Page 60 of F*ck Steal Kill

“How did you go from that to XOXO, then?” Max asked, glancing up from his computer.

“We realized she was right, and if we ever wanted to get out of this town, we needed to make more money than we got working at the Inn. It made sense to create an app that would give us a wide range and anonymity. Joy’s a genius coder, so she created it to weed out the losers and people looking for petty revenge. We have strict criteria for all jobs we accept and put each case through an extensive background check before they even reach us, so we don’t waste our time.”

“How do people find your app?” Grady asked.

“Through word of mouth, mostly. They have to get it from someone with a password. If they pass the initial round of checks, they get the link to download. We’re also posted in various spots on the dark web with some different checks in place,” Lacey spoke, focusing on her nails like she didn’t have a care in the world.

“How do you charge people?” Max asked. His eyes were focused, but I could tell he was running everything I said through his big brain as he tried to understand our operation.

“Some things we charge based on the task, others what they could afford. One of our first jobs led us to meet Phantasm, and he’s been helping us out ever since. He’s a dark web pro and will send us jobs he finds on occasion and keeps an eye out for any interest in us. With his assistance, we’ve created a network of people outside of regular channels we can trust to help people,” Joy replied, a sweet smile on her face. She loved this.

“The night I was here, and Grady came in, he’d sent a warning that someone was onto us and to keep a low profile. I didn’t know it was you guys then, but I overheard you talking about the Savages. It was the same day we got the first message, so I bolted, all of it seeming too coincidental.”

“And he’s who sent you to the hotel today?” Quentin asked.

Nodding, I looked at the guys, running everything through my head. “We chose XOXO because it’s how we always ended our messages to one another growing up, believing at the time all you needed was a friend to hug and kiss it better. Then we all grew up, and our hugs and kisses became murder and theft.”

“Your operation is impressive. And quite frankly, you would’ve gone unnoticed if these two hadn’t fallen for you.”

“Just those two?” I challenged, lifting my eyebrow. Memories of him cradling my head and telling me not to die had surfaced. Grady’s blue eyes held mine, neither of us blinking.

“So we don’t have to worry about the feds or local police knocking on our door?” Lacey asked, interrupting our stare-off.

“No. The Shadows exist outside of any law enforcement. You only got on our radar because we run algorithms looking for certain behaviors, and this area popped up. None of the deaths connect in any way, meaning anyone else wouldn’t see a pattern, but we saw someone able to stay under the radar and operate without getting caught. Add in the information that all the casualties were known rapists, child molesters, and wife-beaters, and it seemed like our killer had a moral compass and the type of person we could use in our organization.”

“Why?” I asked, realizing that while their explanation made sense, something else was missing.

“Because we’ve been building a case against the Savages for years. We haven’t been able to get close. But this killer… They had skills unparalleled by any of our agents. Our hope was this person would be able to join us, our motives aligning, and take out one of the worst crime families in the northern hemisphere.”

“And now that we want to rescue Ava…” I trailed off, running the information over in my head.

“It seems like our agendas line up even more,” Grady said. Max and Quentin had gone quiet; their expressions were grim. But Grady smiled, his whole posture lighter than I’d ever seen it. He peered at me like I just might be the Holy Grail.

I didn’t need the other two’s reactions to know that didn’t bode well for me.

Joy yawned really loud, the sound obviously fake, as she stretched. “Oh wow, look at the time. How about we break for now and reconvene tomorrow? We can plan and strategize more later once everyone has time for all the information to sink in.”

“Ah, look, you can return to your man tantrum now,” Lacey teased, standing and brushing off her pants.

Grady’s jaw ticked, but he didn’t say anything. Good call, Grady. Lacey would eviscerate him.

“Stay,” Quentin said, not even bothering to ask. I rolled my eyes but nodded.

“I’ll see you girls in the morning.”

I stood to hug them, more glad than I’d admit that they’d barged in here and demanded I quit trying to protect them. Life was just better with them around.

Once they were gone, exhaustion weighed heavily on my shoulders. Slumping down on the bed, I yawned; my body ached, reminding me of the fight I’d been in earlier.

“Do you want to shower while we grab some food?” Grady asked, surprising me.

“Oh. Um. Yeah. That would be great.” Thankfully, everyone ignored my inability to speak as I blinked owlishly at Grady. Quentin smirked and assisted me in standing.

“Come on, Temptress. I’ll help you settle, and Max will re-bandage your leg.”

Quentin followed his word, starting the shower and helping me undress. It surprised me how caring he was; not a hint of desire in his movements as he removed my clothes. If anything, anger coursed through his hands when he got near the wound, his fingers tracing over the bruises forming on my body.

“I’m okay, Q. I’ve been through worse. I’m just a little sore. After some rest, I’ll be fine.”

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