"You can leave now," I told him. "And next time you want to show up at one of my venues outside of business hours and start making accusations? Don't. You're fast running out of leniency with me, Roach. Cass's endorsement of you as a competent leader only goes so far."
Roach stiffened, and his face flashed with anger and regret. "Well, he's dead now, so I'll have to stand on my own two feet. I appreciate your support." He stalked away with his shoulders tight, and his backup followed silently like they couldn't get away fast enough.
It was kind of nice to see I hadn't lost my edge with the Reapers. I was starting to think my guys had softened me too much. Or that Chase was succeeding in making me look weak. I worried that I'd lost the hard-won fear and respect I held from the criminal component of Shadow Grove.
But the fearful glances one of Roach's guys flashed over his shoulder warmed my cold heart. I still had it... for now.
32
Thanks to the development with Zed's new neighbor, we were forced to make some changes to Cass and Seph's arrival home. I couldn't take the risk that Chase would see them. Either of them. Even though I knew I couldn't keep Seph hidden forever, she'd never accept that.
I kept myself busy patching up Lucas's scrapes and bruises, rubbing peppermint bruise balm into a solid three-quarters of his body. He tried to convince me to join him for a nap, but I was way too keyed up and anxious.
Sometime around midnight, Zed took pity on me and dragged my ass into the gym. Running me through training drills helped keep my mind off the worry of Seph and Cass making it back safe and gave my body something more useful to do than pace a hole in the floor.
When the gate buzzer finally sounded through the house, I was stunned to see two hours had passed.
I tried to run for the door, but Zed tripped me, the shithead, and I crashed to the training mat with a groan.
"What the fuck?" I demanded, glaring up at him.
He scowled back at me. "Slow the fuck down. We don't even know if it's them." With a pointed look, he stalked toward the foyer and grabbed a gun from one of the many, many hiding places. He checked the video intercom, then smirked and pressed the gate release without even speaking.
"It's them," he confirmed, his grin spreading wide. He'd taken care of the new travel arrangements for Seph and Cass, coming up with a plan to have them arrive here undetected. Supposedly. I had no idea what that meant, and he hadn't let on.
Zed strode to the garage and hit the button to open the door so the vehicle crawling its way up the driveway could roll straight in. As they got closer, I squinted to read the flaking-off logo on the side of the ancient panel van.
"Betty and Bill's Best Plumbing," I read out loud, then arched a brow at Zed. "Friends of yours?"
He quirked a sly smile and pulled out his phone to show me Betty and Bill's webpage. Apparently they were a husband and wife plumbing team who'd been in business for over fifty years. Betty and Bill were also a severely unattractive couple, well into their seventies.
The van rumbled and clanked to a stop within the garage, and Zed closed the roller door, sealing us off from any curious neighbors with a telescope.
A second later, the van doors opened, and a small, skinny, gray-bearded man in saggy overalls stepped out of the passenger side. The brisk stride that Bill took toward us was a solid indication, though, that this was not Bill at all.
"Dare!" the little old man exclaimed in a seriously feminine voice, then launched himself at me with a sob. A girly sob.
Grinning, I returned my little sister's hug. "Hey brat," I greeted her. "Nice disguise. I take it you're Bill?"
She pulled back from my embrace and smirked, stroking her fake beard. "Wait until you see my lovely wife, Betty."
My eyes shot to Zed, and he looked like he was just barely holding the laughter inside as the driver climbed out of the van. Betty looked remarkably like her picture, her overalls straining over an enormous bosom and butt and her gray hair hanging in lank curls around her face. Her very manly, bearded face.
"Oh, come on," I chuckled. "This was the best disguise you could think up?"
Zed shrugged, looking way too proud of himself as Betty stopped in front of us with her hands on her hips. "Best? Nah. Most entertaining? One hundred times over, yes." Snickering, he raised his phone and snapped a picture of Cass in drag, then narrowly ducked a punch swung at his head.
"You're just begging to get your ass kicked, Zeddy Bear," Cass snarled, tugging his wig off and tossing it aside. He still wore Betty's jumpsuit, padded out in feminine curves, and the whole thing was just too absurd for words.
"What? It got you here undetected, didn't it?" Zed defended himself as the four of us made our way to the kitchen. "No one would look twice at an ugly-as-sin woman like you and wonder if you were really the recently deceased Cassiel Saint, would they? No. So quit your crying; I'll get you a drink."
Seph tugged her own wig and beard off as we reached the kitchen, and Zed pulled out a bottle of whiskey from his bar.
"Where's Lucas?" she asked, looking around the empty room with a small downturn in her lips.
I narrowed my eyes briefly, then shook off the spike of possessiveness. I was overtired and majorly stressed out—probably reading way too much into an innocent question. "He's asleep," I told her. "He spent all damn day training with the boys at Anarchy and had a few bumps to recover from."
Cass and Zed exchanged a quick look, and I resisted the urge to smack their heads together. I couldn't have anyway because Seph got in front of me to wrap her arms around Cass's huge, padded belly in a hug.
"Thank you for saving me, Saint Cass," she simpered, batting her lashes as she peered up at him.
Cass glanced over at me, then awkwardly patted her on the head. "Don't mention it, mini-Red."
"I'm kinda tired, Zed, which room is mine?" She smiled over at my second like the sun shone out of his damn ass.
Zed's brows hitched. "Uh, loft space. I made the bed up for you earlier."
Seph pouted. "The loft? What about the guest room opposite yours?"
Zed's eyes met mine briefly before answering her. "We've got a bit of a full house right now, Seph. In case you hadn't noticed."
She rolled her eyes dramatically and sighed. "Fine. Loft is fine, I guess. Thanks, Zed, you're the best." She hopped over to him and kissed his cheek before dancing out of the kitchen, yelling over her shoulder, "Night!"
For a long moment, none of us spoke. I just stared after my little sister in stunned disbelief, waiting for her to turn around and acknowledge me for saving her freaking life. But nope, a moment later we heard the sound of her thumping up the stairs and then a slamming door.
"Wow," I murmured. "Not quite the reaction I’d expected."
Cass grimaced. "Trust me, it was worse being trapped on a cargo flight for fifteen hours with her bitching on and on about how we'd all lied to her."
I scowled. "Lied to her? About what?"
He arched a brow back. "Uh, me being dead, for starters."
Zed snorted into his whiskey glass. "No shit, she's not exactly the best secret-keeper alive."