Page 423 of Filthy Elites

I slunk to the edge of the glow and peered inside.

Brant was just sitting down at a small table at the back of the space, across from a slim woman with a pale pixie cut. Well, I had figured he was seeing someone, although I hadn’t realized it was more serious than some hookups with a gang groupie. Was this just a dinner date?

But something about the woman’s face held my attention. I squinted at her, taking in her profile, the flicker of her tight smile, and the way she tugged at the short strands of blond hair at the back of her neck. Then she glanced toward the front of the café, giving me a full-face view, and my body stiffened.

It was Holly—Marcel’s ex-wife, the Rosano brothers’ former stepmother. The woman who’d lied to me about them making bets on how they could use me while fibbing to them about my supposed spying around the house. She’d cut her hair shorter, but it was the same icy shade, and her features were only a little more lined with age than they’d been seven years ago. She’d been pretty young back then—she couldn’t be older than her late thirties even now.

What the hell was Brant doing withher? From what the guys had said, Marcel had divorced her not long after the last time I’d seen her. She didn’t have any business with his family or the Hell Kickers anymore, not that she’d ever been part of the gang in the first place.

As much as she’d tried to get her husband to let her in on his business endeavors…

Understanding unfurled in my head. Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, right? I should know something about that. How pissed off might she have been when Marcel ended things and moved on to a younger model? And she’d obviously disliked me for whatever reasons, so maybe she’d liked the idea of sticking it to my family at the same time.

She’d weaseled her way back into Marcel’s business through the back door, found herself an inside man as her accomplice, and undermined one of his longest-standing alliances. What else did she have planned for the Rosanos while Brant could give her the inside scoop?

This… was not at all what Ezra had been expecting when he’d sent me here. He’d thought I could find the culprits right within the Hell Kickers’ ranks and deal out vengeance there. Holly was a wild card neither of us would have anticipated.

I could still get our vengeance, but I didn’t know how quickly I could put that in motion. I needed to talk to my brother first, make sure he didn’t strike back at the Rosanos while I did my work. Get the go-ahead to tell at least the brothers what I’d discovered so the Hell Kickers would back off on the Nobles. I didn’t have time to plan a subtle killing while a war was already swinging into full gear.

Besides, the brothers might want to deal with their former stepmom and her treachery their own way.

I watched Holly and Brant for a while longer, but all they did was talk, without any noticeable affection between them. Had she seduced him, or was this a purely professional arrangement? I guessed it didn’t really matter either way.

When they got up to leave, I hustled away. I had to get in touch with Ezra before I made any further moves. Holly, the mastermind behind the disastrous deal—who would have thought?

This time, I strode right into the brownstone and up to my bedroom. Thankfully, I flicked on the light before moving toward my bag with its concealed phone, or I might not have noticed Lucan sitting in the chair near the window before he realized what I was up to.

I stalled in my tracks at the sight of him and folded my arms over my chest as he stood up. “What’s with the repeat of the room invasion?”

He raised his eyebrows. “What’s with the repeat of the night-time stealth mission? I didn’t think you’d still feel the need to sneak around when we’re on the same side now.”

I rolled my eyes. “I didn’t slip out the window this time, and I’m back way before midnight. I think you’re tracking my movements a little too closely for someone who’s supposedly on my side.” Why was he still watching me that warily?

My stomach started to sink, but at the same time, Lucan’s stern expression fell. He took a step closer to me and stopped with an embarrassed dip of his head.

“I’m sorry,” he said. “Old habits—and I’ve always been the one who keeps the closest eye on things. If you were trying to figure out more about the war that’s brewing, I’d have hoped you’d let us in on it.”

I exhaled in a rush, his apology softening my momentary irritation. It was hard to be annoyed with Lucan in general when he thought so much like I did, always considering strategy and logistics. I’d have been wary of me too, even after everything we’d hashed out.

But I couldn’t bring him in on what I’d learned yet, not until I was sure of how Ezra wanted to handle the situation. I could set even more havoc in motion if I moved too incautiously myself, and my first loyalty was to the Nobles.

I strolled a little closer to Lucan, letting a teasing smile play with my lips. Letting myself appreciate him in a way I’d tried to resist the last time he’d been in my bedroom: the sculpted lines of his handsome face, the definition of his lean form that showed through his fitted button-up and slacks. The passionate alertness in his dark brown eyes.

I’d told Darius I wasn’t going to choose between the three of them. I was allowed to want all three of them now. And the last time Lucan had come into this room, I was the only one who’d gotten off. I could distract him from his questions and return the favor in a very enjoyable way.

“We can’t makeeveryaction we take a group operation,” I reminded him in a light tone. “I’m pretty sure you’re not bringing me around for all of your business activities. If I find something I think you need to know, I’ll fill you in.”

His pupils dilated at my approach, and an answering heat trickled through my veins. “Nothing to report so far, then?” he asked, his voice dipping lower.

“Nothing,” I agreed, hating the lie, and stopped when I was close enough to run my fingers down the front of his shirt. “But since you’re already here… I’m sure we could find other ways to occupy ourselves.”

He sucked in a breath. “Anthea…” But then he didn’t seem to know what else to say.

I trailed my fingers back up his chest to the side of his neck, holding his gaze. My heart thumped in a heady rhythm, anticipation building inside me. “You seemed to have all kinds of things you wanted to do with me when you thought I was the enemy. Have you suddenly lost interest in screwing me now that you know I’m not trying to screw you over?”

His throat worked. “No. Not at all.”

“Good.” I stroked my fingertips down his neck and then skimmed them all the way to the waist of his pants. “Because I remember how much you liked one particular thing we can do together.”

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