Page 25 of Up in Flames

I laugh as he moves to stand, and I reach out, grabbing his hand. “Thanks for bringing me here. For taking time out of your workday to be with me. I know you don’t need to do it—”

“This is where I want to be, little dove. Ineed to be here with you.”

I smile up at him. “I know, and I honestly appreciate it. But go now. Put your full attention into work for as long as it takes. I’ll be here lost in my world until you return.”

He shakes his head. “You’re far too fucking good for me.”

“Maybe. But they say opposites attract. And I don’t know about you, but I think we’re pretty magnetic.”

He leans over, pressing his lips to mine once more, that all too familiar spark building inside me. I don’t know where this will lead with Cain, but I sure do like how it’s going so far.

He pulls back, a boyish grin on his face, and chuckles. “I must go, but I will be back to watch you create a masterpiece.”

I snort out a laugh. “I don’t know about a masterpiece.”

He winks. “See you soon, little dove.” He turns, walking toward the parking lot and giving me an amazing view of his ass looking fucking amazing in those jeans he wears. I swear the guy has the body of a god.

Exhaling with a giant smile, I scoot back, resting on the tree trunk and getting back to work on my novel. My mind wanders over the one-sided phone call.

I have no idea what is going on with his work or what he does for a living. His answers are vague like he’s trying to talk around them. But what I do know is that he was not happy about whatever information he received.

Cain can get moody. I’ve seen it firsthand. And maybe his work is the cause of that, which is reasonable. The darker side of him that he forewarns me about—the fact that he isnota good guy—I’m not sure if it scares or excites me.

Maybe that makesmethe crazy one?

CHAPTER SEVEN

CAIN

As second-in-charge of an elite establishment—The Baton Rouge Bachelors, an underground organization specializing in money laundering, couriering drugs, gambling rings, the sex industry, and sometimes even gun shipments—I need to be available at all times. Unfortunately, that includes call-ins when I have time off with my girl.

Leaving my subordinates to do the work doesn’t seem to be working. These assholes don’t know what the fuck they’re doing. The fact they had to call me in at all tells me everyone under me is an incompetent idiot. My anger boils inside of me like a volcano, ready to erupt. The lava seeps through my veins, bubbling and brewing beneath the surface, waiting for the pressure point to send me off into a cataclysmic explosion.

They’ve pulled me away from relaxation with Makaylie.

I was enjoying my time with her without having to think about this fucking place or the bullshit that comes along with it. And yet, here I am, being dragged back in because Trap and his band of merry fuckwits have fucked up—yet again.

Huffing out my frustration, I straighten my leather jacket and storm through the parlor. Bachelorettes scurry out of my way as I stomp to the back of the warehouse. My boots fall heavy on the concrete toward the yellow room. I reach out for the handle, shoving the door open. Trap, Alfie, and a younger soldier, Buckley, are in the room waiting for my arrival. They snap their heads around to see me storming in. I slam the door behind me, the hinges creaking as Buckley backs up against the wall in his fear. Trap steps in front of him as Alfie stands back with a smirk like he’s enjoying watching my wrath play out like a movie in front of him.

“What thefuck, Buckley?” I yell at the top of my lungs.

Trap steps forward, his hands raised like he’s trying to appease me, and I glare at him. “Cain, the kid made a mistake—”

“Mistake?Mistake! You’re the one who made the fucking mistake, Trap. You sent a new recruit, abarely commissioned soldier,to do a jobyouwere supposed to do, and instead, he completely fucked. It. Up.”

Buckley steps forward, his body trembling with fear. “I… I need the money. I wasn’t thinking, Cain.”

Storming forward, I push past Trap and grab Buckley by his shirt, shoving him up against the wall, his feet dangling off the floor. He gasps, and Trap is by my side in an instant.

“Youneededthefuckingmoney? You idiot. You think working for the Baton Rouge Bachelors wasn’t going to make you rich beyond your wildest dreams?”

Buckley breathes hard and fast, his bottom lip trembling. “I… I… I needed the money. Fast.”

I drop him from my hold, he falls to his knees, and I slam my fist into his jaw, making him drop like a sack of potatoes to the concrete as he spits out a line of blood.

I pant through my rage. “You do the job. You get the money.That’showthisworks. You don’t take on a job and then steal thefuckingproduct, especially when the product is a shipment headed for our brothers at the Los Angeles Bachelors. Youdo notsteal from our other establishments.”

Trap moves to my side, tilting his head. “Cain, c’mon, this was his first infraction. Cut him some slack—”

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