Page 25 of What Doesn't Kill Us

I give myself a sharp pinch on my thigh. “Snap out of it, Toni. You have shit to do; there’s no time for all these fucking feelings.”

I feel a tickling trickle between my legs and grimace. Now that sexy time has passed, the sticky wetness coating my inner thighs isn’t so hot.

I get up, walk to the bathroom, and turn on the shower before facing the mirror. I inspect myself. Once again, I look a mess.

I cock my head, raising my eyebrows at my reflection, noting the various hickeys and love bites across my person. I stick my tongue out at myself, then go about getting ready for the day.

Eventually, I make my way out to the main living area and head to the kitchen. I see Tony and Matt sitting in the breakfast bar, drinking coffee.

About halfway across the living room, I stop in my tracks and look around. There are two men tied to chairs in the middle of the room.

I look over at Matt and Tony, who now notice my presence, and I raise my brows at them questioningly. They both give me innocent grins, and I roll my eyes. “For fuck sake, guys. You can’t tie people up in our living room.”

Tony frowns, raising a hand toward the men currently tied up in the living room. “Apparently, we can.”

I frown, then walk over and give him a friendly punch on the arm. “What are they doing here?”

Matt speaks up. “I caught them lurking around the property.”

“Well, maybe they live here?” I’m not sure how many apartments are in this building since it’s enormous, but each unit also appears to be large. The parking garage spans the entire bottom floor, but they use it for public parking as well, so it’s difficult to gauge how many people have access to the main building.

Tony shakes his head. “Nope. I went down and hung back long enough to hear them talking. They were waiting around to grab Darius.”

My eyes widen, and I catch myself gaping at him dumbly before I snap my mouth shut. I look over at the two men, who appear to be regular-looking folks. Apparently, I’ve seen too many movies, and I think all the goons should look like goons. I turn back to the guys and ask, “What have they told you so far?”

They both shrug, then Matt answers, “Nothing yet. We haven’t asked them anything.”

“How long have they been tied up there?”

Matt glances at his watch. “Few hours, I guess. It’s best to let them be extremely uncomfortable for a bit before bothering to question them. Especially since I don’t want to get blood on the carpet.”

Tony eyes the living room floor critically. “That’s definitely a rug, and likely an expensive one at that.”

Matt gives Tony a bland look as he replies, “Carpet. Rug. Who gives a fuck?”

“Pretty sure the insurance adjuster would.” Tony deadpans.

Matt glares at him, then picks up his cup of coffee and sips it loudly.

I roll my eyes at the two of them. “You two are fucking children, I swear. How you guys have lived this long, doing the work you do, is amazing.”

Tony grins at me. “I guess we’re plain old lucky.”

I go over and grab myself a cup of coffee or espresso or whatever the fuck this pitch-black nectar is, then turn and lean against the counter. “So, are we gonna do this here or take them somewhere else?”

Tony sighs, obviously put out by the situation. “I considered here, but it’s not exactly soundproofed, so unless we can get information without them screaming bloody murder, we may have to go somewhere else.”

I squint at the two men, then turn to Tony. “Well, if you move them to the tub, that will at least help with the mess.”

They both raise their brows and look at each other before looking back at me. Matt speaks first. “Well, well, Toni. It seems you’re really thinking outside of the box here.”

“What can I say? I’m feeling brilliant today.” I give them a smile and waggle my eyebrows at them.

There’s a ruckus behind me and turn to find Lilith standing over one man, who is now tied to a chair that’s on its side. Blood pours from his nose, and Matt says from behind me, “So much for no blood on the carpet.”

Tony laughs. “I don’t think Lilith gives any fucks about the rug.”

Lilith gives him an annoyed look over her shoulder, then she turns back to the bleeding man. “I think this fucker will squeal like the pig he is without too much trouble.”

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