Page 34 of The Devil We Know

I shrug, one hand coming up and waving in the air. “Yes and no.”

“There is no yes and no, Matt. Either you’re in good with the Beast, you don’t exist to the Beast, or you’re dead by the hand of the Beast.”

“I may have seen him a time or two.”

Kaian laughs boisterously, and he leans forward in his chair and slaps his thigh with his hand a couple of times as he crows, “I fucking knew it. People told me I was crazy, but I fucking knew it.”

“Knew what?”

“That you two were thick as thieves.”

“Well, I don’t know about thick as thieves,” I reply dryly.

“And frankly, I don’t know who is more frightening?”

I give him a questioning look, shaking my head, and then he says, “The Beast or Mrs. Beast?”

Now I laugh loudly, truly going to enjoy the day when I get to tell Antoinette that she’s known as “Mrs. Beast” because that’s going to piss her off. “I wouldn’t call her that to her face.”

Kai puts his hands up defensively as he quips, “Don’t look at me.”

I sigh. For a moment, I don’t feel as out of control as I have for the last few hours, and I say, “So, you’ll do it?”

He doesn’t answer at first, and I eye him speculatively, as I watch the wheels in his head turning. But then he nods. “Well, fuck it. I may as well.”

“You’ll have to remember the location and what you have to say. I don’t want anything in writing, no text strings, nothing.”

He nods and then stands and states, “Make sure you keep the message short then because my memory isn’t what it once was.”

“Oh, don’t worry,” I reply with a snort. “It will be short and sweet.”

He raises his brows as he asks, “Well, what is it then?”

I smile. “Fuck around time.”

14

Busted Chops

Antoinette

For the last thirtyminutes, I’ve been watching this guy on the outside cameras wander along, feigning nonchalance.

For the last five minutes, I’ve been trying to decide which door I want to have miraculously be unlocked, while also hoping someone else might come along in the meantime and ask him what he’s doing.

Because I can’t figure out what he thinks he’s doing, given the fact he’s not even dressed stealthily. Actually, there’s nothingstealthy about him, considering he’s been lumbering around out there blatantly looking for a way in.

Part of me wants to allow him into the building so I can play a few games with him, but I know if anyone finds out I did such a thing, I’ll be in deep trouble. Not that I’m entirely opposed to trouble, but I prefer to stay out of the type of trouble that could get anybody I care about killed.

Sighing, I switch to the cameras to my phone and then slowly make my way out the far side of the building so I can circle around and play with him out of doors.

I send off a quick message, letting everyone know that trouble may be about and I’m going to investigate.

I then immediately mute my phone so I don’t have to hear the incessant pinging of a bunch of people telling me to cool my jets and wait.

They should know by now that cooling my jets isn’t really something I do. While I won’t intentionally throw myself into danger, the idea that I can’t handle one lone man in the darkness is ludicrous.

Of course, I’m sure there could be a whole slew of men out there waiting to ambush me, and if that’s the case, then I am a dumb shit.

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