Page 95 of F*ck Steal Kill

“Stop,” I said, around a giggle, jumping away and falling onto the floor. “Brat.”

“Nah. That’s you, babe, and Lacey is such a Domme. I’m more of a vers, but if I had to pick one. Hmm.” She tapped her lip in thought. “Depending on my partner, I’m probably a cross of a pleaser and tester.” She nodded at herself, sitting up with a pleased smile.

“I don’t even want to know,” I said, laughing.

Joy shrugged, hopping off the bed when the front door opened. I wrapped my arm around her shoulders and led her out into the main area.

I couldn’t help but keep hugging her at times, just so happy to have her back unharmed with us. Joy didn’t appear to have any lasting damage, but I’d insisted she and Max do a few sessions with the trauma specialist. They only agreed to go if we all went, so once we got settled into our new place, the six of us would go to group therapy together. I already felt bad for that therapist.

The Shadows considered it team bonding and a way to ensure everyone was fit to work in the field. It made my skin crawl, but I’d do it for the others. Besides, I knew how to make the leader disappear if they hurt anyone.

The aftermath of taking down the Savages had been immense. It had taken a week to find new identities for the prisoners there and places for them to go. We’d been able to sneak Ava and Lukas out to our contact at least, so they were off the grid and able to move on with a normal life. It had been emotional to say goodbye and exhausting by the end with the added back-end bureaucratic shit I never had to deal with before.

I guess that was why many serial killers didn’t go corporate; the paperwork was brutal.

But ultimately, I still got to do what I loved with the people I cared the most about.

“That nerd is here again,” Lacey grumbled, giving Ryan the stink eye.

He smiled brighter, if possible, flashing her dimples as he listened to Grady tell him which boxes to grab first. Lacey shook her head and spun away from the besotted man with the biggest crush.

I didn’t know the other guy’s name with him, but I remembered him from the Savage compound. And I’d bet money Ryan wasn’t the only one following Lacey with heart eyes. Why else would he volunteer to help three girls move? Sus, was all I was saying.

Max spotted me and made a beeline, picking me up as he neared and spinning me around. I’d been the most worried about him, but he’d proven us all wrong by bouncing back the strongest. He really was one of a kind.

“Hey, girlfriend. I missed you, sweetheart.” He kissed me, setting my heart racing and my toes curling.

“I missed you too. Though, it was only one night,” I teased, lifting my brow.

“Too long. I can’t wait to get to the beach. Ten days with nothing but you and mixed drinks… Ah, bliss.”

After a long debate with the girls, they assured me they wanted to join the Shadows, too. We’d all been offered a spot in the upcoming training class, though Grady felt we’d be schooling all the recruits by the end. Joy was excited to work on more gadgets, and Lacey apparently had a passion for profiling. I was glad we’d still be together, even if we weren’t the XOXO killer anymore. Well, officially.

The app would stay viable, but the jobs would now be filtered through the Shadows. It was the one concession I had. I didn’t want the people who reached out to us to lose that resource, and once the leaders of the Shadows saw our operation, they were willing to negotiate, especially if we shared all of our secrets.

It was the price to pay to go semi-mainstream, but I’d be willing to do it if it meant no more looking over my shoulder, waiting for someone to discover us and lock us away.

So this way, I got to kill people and punish the bad, and the Shadows gained three valuable assets. Tack on the salary they were willing to pay us, and I wondered why more people didn’t become professional killers. Though, if I had to guess, that damn paperwork. That shit would be the death of me.

But before we became official Shadows, we had two weeks off. Ah, vacation—where I didn’t have to clean up other people’s shit or condoms.

“Oops, I might’ve forgotten to pack clothes,” I teased, Max’s eyes lighting up at the notion.

“Well darn. I guess I’ll have to cover you with my dick.”

Barking out a laugh, I kissed him again before making him set me down. “I think I have a solution for your mouth, too,” I taunted, his cheeks red at the indication.

Oh, yeah, this trip was going to be so fun.

* * *

Three hours later, the house was completely emptied and cleaned. Everything had been loaded onto the truck, and Ryan and Heath—whose name I learned—were driving them back so we could all leave on our trip.

Lacey grumbled about it, but I think it was more to do with her ego and that they were doing something nice, wanting to get to know her beyond sex. But I would never say that out loud to her.

The girls followed behind them in Ryan’s rental car and would get the apartment set up before meeting me and the guys on the beach. The first four days would be for us, and the last six we’d get to spend together. It felt like the perfect plan to me. But I wasn’t sure how it worked since I’d never been on a real vacation.

“See you in a few days,” Lacey said, hugging me. “Get all the group sex out of the way before we get there because there are so many things I want to do, and if I have to hear you say you can’t because your vagina is broken, I will strap you to my back, and make you do it anyway.”

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