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I can’t stop thinking about those girls trapped and scared, in the hidden compartment in the floor of the ballroom, as I get dressed for the party that’s about to kick off in an hour. Caterers and other staff hired by Sinner showed up a couple of hours ago, and we watched as they wheeled furniture, food, and booze into the ballroom, decorating it like it’s a genuine celebration instead of some carefully orchestrated effort at putting us in our place.
I pay extra attention to my hair and makeup, wanting to look and feel the part when we emerge victorious tonight. While I don’t have a crystal ball, I’m confident we will prevail, because no other outcome is acceptable.
I’m building the kind of life I dreamed about, and that psycho bastard is not ruining it for me.
Sinner is going down tonight.
That is the mantra I’m sticking to, and I’ll do whatever is necessary to ensure it happens.
Galen slips into his bedroom as I sit in my black strapless bra and panties on the side of his bed, strapping my knife and one of my daggers to my thighs. He flattens his back against the door after he closes it, breathing deeply as his striking green eyes roam my semi-naked body.
“We don’t even have time for a quickie,” I warn him, continuing my task.
“I know. Doesn’t mean I can’t admire the view.” His lips kick into a smirk, and I grin.
“Any sign of Satan yet?” I ask.
He shakes his head. “Not so far, but I’m sure he won’t be long. He’ll want to be here to greet his guests.”
“Do we know who’s coming?”
“Sainthood members and their women, I’m guessing, although he seems to have been selective with the invitations, because there are only seats for thirty.”
“Is your mom okay?” I inquire, standing as he walks toward me.
He nods. “She’s in her room with takeout, wine, Netflix, and Mrs. Murphy to ensure she stays there.”
I palm his cheek. “We won’t let anything happen to her.”
“I know.” He reels me against him. “But I’m more worried about you.” He softly clamps a hand over my mouth when I open it to speak, careful not to press too hard and ruin my makeup. “I know you can handle yourself. I know you could take out most of that room single handed if you needed to. Still won’t stop me from worrying.” He presses his delectable mouth to my ear. “Husbands worry about their wives. Get over it.”
“I love hearing those words,” I admit, running my finger back and forth across the black band on his ring finger. “And wives worry about their husbands too—even if they are fucking badass.”
His hands slide to my ass, slipping under the lace. “Sure we don’t have time for a quickie?” He slaps my ass, and I shake my finger at him as liquid lust coils in my belly.
“You are such a bad influence, and coming from me that’s saying a lot.” I shimmy my panties down my legs and kneel up on the bed. I glance over my shoulder while he unbuttons his jeans, grinning wickedly as he zooms in on my pussy, licking his lips. “You have five minutes, Romeo. Do your worst.”
_______________
“He’s up to something,” Theo says when we join the others in one of the guest bedrooms ten minutes later.
“What’s happened?” I ask, my sex hangover instantly cured when I meet Theo’s troubled gaze.
“He’s turned the cameras off inside the ballroom.”
“What about outside?” Saint asks as we all huddle around Theo, peering at his laptop, pretending we know what we’re looking at on the screen.
“They are still intact.”
“What the fuck are we going to do?” Caz asks, pulling a black shirt on over his head.
The guys are all dressed in their Sainthood attire. Black shirts, black jeans, and black leather cuts. Their freshly washed hair is styled to perfection, and they all smell divine. I wish we were going to a proper party, where I could get drunk and grope them on the dance floor.
“Such little faith you have.” Theo’s fingers dance across the keys, like a skilled pianist playing a piano. “I planned for this eventuality.” He sets the tablet down with a flourish. “The exterior cameras are off and the interior ones are on, like we agreed, but if Sinner checks, it will look the opposite, because I’ve hidden the feed behind fake images.”
“Fuck, that’s hot.” Caz slams his lips down on Theo’s mouth, and I swoon, like I do every time they touch each other. It’s still early days, but they are slowly opening up to one another, and it’s a beautiful thing to bear witness to.
“Careful you don’t come, queenie,” Saint drawls, noticing my expression.
“I’ve already taken care of our girl,” Galen replies. “Lo just came twice on my cock in six minutes.”
Saint eyeballs him like he’s lying, but he’s not. Galen is just that good, and he’s earned bragging rights, but now isn’t the time to gloat. “Stop talking about sex.” I pin them with a warning look. “We can’t afford to get distracted.”
“Lo is right,” Theo says, breaking his lip lock with Caz. “Like always.”
“You are such a suck up.” Galen rolls his eyes.
“We should never forget that Sinner is smart as fuck, and he has a way of being ahead of the game. We’re prepared, but so is he.” The troubled, haunted look returns to Theo’s eyes, making me nervous. “Don’t lose sight of that tonight.”
Anxious energy filters into the room. We all get what Theo’s saying, and we agree, but it’s worth the risk to end this once and for all.
My fingers slide across the metallic silver belt on my dress and strengthen my resolve. Sinner is going down. No other outcome will do.
“Let’s do this.” Saint offers me his arm, and I loop mine around it. “Sinner will be here any second. Let’s roll out the red carpet.”
“By the way, queenie,” Caz says, slapping my ass as we make our way out of the room. “You look fucking hot.”
I blow him a kiss over my shoulder. “Thank you, husband. I chose leather so we match.”
That sexist pig Sinner hasn’t supplied me with a fitting Sainthood wardrobe, so I improvised. Not that I’d ever wear anything that came from him, especially not something bearing The Sainthood logo I despise so much, but it’s the principle of the thing.
I smooth a hand down the front of my black dress, knowing I look good. This is one of my favorite dresses. The top is a fitted leather corset with straps that crisscross over my shoulders and down my back, showcasing some of the ink on my skin but not low enough to be indecent. The bottom half is black silk, and the skirt flares out in billowy pleats, allowing me to hide my knives underneath.
Theo’s phone pings in his pocket, and he glances at it as we make our way downstairs. “Diesel said they are in situ, and they’ll move into place outside as soon as we give them the word.”
We must wait for all the guests to arrive before we can signal the team to sneak on to the property.
“Did you tell him about our discovery?” I ask under my breath as we descend the stairs.
“Yes, and he agreed we were right to do nothing,” Theo adds, squeezing my hand.