Page 21 of Rush

“What do we do?” asked Joseph.

“Wheel it out onto the patio. Don’t let the dogs come out here. The snakes will attack them without provocation.”

Noah gently wheeled the cart out to the patio, leaving it close to the edge of the railing. Trak walked out, tying a rope to the handle, then pushed everyone back inside.

Watching safely from the windows, he pulled on the lid, and two giant cobras unfurled, curving their necks as they hissed.

“Shit,” muttered Moose. “They would have bit me.”

“They would have bitten anyone,” said Caroline. “They don’t discriminate. They’ll find their way down the building and avoid people. He was definitely sending us a message. But I might suggest we search the room.”

The team turned over every chair, mattress, and carpet, ensuring that there was nothing left in the room that could bite, sting, or otherwise kill them. When another knock on the door came, it was the actual room service delivery.

“Good evening. I have your order,” smiled the young man. He removed the dome to reveal several cheeseburgers and French fries. Frowning, he wondered why the Americans jumped backwards but just nodded, leaving them to their meal.

“I guess there’s no arguing now,” said Caroline. “I’m headed home tomorrow.”

“I’ll go with her,” said Red. “I’ll make sure she gets home and then come back. It won’t take that long, and you’re going to need the help.”

Just as Trak was about to speak, there was a pounding on the door. Rush waved at Caroline to hide, and she shook her head. But when Trak stared at her, causing her to cringe, she acquiesced and retreated to the bedroom while the others cautiously opened the door.

“Hear y’all are having a party. We’d like to join.”

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Rafe, Baptiste, Gabriel, Nine, Ghost, Ian, Gaspar, Alec, and Tailor smiled at the men. Behind them, hidden by their bulk, were Eric, Zeke, and Kiel.

“We couldn’t let y’all have all the fun,” smiled Ghost. “Besides, my bones were starting to itch. I needed to scratch them, and this is a good one to do it on.”

“I can’t believe you’re all here,” squealed Caroline, hugging each man. “Does this mean I still have to go home?”

“Yes!” called every man in the room.

“Doug and Chipper will be taking you home, along with Frank and Dalton. They’re staying with the plane at the airport for the time being. Tomorrow morning, they’ll be here before daylight to take you out of here,” said Gaspar.

“The old guys are at it again,” smirked Joseph.

“The old guys will kick your ass,” frowned Ghost. “Damn, I’ve missed this. Grigoryan is a pain in the ass for anyone who has been in the field in the last fifty years. That includes all of us. We heard all the conversations and knew we wanted to be a part of this.”

“Hey, are you guys aware that there are two cobras on your balcony?” asked Rafe, staring out the windows.

“Yes, we’re aware,” said Moose. “Someone tried to ruin my dinner.”

“He knows who we are,” said Trak, quietly sitting in the corner. “He ordered dessert for us while we were at dinner tonight. Had the audacity to come to the table.”

“Always was a ballsy bastard,” frowned Ian. “He’s like a fucking cat with nine lives.”

“Well, he’s going to lose this last life,” said Rush. Alec and Tailor turned and grinned at the young man.

“I sure hope you have better taste in clothes than Tailor in case I need to borrow something,” smirked Alec. Rush could only chuckle, shaking his head.

“By the way, we hear congratulations are in order,” said Nine.

“That’s right,” he grinned. “I almost waited too long. Runty little Italian bastard was sniffing around my girl. I had to set him straight.”

“He was not!” laughed Caroline. “Thank you, Uncle Nine. Yes, we’re engaged, and hopefully, as soon as all this is done, we’ll be married.”

“No hopefully about it,” said Rush. “We’ll be married the minute I set foot on Belle Fleur land again.” He hugged Caroline, kissing the top of her head.

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