Page 54 of Kortlek

I raise an amused eyebrow at him, smirking lightly. “I think you may be into pain a little more than you think.

He grips my hips firmly, pulling me closer to him. In a swift motion, I toss the cotton pad aside, straddling his lap, my arms wrapping around his neck. He softly kisses my jaw, sending a jolt of electricity down my body.

“I’m always open to testing it, bunny,’’ he murmurs.

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

Dark night falls over New York City.

The lights brighten up the buildings, and I pass by them in a blur. My helmet’s on a bit tighter than I’d like it to be, and since I’ve cut my hair, I no longer have to deal with it being matted from the wind.

Blair and Rose are closely behind me. We’re rushing, and at the same time, trying not to break any laws. Cove took it upon himself to do the maintenance of my bike, and I can tell that he did an amazing job. It’s fucking shiny. It hasn’t been shiny since I bought it.

Blair speeds past me, and I swear, I can hear her laugh.

Rose is more careful. She’s technically still a newbie and isn’t trying to rush into her death. She keeps a safe distance from me, moving to the right side, riding alongside me. Blair’s at the far right, stopping at a red light.

It’s cold.

The November night sends chills down my spine. I’m geared up, but it still pushes through thick clothes, my hands freezing under the leather gloves. I glance at Blair, and she’s giddy. She wants to race, which is something we do often.

But we do it in a secluded spot, with no traffic.

Doing it here would result in getting arrested, and I can’t have that on my record. One mishap and it would cost me the family secret and business. Something tells me that Noelle and Hudson will both be very, very pissed off by that.

Matter of fact, Blair can’t afford to get arrested either. She has spent a few years in prison already, and this time, I don’t know if Arlo could pull off massacring an entire prison to set her free. How he did it the first time without getting caught or leaving any DNA at the scene is still a mystery to me.

The green light turns on, and we take a right turn. The bar we’re going to is in a more reserved area, further away from our homes. Arlo and Blair live in the building next to me, and Rose officially moved in last week after her birthday.

Somehow, Blair managed to get information out of Arlo. I don’t want to think or question which methods she used; however, I am grateful that she got something out of him.

Wyatt’s been laying low. He’s been almost too silent.

Cove had another four fights in a span of two weeks, and not once did he appear in the basement. Arlo hired a few people to keep an eye out for him, but he was a no-show all four nights. He didn’t show up during Cove’s off nights, either.

Arlo doesn’t want to involve Mom and Dad yet, and I’m inclined to agree with that decision. The two of them would deal with Wyatt and the whole gang within a week; they’d wipe them off the face of the Earth and make it seem like they never existed.

I don’t want that.

They’ve fought enough of my battles. I’m not that proud not to ask for their help if I need it, but at the moment, I don’t. I’m not sure if I’ll be able to handle it all by myself; however, I won’t know unless I try. I’m determined to kill Wyatt myself.

Arlo and Cove spent a lot of time asking around, pulling strings, and contacting people all around. The gang is not quite open with their business yet. It takes time to establish a trusted relationship in this line of work, and they’re not patient enough.

However, Cove found someone who knows someone and asked about Wyatt — well, Karl. Apparently, he frequents this bar every Wednesday and Saturday with a couple of his friends. Blair suggested we go on a Friday and just ask around.

Rose’s job is pretty simple.

While Blair is asking the bartender a lot of questions, and I’m listening in and observing the bar for any unwanted faces, Rose will flirt around and put bugs and cameras within the bar wherever she can. Would her man absolutely massacre the bar if he found out what I asked Rose to do?

Yes, but James is also in prison, so fuck him.

We park behind the bar, leaving the helmets there. Blair’s the first one to strip out of the thick jacket, leaving her in some high-waisted black jeans and a crop top that would definitely make my brother stare.

Rose and I just unzipped ours. It’s too fucking cold to be walking around in a crop top. More or less, we’re dressed the same. It’s accidental, but it looks kind of cute. We grab our phones and wallets, and Rose puts the bugs and cameras in her pocket, ready to use them.

“Ready?” Blair asks.

I nod.

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