Page 70 of Ensnared

Thenagain, today doesn’t seem to be anyone’s day, except maybeLucky’s.

Thefive of us usually meet out on the lawn at oh-five-hundred for our daily workout, but this morningJayk’sbarn was silent and sullen,Domhad to dragJasperout of the surveillance room when he didn’t turn up—byGodAlmighty,Idon’t know why he was in there at that hour and not sleeping like a normal human—andLuckystrolled in out of the woods a full half hour late, grinning from ear to ear.

Ofcourse,Imay havealsotried to bail on training this morning.Ihad grand plans of stealingEdenaway for a few hours, taking her for a stroll, picking wildflowers sparkling with morning dew, kissing her frosty fingers warm, and settling in on a thick picnic rug with a thermos of piping hot teato watch the sun rise... except that whenIwent looking for her, she andLuckywere nowhere to be found.

ButDomwas, and he dragged me outside like a wayward puppy right alongsideJasper, once again blowing to hell any chanceIhad of spending time alone withEden.

Damnit, where didLuckyandEdengo?Iknow they were in the house at some point yesterday—it was impossible forany of usto miss theTwisterextravaganza.Lucky, little asshole that he is, set it up in the music room, and that damn room isdesignedfor sound to travel.Theirgiggles, squeals, and moans floated through every single room of the lodge.

AndIcan’t even be mad about it.

Thosesounds are just about the most delightful thingI’veheard in years, andI’mstupid happy thatEdenhad a good day, even if it wasn’t with me.

Wouldn’thave stopped me from hauling her out ofLucky’sarms the secondItracked her down, though.

Underme,Jaspermakes a sour sound in the back of his throat, then taps out.Idon’t let him up this time.Hisface is red and sweaty—it always is when we spar—but there are rough, tired rings around his eyes thatIdon’t like, and he’s been feral as a pissed-off badger all morning.

Ifrown down at him. “Where’syour head today?That’sthe fourth timeI’vepinned you.”

“Thisis a waste of my time.”Hiseyes flash dangerously. “Ishould be on surveillance.Doyou know how difficult it will be to make up two hours of missed footage on thirty-seven cameras?”

Igrimace. “Howclose are they now?”

“Theystopped last night and set up camp,” he says in a clipped voice. “LastIsaw, they hadn’t yet moved.”

Easingmy grip,Isoothe, “Soit’s not an immediate concern.Wecan help you with the cameras later.”Ihesitate, then add in an undertone, “Butare you sure that’s what this is about?”

Hisface takes on such an unholy light thatIback up fast and watch him warily as he shoves to his feet.Witha chilling curl of his lip, he yanks down his rumpled, grass-stained shirt.

Besideus,DombreaksLucky’shold around his neck, then throws him flying over his shoulder and down hard into the dirt.

Luckywheezes.

Jasperfires a vicious glare atDom. “Wouldyou be careful?Iwas under the impression that we’re here to train, not to snap one another’s necks.”

Hewhips his towel off a low-hanging branch and swipes at his flushed forehead.

Domcatches me looking, then rolls his eyes skyward, andIcough to hide a laugh.

“Pullingpunches in training is a fast way to get people killed in action.Wedon’t do that here.You’dknow that by now if you didn’t keep skipping out on us.”Rubbinghis neck whereLuckyhalf-strangled him,Domadds wryly, “Andmy neck is just fine, thanks for the concern.”

Jaspergives him a withering look.

Luckygroans good-naturedly as he sits up. “Youknow, the rear naked choke always ends differently in my head.”

Ignoringthat,Domnods at him. “Itwas good.You’recoming in faster.Muchbetter than last week.”

Luckyshrugs one shoulder, but there’s a pleased glow to his smile as he grabs his bottle for a drink.Guywould roll over and show his belly for a compliment,Iswear.

Domreaches out a hand to helpLuckyup, but instead of taking it,Luckylaunches forward into a somersault, somehow ending up on his feet.Hebounces on his toes with the same buoyant energy he’s had all morning, as if he’s burning extra bright today to make up forJasper’sgloom.

“Don’tget too cocky.”Domfrowns. “Youroffense is strong, but you leave yourself too exposed.Ifyou don’t fix up your evasive maneuvers, you’re going to catch bullets sooner or later.”

Luckyre-ties his loosening hair, then waves his hand dismissively. “Don’tyou know?Tragichero is my aesthetic.”Hisdimple flashes. “Justlike bossy jerk is yours, grumpyHulkisJayk’s, self-righteous sweetheart isBeau’s, and sexy nerd isEden’s.”

Ichoke on my water. “Iamnotself-righteous!”Iscoff. “I’ma doctor.Ihelppeople!”

Luckyinclines his head atDom. “See?”

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