Page 57 of F*ck Steal Kill

Her body jerked at the explosion of noise. She held up her hands like a shield.

“One at a time, please. And inside voices. These rooms are not soundproof.”

“Temptress, you’re ours. Remember?” I answered, not waiting for the other two to mess it up.

“Even knowing what you do?” she asked, tilting her head back.

Max got up and sat next to me, taking her hand. His warm leg pressed into mine, and I enjoyed the added comfort of his presence.

“I know you won’t believe me when I say this, Holland, especially with your aversion to romance.” Max smiled, running his thumb over her hand and drawing her attention. I stared at him as well, loving this more confident and vocal side of him. “You’re already embedded in my heart. Finding this out only makes me like you more. The three of us don’t live a normal life, and none of us got into this line of work just to pay the bills. We all have a personal stake in this fight against the Savages. Your darkness doesn’t scare us, sweetheart. It compliments ours.”

“So, what does that mean?” she asked, licking her lips. She turned to Grady, somehow knowing he’d be the one to answer this part.

“You have no idea why a member of the Savages would be after you?” he asked, rubbing his jaw.

Holland opened her mouth, and I could already tell what she was about to say would be half a lie; her stomach had clenched up, her legs trembling.

Before she could answer, the door burst open, and a cacophony of things happened all at once.

I lifted Holland and threw her between the wall and the bed out of harm’s way. She screamed at me, but I’d deal with it later. I’d rather she be safe and mad than dead. Fear gripped me as fury roared. I couldn’t believe I’d forgotten to check the locks.

Max and Grady reached for their guns, raising them a few seconds before I could grab mine. Two girls, one short and one tall, shrieked, raising their hands as they stared at us with big eyes.

“Wait! Don’t shoot. We’re friends of—”

“Lacey? Joy? I’m going to kill you both,” Holland muttered, pulling herself up. She glared at me, but I shrugged. I’d do it again. “Lower your weapons. They’re my friends.” She stood tall, her eyes narrowing at the three of us who hadn’t lowered our guns yet. Max was the first to relent, dropping his arms.

Sighing, she rolled her eyes and peeked around the corner, spotting her friends. The second they saw her, they flew to her and looked her over like mother hens.

Huffing, I lowered and holstered my gun after turning on the safety. Grady did the same, stalking to the door and shutting it, latching all the locks this time. He crossed his arms, his resting asshole face intact as he leaned against it.

“Seriously? You’re going to use intimidation to keep them in here?” Holland asked, scowling.

Grady didn’t reply, he just lifted his shoulders. It looked like they were back to not trusting one another. I was starting to believe it was an act of foreplay for Grady.

“Oh my God, I can’t believe you were stabbed,” the shorter one said, her hands hovering over Holland as she glanced around the room, and it wasn’t to check if the room was clean. No, she was searching for something. Weapons? Exits? Cameras?

“What did you tell them?” the taller one asked, eyeing us. She had cataloged Holland’s injuries quickly, moving on to assess us with a critical gaze. Her arms were crossed over her chest, her fingers twitching against something.

Pieces of a puzzle I hadn’t known I was solving started slotting into place. Holland was clever and more than met the eye. I didn’t take her for someone who’d be friends with idiots. These two girls had known she was with us. Grady and I had heard her on the phone tell them. What were the odds that her friends were also able to slip under the radar?

Three girls working together would throw off the profile. They’d always have an alibi and the necessary muscle to help pull it off. If they were as close as I believed, they’d easily follow Holland down her path of power and justice. And Holland would protect them by outing herself to us.

They were best friends, the type willing to kill and help bury the bodies. The kind most people only dreamed of having.

They were just like Max, Grady, and I. Maybe even closer.

This was what Holland was hiding—her friends.

I glanced up, Holland’s green eyes meeting mine. I had a feeling she’d been watching me the whole time, knowing I’d be able to put it together with the correct information. And now she wondered if it was safe or if I’d out her to my best friends.

Knowing it wouldn’t hurt either of them, I’d give her this, letting her tell them when she was ready. Nodding, I kept my mouth shut, dropping her eyes to look at the others. The tall one had been watching the exchange, a smile crossing her face. She didn’t have the same reservations about keeping Holland’s secret.

And like the best friend she was, she wouldn’t let her friend go down alone.

“She’s protecting us. I can tell she told you something, but I guarantee she didn’t tell you everything.”

“Lacey!” Holland hissed, moving to stop her. The shorter one blocked her, proving my point she was stronger than she appeared to be, too.

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