Page 27 of F*ck Steal Kill

“Yeah. In our little town, the XOXO killer is equivalent to the football God in a small town. But in the real world, we’re still a nobody, barely a blip. I don’t like feeling that way, that I could be nothing again.” I sucked in a breath, letting it out slowly and keeping my heart rate steady. “We didn’t consider we could attract someone in this way. That they’d be after us, and not in a jail-type way. I’d accepted it as a possible outcome, but not this… not being murdered or trafficked ourselves. XOXO was our way out, our chance to do something beyond Foolshope.”

“Who says we still can’t?” Joy asked.

“It’s too dangerous. People are looking for us!” I panic-whispered, my stomach clawing up my throat again.

“No…” Lacey drawled out like she was talking to a child. “They’re looking for a man. You heard it yourself. They don’t suspect you or us in the slightest. I mean, they thought you might be a Savage spy, but after their little recon today, they’ve ruled that out. So, really, we’re back to where we started, except this time, we have the upper hand.”

Lacey’s no-nonsense attitude soothed me, and I nodded. She was right. We now knew more than they did. The feeling of power returned, and a coy smile formed on my lips.

“Okay, yeah, you’re right. I’ll avoid them until they’re gone then. That should be easy enough.”

Lacey and Joy shared a look across me, and I knew I wouldn’t like what they had to say next.

“Well… it might not be a bad idea to keep tabs on them. And since you already made contact, you’d have an easier time,” Joy said, fluttering her eyelashes. It made her look more innocent, but I knew the devil she was underneath despite her angelic appearance.

I opened my mouth to protest; the thought of being near all three was too much to handle. I’d already let myself get too close and had almost compromised our entire operation.

No, it would be best if I stayed away. They’d ruin me and then leave like everyone else did in the end. My hands clenched, another wave of anxiety hitting me in my chest.

“Unless you want us to divide and conquer. Joy can take the sweet one and corrupt him up real nice. And I’ll take the hot boss. I have a secretary outfit I could wear. I wonder if he likes to spank? A good bending over a desk does a woman good,” Lacey hummed, licking her lips.

“The fuck you will,” I hissed before I could stop myself.

Lacey leaned back, pretending to blow on her nails before wiping them on her shirt. Rolling my eyes at myself, I huffed and laughed at falling into her trap.

“And my job here is done.”

“Ugh, fine. I like them, and that scares me. I threw out all my rules when I was with just two of them. So now I’m worried I’ll confess everything if I was with all three.”

My eyes grew big as I pleaded with them to understand. It wasn’t just about me and my fear of commitment, but their safety, too.

“Nonsense, Hols. One, your gut isn’t broken, no matter what you think. And two, you’d throw yourself in front of a bus before harming either of us. When you love, you love hard, which is why I think these three scare you. They’re not like the normal fuck guys,” Joy vowed, her words so confident I paused and reassessed her.

What had I missed? Was I making it into something bigger than necessary? Was it only the fear stopping me? Because I didn’t let fear control me. I stared that bitch in the face and screamed, daring it to underestimate me like everyone else in my life. So why was this time different?

“I’m not sure why I’m so scared,” I admitted, my hands fidgeting in my lap as I stared down at them. The earlier panic attack had stolen all my bravado, leaving me vulnerable and insecure.

I could feel them silently communicating over my head, but I didn’t care enough this time to look up to see what it was about.

“We’ll figure this out together, Hols. We always do. In the meantime, I think a plan of action and getting out of the house could do wonders for you. You get cranky when you’re cooped up,” Lacey said, patting my back awkwardly.

She wasn’t big on personal touch, so that small action meant a lot. Blowing out a breath, I nodded and straightened my back.

“You’re both absolutely right. We know Q will be watching Matt Donaldson, Max will be in the hotel, and Grady’s doing some reports. Though, I don’t doubt for one second that Grady was giving all the details. He’s a slippery one.”

“His cleverness is a turn-on for you. Admit it,” Joy cooed, nudging my shoulder with hers. My face heated, so I ignored her, not wanting to lie.

“What do we do about the other team? Not that I want us to be caught, but they’re three guys who haven’t earned death as far as I can tell,” Lacey said, bringing us back to the topic.

“We only know one name. Do you think we could hack their systems?” I asked, turning my head to Joy.

“Unlikely. If they’re an organization, they’re probably on Phantasm’s level. I’m good, but I don’t have all the gadgets or keys to hack into anything secure-secure.”

Biting my lip, I placed my head on my hand as I thought. “They said they wanted to recruit… why?” I mused.

“Because we’re badass, obviously,” Lacey answered, sitting back and crossing her legs. “Tonight, Joy and I will finish our jobs, and you go try to distract Quentin.”

“With your pussy,” Joy chimed in, giggling, so I smacked her.

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