Page 3 of Hell Hath No Fury

Matt’s hands fall from my arms, and he moves away as he shakes his head. “No word so far.”

“And there’s no way to notify him? No way at all to reach him?”

He shakes his head again. “But he usually shows up randomly when anything crazy is going on. I’m not sure if he’s found a way to monitor our chats, but I’m hoping we’ve put up enough chatter for him to catch wind of it.”

“And do you think this will be what brings him out of hiding?”

Matt shrugs, motioning for me to proceed him to the SUV, where he opens the passenger front door for me. I climb inside, and he shuts the door behind me before walking around to the other side and getting behind the wheel. Mickey climbs in the back, and once he’s situated and buckled, Matt turns to me and responds, “If anything is going to bring Darius around, it would be this.”

Darius has been quiet for months, and though we sporadically get word from him, for the most part, it’s like he’s just gone. I know this hurts Matt, Tony, and Declan, but at the same time, they recognize that Darius would only stay hidden if he had legitimate reasons. And since this is the first indication we’ve gotten that Antoinette is even alive, it has definitely thrown us all into a bit of a tailspin.

Not one to waste time on useless chitchat, I ask, “What’s the plan?”

Matt grins, focused on the road as he exits the airport and makes his way to the freeway. “Camilla has a date set up with her.”

“Really? Already?”

He nods, his grin getting even bigger as he says, “Oh, yeah. Brunch tomorrow,” he pauses, glances at the clock on the dash, and then adds, “Or should I say later today.”

“I like her style.”

He grins again, then asks, “Any idea what time Agatha will get here?”

I pull my phone out, check my messages, and then respond, “Looks like they’re only a few hours behind us.”

He grins. “Good. We’re gonna need her.”

“For what?”

“Shock value,” he says, his grin turning slightly unhinged. “That Irish twin face just may do the trick.’

2

A Tricky Trickster

Antonio

Neverinmywildestdreams would I have dreamt I would be sitting on a plane with the second-born daughter of the woman who not only betrayed me but also almost single-handedly destroyed me.

And I’m not even mad about it.

Maybe this says more about me than I care to admit, but the relief I get from knowing I hold no ill will against the children of this woman is intense. That’s not at all how the men in my business conduct themselves, and this revelation speaks volumes about the progress I’ve made in the art of targeted retribution.

Agatha greeted me like an old friend because, as she explained, I’m not her father, and regardless of how shitty I might be, I’m still a huge improvement over the shitbag who provided half of her DNA.

I couldn’t help but smile at her explanation, especially since she decided to explain without direct provocation from me. Thisgoes to prove that Agatha, for all of her flippancy and tendency to give zero fucks, is far more perceptive than one might realize, making her an asset and also quite possibly a serious danger.

But there was something about my demeanor cueing her to the thought process that made me soften toward her even more, removing a bit of the old starch from my normal, coldly stoic persona. Sighing, I glance down at my phone again, annoyed yet not surprised that Lilith hasn’t replied to my last text messages.

Agatha’s voice breaks through my annoyance. “Have you tried talking to her about it?”

“Who?” I reply flippantly, my need to feign ignorance completely lost on me, but it seems acting out of character is going to be my new baseline amidst the fuck-around crew, as they most affectionately call themselves.

She quirks a brow at me, inclining her head like I’m some kind of idiot, but says nothing. I frown, unsure what she’s referring to yet also entirely sure I don’t want to talk about it. Still, I ask, “Talked toherabout what?”

She snorts and shakes her head. “I know you’re not actually this stupid, and since I’m not prone to lectures, let me just say that you should just talk to her. She’s an asshole but far more reasonable than anyone gives her credit for.”

“Reasonable? Lilith?”

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