Page 125 of Choices

“Kitty fits the profile better.”

“Because she’s blonde? Wear a wig,” I snap.

“Fine.” Rogue places her hands on her hips. “I’ll be the bait alone.”

A knock comes at the door, and Monster swings it open, keeping his arm braced on it for Kitty to duck under. “What the hell is going on? These walls are like paper.”

“We’re just getting Cutter caught up on the plan.” Rogue smiles, but it doesn’t reach her eyes.

“Without me?” Kitty’s eyes slice to mine. “I thought you were getting snacks.”

“Cutter wants you to sit this out,” Monster informs her before I can open my mouth.Prick.

“Is that right? I don’t remember saying Cutter can speak for me.” The room is too small to contain so many attitudes.

“It’s too dangerous, Kit.” I state, feeling all the heat leave my body. She’s not going to listen to reason. It’s part of what makes me so fucking crazy about her.

“You weren’t even part of this. You should be grateful we’re including you at all.” Kitty squares her shoulders, glaring at me.

Fucking stubborn woman. “Fine.” I rake a hand through my hair. “When’s the meet?”

“Two in the morning,” Monster states.

Grabbing his wrist, I twist to look at the time on his watch. “That’s an hour from now.”

“Good job—you can tell time,” Rogue retorts.

“Typically, I’d prefer more time to get things in order, but I got tripped up on the date thinking it would be tomorrow night, not the morning,” Monster says.

“Do we know the layout of this bar—all the exits and routes out of there?” I ask, not liking how rushed this feels.

“I got all of that off the internet and did a drive-by while you were fucking,” he informs so casually, it takes me a second to catch the last bit.

Kitty bites her lip to stifle a laugh, and Rogue turns up her nose like she smells something rotten. “Paper-thin walls,” Monster clarifies when I frown at him.

“Let’s go over the plan again,” I snap, changing the subject back to what’s important.

Dive bar is right. Half the sign is missing, and the parking lot is a mud field with sawdust thrown over it. There’s a main entrance and a back exit where the staff takes the trash out. Monster said there’s also a basement door where they take in deliveries, but I don’t see it. He helped himself to one of the other motel guests’cars and said we should travel in pairs so we don’t raise any suspicion if the killer is watching the entrance.

Squelching through a mud puddle, I cuss into the bitter air. The heat of the day has been snuffed out by the clear dark night, and I have no fucking clue where we are. I don’t like being underprepared, especially with so much at risk. I’ve already had a missed call from Callan and a voicemail asking where the fuck I am.

Pushing through the entrance door, the smell of stale sweat and beer hits me in the face. Country music plays through the speakers, and a couple middle-aged women are line dancing on a makeshift dancefloor made from old wood pallets painted black. Booths run along every wall, and bar tables and stools are dotted around in every available space. To the left of the room, there’s a raised platform with a couple stairs leading to pool tables occupied by a crowd of people laughing and joking.

Slipping onto a stool at the bar, I scan the room for Rogue. Her auburn hair and pretty face stand out amongst some of the other women in here. She’s by the jukebox, taking her time picking a song.

“What can I get you, darlin’?” the bartender asks, her tits spilling out of the strip of material she calls a shirt straining to contain them.

“Whatever you have on tap,” I say, pulling out a twenty and dropping it on the bar. Her dark hair is streaked with red, catching in the pink light flashing CASH ONLY behind her. Lines web around her eyes and mouth, not from age but a hard life.

I survey the room for Monster. He’s at the far end of the room in a booth, his eyes trained on the entryway. My phone buzzes from my pocket, and Rogue’s name lights up the screen.

Rogue: Where is Kitty?

Me: She couldn’t make it. You’re up.

Rogue: What did you do?

Without replying, I stuff my phone back in my pocket and keep Rogue in my view at all times. I want to get this over as quickly as possible to get back to untie Kitty. She thought I was being kinky when I ripped the pillowcase into four strips and wrapped one around her wrist and then to the bedpost. It sunk in when I shoved one of the pieces into her mouth.“Paper-thin walls,”I teased, before tying her other wrist, knowing by the look of pure white fury in her eyes I was going to have to make this up to her with more than just sexual favors. There was no way I was having both of them here as bait. We can’t watch two of them.

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