Page 113 of Covenant

“I’ll keep it quick,” he promises me with a wink. He better. Though we hadn’t been working up to anything sexual, I’m still half-hard. My cock is basically Pavlov’s dog where Matthias is concerned. I just need to be near him and it’s ready.

I’m obsessed with him.

He glances down at my lap, his grin growing even as he answers the phone. “Wylder. What’s up?”

All joviality leeches from Matt’s face as he listens to his brother. It’s replaced by something darker, a cloud I haven’t seen there in a long time.

“No. I’m not supposed to be on the…” he turns from me and lowers his voice, “…schedule right now.”

Schedule? What schedule?

He gets up and marches for the door, presumably so I can’t overhear him. But like the puppet I am, I follow him.

He’s at the end of the hall, staring out the window into the pitch-dark garden. “I don’t give a fuck. Send Cade. This is more his skill set anyway.”

Matthias is tense, practically vibrating. I don’t like it. It makes me want to snatch his phone away and tell Wylder to go fuck himself. Instead, I wrap my arms around him from behind, leaning my head on his shoulder, letting him know I’m here.

He doesn’t relax back into me like he usually does. “Yes, I’m fully aware I’m capable. But this isn’t the deal we made, damnit.”

Capable of what? And what deal is he talking about? Something at work?

“Fine,” he exhales sharply. “I’ll do it, but this is the last time until March. Got it?”

I stiffen. March is the month everything is supposed to end between us. It’s too much of a coincidence to not be connected.

He hangs up without another word. His head drops forward, hanging low.

“What’s going on?” I rub between Matt’s shoulder blades. “What does Wylder want?”

“Work,” he says hollowly, turning to face me. There’s none of the man I’ve come to…know. He’s different right now, cold and unfeeling. “I’ll be out for a while. Don’t wait up.”

He pushes past me, his legs eating up the ground as he strides into our room. I practically run after him as anxiety pulses through me. “What kind of work does the law firm need from you at 11 p.m. on a Friday night for fuck’s sake?”

“This isn’t for the law firm,” Matthias says tonelessly. “This is…”, he runs a hand through his hair, “…something else.”

He stops before a cupboard, one I realize I’ve never seen opened. One that I never thought to go through. It looks like he’s trying to smile, but it comes across as a grimace. “Why don’t you go and ask Jules to make you that cocoa you like? The one with the strawberry syrup. I think he’s still up.”

My eyes narrow. “I’m not a fucking child, Matthias. Don’t treat me like one.”

“I’m not, it’s just…” He blows out a breath and tugs at his hair in frustration. Usually this would have me softening, but not now. Not when I’m fucking panicking about whatever he’s trying to hide from me. “I need you to leave the room, Wy. Please.”

“No,” I grind out. “Not until you tell me what the fuck is going on.”

His phone vibrates in his hand and he glances down at the screen. “Fuck. I don’t have time for this. Please. Just leave.”

I plant my feet and square my shoulders. “No.”

Another message comes through to him. He mutters another curse under his breath. “Fine. Suit yourself.”

My eyes widen as he opens a hidden panel revealing a key code.What the fuck?

A muscle jumps in his jaw as he rapidly types in a code. He tries to hide it, but I see it anyway. I recognize it immediately. Zero-one-two-five.

My birthday.

There’s a quiet beep and the cupboard swings open. My heart falters as I glimpse what’s inside. “What the fuck?”

He ignores me as he pulls out one of the three guns and methodically loads it with bullets. Along with the guns, there are several passports and a large stack of cash.

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