Page 94 of F*ck Steal Kill

Hugging her tighter, I widened my arms when I felt Lacey join in. The three of us clung to one another, our bond surging through us now that we were back together.

“Now give me a kiss, and then let’s blow this popsicle stand. Literally. Momma’s feeling bombey.”

Giving her a big pucker, I laughed as I stepped back and wiped my face again for the second time in minutes. I hadn’t cried this much in years, and while it freaked me out a little, and I’d deny it if anyone asked, it also felt nice. A bit cathartic.

I glanced over at Viper, not surprised to see Quentin and Max had joined Grady, taking their turns to get their pound of flesh. Not an inch of him was left unmarked, his face barely recognizable.

“Joy’s feeling bombey, and I’m suddenly craving a milkshake. Who wants to stop on the way back?” I asked, breaking up the slaughter-fest. All three men turned to me, blood splattered all over them. They smiled when they met my eyes, making me almost lose my balance.

“Oh no, we need to go. Holland’s got her sex face on,” Lacey said, breaking up the lust.

I rolled my eyes but didn’t deny it. Once we were all clean—okay, maybe even before—I planned to show the three of them exactly how hot they were.

“I should probably see a medic, too. I kinda got stabbed,” Max said, bringing the mission back to focus.

“Right, put a bullet in his head so there’s no Freddy returns moment, then let’s go. Max needs medical attention, and this place needs to be wiped from existence. What were you doing in the security room anyway, Max?” I asked as we headed out the door, a shot firing off in the background.

“This,” he said, pulling a flash drive around his neck. “It’s the mother lode.”

“And it’s back; we gotta hurry, people,” Lacey yelled, making me laugh as she pointed at my face.

Somehow we made it out to the second team, who confirmed everyone was clear of the house. The semi and trucks had been brought around to the gate so they could take all the innocents out and offer medical attention to those who needed it. I ensured Max was seen while we did one more sweep of the compound with a drone to rule out any other heat signatures. When it was negative, Joy prepped her bomb and secured it onto another drone. The smile on her face as she rubbed her hands together in delight made me glad we were friends—sweet but psycho, that one.

Once we loaded the trucks and pulled out of the driveway, she hit the button for it to detonate. A massive explosion sounded, and a fireball flashed in the sky as the sun started to rise on the horizon. A fitting end to our mission. I swear I could hear Joy’s cackle of glee in the distance, too.

Resting my head against Grady’s shoulder, I let myself relax for the first time in twenty-four hours. It was done. The Savages had been obliterated, our hopeless one and the rest of our family rescued, and we’d removed another monster.

I didn’t know what the future held from here, but I hoped it was somewhere warm with fruity drinks because the XOXO killer had earned a vacation... and their way out of Foolshope for good.

CHAPTER 32

HOLLAND

I ran the tape gun over the box, thankful it was the last one. Setting it off to the side, I wiped the sweat from my brow as I surveyed the house. Everything was boxed up or shoved into duffles, laundry baskets, and crates. Seeing the remnants of my life so sufficiently reduced to this was odd.

“Your lover boys are backing in with the truck,” Joy yelled as she skipped into the room. “I think I even spotted Ryan and one of his guys with them. Who knew we could attract so much muscle?”

She plopped down onto the bare mattress, bracing her head on her hand. “Well, I guess I knew. We’re a sexy threesome. Bonus to having less work for us. I need to step up my game in the muscle department. While I was captured, Lacey managed to snag herself a hottie.”

“Mm, I’m not so sure she feels the same. He keeps following her around and hoping she gives him another ride on the Lacey coaster. Based on the noises I heard from her room, it was one helluva night. Not surprised he didn’t want to let her go.” I glanced out the window, spotting Lacey as she pretended to ignore Ryan. “Have to hand it to him, though. Ryan doesn’t give up and takes rejection well.”

“It’s like foreplay for them at this point,” Joy agreed, nodding. She fell back, staring up at the ceiling. “I’m gonna miss this place, as weird as that sounds. We’ve been working for years to get out, and now that we are, I’m kinda sad.”

I sat down next to her, grabbing her hand.

“As much as we hated it here, we went through a lot in Foolshope. The three of us became a family, a team in this house. But that’s not changing. We’re moving, but we’re not leaving each other.”

“Damn straight,” Joy said, rolling over to wrap her arms around my waist. “You sure you want to live with us still, though? You got your three hotties now.”

“Definitely. I might not sleep in my bed many nights, but I’m not ready to move in with three guys I just met.”

“Ah, young love,” she sighed.

“Ew. Stop. It’s not love. I’m in moderate-like with them.”

“Uh-huh.”

Joy made kissy faces, tickling my sides.

---