“Down,” Galen hisses as lights flood one of the rooms at the rear, spilling through the naked windows, casting a dim glow on the patio a few meters ahead. “They’re in the ballroom,” he whispers, and I hear the unspoken curiosity behind his words. There is nothing in that space anymore. Just an empty room with old chandeliers and heavy drapes. We crouch down, crawling until we reach the first ballroom window. “Stay down,” Galen whispers, popping his head up a little so he can see inside the room. “Holy fucking shit.”
“What?”
He crouches down. “See for yourself. Be careful and be quick ’cause they have a guy going around the room closing the curtains.”
We trade places, and I inch my head up until I can see into the room. The middle section of the floor is wide-open, revealing a hidden room underneath. It’s not a huge space, but it’s deep enough that steps are mounted on either side to access it. Men, wearing The Sainthood’s leather cut, traipse into the room from outside, carrying boxes of various sizes down into the compartment.
Galen fists my hoodie, yanking me down just as a man approaches the window. We stare at one another, barely breathing, only relaxing once everything goes dark and the light fades. “Fucking hell,” I whisper. “Guess now we know how your mom gets access to drugs.”
“It wasn’t just drugs,” he whispers back. “Judging from the size of some boxes, they’re hiding weapons there too.”
“I wonder how long it’s been going on?”
“He installed the cameras two years ago. Said it was for mom’s protection because I was often gone for days at a time, but that was bullshit. He fitted cameras to protect his investment.” His jaw stiffens, and anger burns in his eyes again.
I need to get him away before he loses control. I squeeze his hand. “Let’s get the fuck out of here.”
Even though the curtains are now drawn, we take no chances, bending down low until we pass the ballroom, and then, we race back the way we came.
I round the corner first, slamming into a hard chest. I open my mouth to scream when Galen’s hand wraps around my mouth from behind, stalling me. “It’s Saint!” he whispers. “Chill.”
I look up into the foreboding face of Saint Lennox. He’s dressed all in black, and he has a hood over his head, cloaking his features. “What the actual fuck is going on? I’ve been blowing up your cells. Why did neither of you pick up?” he snaps. His blue eyes pin me in place, and anger bleeds into the air on all sides of me.
“We left our cells upstairs, and there wasn’t time to go back for them,” Galen explains. “What’s wrong?”
“We’ve got a problem to solve.”
“At four a.m.?” I ask.
“The Bulls have been set free, and they’ll be coming for us. We need to strike first.”
“You have a plan?” Galen asks.
“Of course, we do.” I hear the smirk in his tone. “Let’s get the fuck out of Dodge. You can update me on the way to meet the others.”
CHAPTER 29
Harlow
“I’M SO FUCKING sorry, man,” Saint says after Galen has given him the cliff notes version of my convo with Alisha. He didn’t miss much, confirming he wasn’t in such a deep sleep after all. We also explained what we saw going down in the ballroom. “Fuck that bastard!” Saint slams his hands down on the steering wheel as aggression rolls off him in waves. The car swerves on the road, and it’s a good thing it’s empty this time of night.
“Pull over, and let me drive.” I poke my head through the gap in the two front seats.
“I’m fucking driving.” Saint barks, rubbing the back of his neck.
“I wasn’t fucking asking,” I snap. “Pull the goddamn car over now.”
The brakes screech, and I’m jolted forward as Saint slams on the brakes in the middle of the road. I don’t know why I’m surprised. He thinks he owns the fucking streets.
“Jesus Christ. Was breaking my ribs not good enough?” Galen asks. “Now, you want to give me whiplash?”
“Blame the princess,” Saint growls, getting out of the driver’s side door.
I climb out from the back seat, walking up to him and prodding my finger in his chest. “Listen, asshole. You don’t have the monopoly on murderous rage. We’re all fucking pissed, but getting us killed on this road tonight won’t serve any good purpose.” I jab my finger in his chest again. “And in case you’ve forgotten, my dad died in a car crash, so shut your fucking face.”
Gripping my hips, he pulls me into his body and kisses the shit out of me.
I’m smirking as I pull back. “Is this our thing now?”
“I don’t know, baby.” He grabs handfuls of my ass. “Is it?”
I palm the bulge in his jeans. “Your body speaks for itself.”
His hands drift to my waist, as his expression turns serious. “You fix shit with my cousin?”
“I did. We did.”
“Thank fuck.” He presses a kiss to my forehead, and it’s a tender sweep of his lips, one that almost unravels me. I love Saint’s alpha possessiveness, but every so often he shows me a softer side, and I love it just as much. “He’s going to need you now more than ever,” he murmurs, his lips lingering on my skin.
I tilt my head back so I’m looking up at him. “We all need each other.” I place my hands on his rock-hard chest. “Just when I think things can’t get any more fucked up, they do.”
“We need to keep the others focused and on track.”
I reach up and kiss him softly. “We will. Now, get your sexy ass in the back seat, and tell us what’s going down.”
_______________
“That’s their clubhouse?” I ask, peeking around the corner to catch a glimpse.
“You don’t sound impressed.” Caz chuckles.
“I’m not. It’s like some giant bloated silver box. I was expecting something grander, more like The Sainthood’s training facility.”
The warehouse in front of us is rudimentary, at least from the outside. It’s a big corrugated iron warehouse with a flat roof and a few token windows on both sides. It’s nestled between a couple of local businesses. A place that sells hardware and other DIY supplies. A carpet store, and a kitchen and bathroom showroom. It’s in a quiet part of Fenton though, off the beaten track.
“Don’t let that exterior fool you,” Theo says, tapping away on his iPad while Saint and Galen scan the structure with binoculars. “It’s a lot more sophisticated inside. The outside is mostly a front.”
“How are we getting in?” I whisper though there’s no need.
Theo lifts his head briefly, smiling at me. “I’ve just disabled their security system and all the cameras in the area.”
I dart forward and kiss him quickly. “You’re fucking amazing. Sometime, when we’re not trying to save my ass, you’ve got to tell me how you developed such mad skills.” Theo was always super handy with technology, but the stuff he can do now is on a whole other level.
“He’s a genius,” Caz agrees. “There’s no way we could pull off half the shit we do without him.”