Page 114 of Lethal Vengeance
“Well, we are up early…” I tease him.
“Killer blow,” he retorts, his hand clutching his heart.
Last mile.
“Now that I’ve found that footage, all I can think about is finding more so I can see her again.” The words spill out onto the pavement.
He’s quiet for a minute. “Is that what you’ve been doing in your room every day?”
I tell him about Sophia and Julio. “Talking to Margot and Zane helped me wrap my head around most of it. But I still feel this overwhelming need to see more of her.”
“It makes sense to me,” he says, slowing to a stop when his watch beeps at the five-mile mark. “For the last three and a half years, you’ve thought of nothing but Sophia. Her disappearance, the investigation, her death, finding her killers, and delivering vengeance.”
When I nod in agreement, he continues, “You need to retrain your mind. Find something to focus on. Preferably something that will engage your brain in the same way. Zane always needs help fielding rescue requests. We don’t accept every mission. There’s a strict filtering process.”
A cramp kicks up in my calf, and I dig into my pocket for the baggie of salt.
“Zane?” he asks with an amused grin.
“It works,” I reply with a shrug.
The house comes into view.
“You’re not just Lord Charming, are you?” I tease.
A mischievous glint enters his eye. “Race you to the house? Winner makes breakfast.” Without waiting for a reply, he takes off.
I kick it into high gear behind him, knowing his long legs will beat my short sticks in a straight race every day of the week. I laugh. Little does he know… I can’t cook worth a damn.
He turns in a circle, arms raised high in the air, cheering his win. I plow into him, but he barely even stumbles.
“You win,” I announce, with a fake pout.
“With the proper incentive, I could be persuaded to forget about the win,” he offers, his voice husky. “A shower perhaps?”
Unable to resist, I stretch up and claim his mouth with mine.
“We do have neighbors, you know,” a familiar voice says behind me.
I immediately tense and pull away from Sterling. “Cruz! I…” What do I even say? I’d always dated several guys at once but drew the line at sleeping with more than one. Do I tell him… Zane told me I didn’t have to choose?
Sterling and Cruz exchange glances, a message passing between them. “I’m sure Gabriel is up by now. I’ll see you at breakfast.” He bends down and gives me a quick kiss, then strides into the house.
Cruz runs a hand through his hair. “I heard you took my Mustang out for a ride yesterday. How did it handle?”
I wince. “Sorry, I should have asked. Everything was crashing down on top of me, and I needed to get out of here. The Mustang is the only car I thought I could drive.”
He grabs my shoulders. “Whoa, it’s fine, Quinn. You can have anything of mine you want. There’s very little that means much to me. The men in that house, our work together, you, and Gabriel. That’s it. Everything else is just… stuff.”
I blow out a breath. “Zane said… I’m staying. Gabriel, too. I want all of this. You.” Words are escaping me. “I want more with all four of you.”
He exhales and drops his forehead onto mine for a second. “You had me worried for a while. Every day, I thought you were going to run and leave us behind. I’ve been trying to give you support and space, but it’s been tough as hell. When I left to find Rodrigo, you were so distant. I didn’t know if you’d be here when I got back.”
Shock renders me speechless. “I never had any idea.”
He raises his head and cups my jaw with his hands. “In Monterrey, you made your priorities very clear, and I had a lot of respect for your decision. Since you’ve been here, I couldn’t tell what you needed or wanted.”
“I’m sorry,” I murmur.
