arm within Eve’s, and Maverick matches my stride as we all keep walking. “I hadn’t really thought about it. Maverick’s almost a foot taller than Bennett, so there’s no chance he can pull off a switcheroo with everyone that close.”

“Kindra has something planned for tonight, too, but she won’t tell me what,” Eve says.

“Yeah, she mentioned something to me,” Maverick adds. “She wanted to make sure Cat and I matched.”

“Ow!” Cat snatches her hand from mine, and only then do I realize I was squeezing it.

“Sorry,” I say as I take her hand in mine again. “I didn’t mean to hurt you. It’s just hard to stomach . . .”

Eve glances at me. “Wow, you really do have it bad.”

Yeah, I do.

“Maybe we could break up,” Cat says. “At the ball, I can dump Maverick and say we’re better as friends. Then I can go to my room and hang out with Bennett.”

“And miss the entire ball?” Eve asks.

“Yeah,” Cat and I say in unison. After all the murder, we clearly have the same thing on our minds: a hot shower and hot sex.

“Not to be that guy,” Maverick says, “but Kindra and Ezra put a lot of work into the ball. I think you guys should at least attend.”

“I hate to admit it, but he’s right. Ezra won’t give a shit either way, but Kindra would want you there.” I brush the hair away from her eyes so that she can see how serious I am. “I’ll keep it together for you, and if seeing you and Maverick together gets to be too much, I’ll head back to your room and hang out with your stupid cat until you’re finished at the ball.”

“Maybe it won’t come to that,” Eve says. “We mainly just need to keep Kindra occupied. I can handle that, and I’m sure Ezra?—”

I shake my head. “Ezra wants no part in any scheming, and if you knew Kindra a little better, you wouldn’t either.”

“It wouldn’t be the first time someone has been pissed at me.” Eve shrugs. “But I don’t think Kindra will react how everyone anticipates. Maverick, are you in?” She faces him.

“I’m flying straight to Texas from here, so it won’t matter if Kindra is pissed at me,” Maverick says.

“And Rosie will help too,” Cat adds. “Grim does whatever she commands, so that puts two more people on our side.”

When they all put it like that, maybe it is doable.

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