Theo returns his gaze to his screen, but I spot the telltale bloom on his cheeks and the slight tilt of his lips.
Caz and I share a look, and I wonder.
“Have you run the heat scan?” Saint asks, lowering his binoculars and crouching down, unzipping his black duffel bag.
“On it now, boss.”
“You mean boss man,” Caz says, winking at me. “As opposed to boss lady.”
“That has a nice ring to it.” I grin at Caz, and I fucking love how he can effortlessly reduce tension and lighten the mood. I blow him a kiss, and his grin expands as he slides his hand into his boxers, cupping his junk.
“Later, babe,” I mouth. While it’s good to defuse tension, I don’t want to distract the guys either. Blowing up the enemy’s clubhouse is serious business—especially if we are to get in and out without detection.
“How do we know they aren’t in there?” I ask. “And what happened to our original plan?”
“The original plan of attack was to target all the main players’ homes at once, but that takes coordinated effort. After we got word the authorities had let The Bulls go earlier tonight, and they weren’t pressing charges, we needed a plan we could implement quickly,” Saint explains.
“How the fuck did they pull that off?” Galen inquires, scanning the area back and forth with his binoculars.
“How does anyone?” Saint says, shrugging.
“They have the cops in their pocket,” I surmise, holding out my hand as Saint drops a couple things into my palm.
“The cops or someone with authority,” Saint says. “Except it doesn’t add up because it’s well known the Fenton cops have been trying to pin something on The Bulls for years. They have a major drug problem in the area, and the police chief has put the blame squarely on Ruben and his crew. This should have been open and shut.”
“The coast is clear,” Theo says, handing Saint his tablet. “The decoy fire at the warehouse worked like a charm.”
I guess that answers my second question. I turn the mask Saint handed me over in the palm of my hands, smiling. “Angel masks? Really?” I giggle as I trace my finger over the wings on either side of the black mask. They meet at the top of the mask with a fine silver dagger dissecting them.
“We are saintly after all,” Galen says, grinning, and I’m glad this is distracting him from tonight’s bombshell revelations.
“Let’s get this show on the road.” Saint hands Caz a set of pliers before zipping the bag up and slinging it over his shoulder. We all put our masks and gloves on and pull our hoods up over our heads before sprinting across the road toward The Bulls’ clubhouse.
My heart is thumping wildly, and my veins are buzzing with excitement. There’s nothing like a little retribution to get the juices flowing.
Caz snaps the padlock on the front door, and I step forward, snatching the lock pick from his hands. Sliding it carefully into the lock, I narrow my eyes and peer into the hole, giving it a little wiggle in the right place. The clicking, pinging sound is music to my ears, and I’m gloating behind my mask as I push the door in.
“I think you might be out of a job,” Theo says to Caz, and Caz chuckles.
“Stay focused,” Saint snaps as we step into The Bulls’ domain. “Keep alert.” He comes up behind me. “Princess, you’re with me.” He distributes guns and flashlights, handing a Glock to me. I unlock the safety and curl my hand around the trigger, lifting my head and scanning the dark hallway. Saint keeps the bag, leading us forward with the aid of a flashlight.
We emerge from the hallway into a wide-open space. Saint and Galen move their flashlights around, illuminating the room a bit at a time. There’s a fully stocked bar on the right-hand side and two pool tables on the left. A myriad of couches, tables, and chairs are dotted around the space. Club paraphernalia hangs on the walls.
Saint dumps the duffel bag on one of the pool tables while the guys head out into the back corridor. “What’s back there?” I ask, knowing Theo has already inspected the floorplans.
“Kitchen, bathrooms, and bedrooms,” Saint says, carefully removing two cans of gasoline.
“Old school?” I arch a brow as my lips tug up.
“There wasn’t time to make a bomb,” Saint says. “And we don’t want to damage the adjacent properties. A bomb would blow the whole street apart.”
“All clear,” Galen says, coming back into the room. He grabs one of the cans from Saint and starts throwing it over the furniture and floor.
“Let me,” I say, putting the safety on the gun and slipping it into the pocket of my hoodie. “I’m the one they’re trying to kill.”
“Have at it, princess.” Saint hands the second can to me, and I move to the other side of the room, tossing gasoline over everything I come across.
When we’re done, we throw the cans away, backing up to the front hallway. Theo and Caz walk backward, holding a long rope. They drape it along the ground all the way to the front door.
“Outside, princess,” Saint demands, holding the door open for me.
I pout, wanting to watch, but Galen stretches his arm back inside, pulling me out. “We need to get the car.” I run with him around the corner, hopping in the passenger seat as he slides behind the wheel. He powers up the engine, and the brakes squeal as we peel out of there.
Saint, Caz, and Theo are racing toward us when we round the bend, and a loud pop pierces the still nighttime air as they open the back doors and scramble inside. “Woo-hoo, motherfuckers!” Caz shouts, pumping his fists in the air. “Take that up the ass!”
“Fuck you, Ruben,” Saint says, flipping his fingers up at the burning building as we take off.
_______________
“Oh my God,” I say when we are back at the barn in Prestwick Forest. “That was such an adrenaline rush.” I finish bandaging Galen’s torn knuckles, smiling up at him. “You’re done.”
“Thanks.” He hesitates for a brief second before planting a soft kiss on my lips.
“Our princess has a hard-on for danger,” Caz says, winking. He’s sprawled across the large leather recliner, his bare feet hanging over the arm.
“Damn straight, but that’s nothing new.” I grin at him.
“It sends a clear message,” Saint says, still in business mode. He pulls my feet up on his lap as we sit at opposite ends of the couch.
We’ve all showered and changed. I’m in sleep shorts and a long-sleeved sleep top, and the guys are all bare-chested and in sweats. If I wasn’t so dead on my feet, I would be crawling all over their sexy asses, but I desperately need sleep. It’s after six now, and daylight is breaking.
“But they won’t stop coming for you.” Saint rubs his hands up and down my legs, and warmth penetrates bone deep.
“We need to find some dirt on them. Something that is irrefutable, that no damn connections can get them out of,” I suggest.
“I hate to say this,” Theo says, pressing a kiss to the top of my head as he hands me a mug of hot chocolate. My heart swells at the gesture. All the small things he does tells me how much he remembers and how deeply he cares. “But we need Diesel’s help.” He sinks onto the smaller couch beside Galen.