The blade cut deeper into his throat, my knuckle burrowing and twisting into the gunshot. Blood poured out of it, driving another scream from him.
“Fine,” he bellowed. “Stop!”
I stepped back, withdrawing my knife.
“Makin’ me hard again, Kovacs.” Warwick’s shadow rubbed up the back of me, his voice deep and gravelly. I sucked in sharply, feeling his erection pressing into me. For a second, the idea of him fucking me through the link, right here, heated my skin with a thrill.
No, Brex... bad, bad idea.
It took Vincent a few moments to control the loud grunting and breathing. “I’m bleeding out here.”
“We’ll get the doctor back in the moment you tell us something worth your life.” Warwick crossed his arms, leaning farther back on the wall.
“I won’t rat them out,” he wheezed. “I won’t tell you the hideout location... but...” he added in quickly, seeing my knife rise. “I’ll give you the location of where you can get a message to them. Trade me for the bag.”
“You think your buddies will really care enough about you?” Warwick snickered. “They left you there to die.”
“That is our decree. We understand the risks out there. And there are a lot more of us than you think. We split into small groups so it looks like a bunch of gangs in the street, none worth coming after because of their insignificance. In reality, we are a huge organization... even expanding into Prague.”
“Prague?” I blinked as a memory bubbled up. Mykel telling me about a gang terrorizing the streets there, reminding me very much of the Hounds. “Are you talking about the Mongrels?”
Vincent didn’t respond, but the tic in his jaw, the change in his breath, suggested I hit the mark. The gangs were connected? How many more cities and countries did they reach?
Clearing his throat, he added, “They will want to know I’m still alive.”
“Still don’t see why they’d care about a foot soldier.” Warwick shrugged.
“Because I’m not. I am the leader of the whole operation.”
Warwick summoned Dr. Laski when we exited the room, an encrypted note folded in his palm from the commander of the Hounds. Rosie had instantly disappeared upstairs, needing to be by herself.
“Stay here. I’ll go drop it at the location and come right back.” Warwick tucked it in his back pocket.
“How do we know this isn’t some setup?” I stepped in front of him, blocking his way to the door, worry etching my forehead. “That he’s telling them where we are and to come attack us?”
Vincent told us his men would only take a secret coded message as legitimate. Of course, not letting us in on the cipher, he shakily wrote it himself. The problem was, we had no idea what he was really telling them.
“We don’t.” Warwick tipped his chin down, our bodies close, his gaze heavy, his physique immersing mine. The craving to touch him, to never stop touching him or kissing him, had my lungs compressing with anxiety. I never felt possessed like this before. And I needed to own him as much as he seemed to dominate me. “But I have a feeling he really doesn’t want to start a war with me.” He leaned down, his lips brushing mine. “One he knows he won’t win. I am the legend, Warwick Farkas, after all.”
“Having some trouble fitting that ego in this universe?”
“No, but I am having trouble fitting my dick in these pants right now.” His mouth claimed mine with force, his fingers threading through my hair, devouring me with need. “I’ll be back soon,” he muttered, breaking away from me sooner than I wanted. His mouth remained an inch away, his forehead leaning into mine. Not moving.
“I’ll be here. Probably in the bath.”
“Make sure you are.”
“Te geci!” Son of a bitch! A man’s voice shouted behind me, spinning us to the doorway, instinctively tugging out our weapons and pointing them at the intruder. “You two are assholes!”
“Faszszopó.” Cocksucker, Warwick hissed, lowering his gun. “I almost fuckin’ shot you.”
Ash stood at the entrance, wearing the same clothes he had on yesterday. He was dirty, with scratches on his neck and face, his hair tangled, appearing exhausted.
“I was scared out of my mind, thinking you were dead, searching the streets and alleys for your bodies. And here you are... csókolózás!” Kissing. His arms flung out, relief turning to anger.
“You didn’t think to check here first?” Warwick lifted one brow.
Ash’s mouth opened and closed, as if he were now wondering the same, then his lids narrowed.
“No, I was too busy following tracks from where I found your bullet-ridden bike and pools of blood!”
“Ash.” I walked over to him, hugging him. “Sorry we worried you.”
It took him a while before he exhaled, his arms wrapping around me.
“When you guys didn’t return to the base, I got so concerned,” he muttered, squeezing me before he leaned back. “Though I should have known you two were not only all right but fucking each other’s brains out. I mean, out of nowhere, I got fucking horny as hell, felt it in the air, the earth. I should have figured it was you guys.”
“Yeah, and probably in the middle of searching for us, you took a pit stop at Kara’s.” Warwick snorted.
Ash’s eye twitched, his head turning to the side.
“Holy shit, you did!” Warwick pointed at the marks on his neck. Now I could make out they were fingernail scratches.
“You know how tree fairies get when we’re horny! I had to take the edge off.”
Deep laughter roared from Warwick, his head tipping back, eyes squeezing shut, hands clapping together.
The sound penetrated through my skin, hitting every fiber of my being. It stroked a fire through me, warming every inch and spreading an instant smile over my face. His laughter was the sexiest thing I had ever heard.
“What?” Ash peered between us. “It’s not like I could help it. I blame you guys.”
I shook my head, chuckling as he tried to defend himself.
“Well, thank you for looking for us between your sexual romps.” I patted his arm, making him huff and try to explain. “But you could have asked Scorpion. He’d know we were okay.”
Realization dawned on his face, probably forgetting the link between Scorpion and me. “He’s been a bit busy playing warden to your friend.”
“Hanna? Is she okay? Is Caden? Lukas?”
Ash nodded. “They’re fine. Lukas and Caden are both awake now.”
The urgent need to get back to base to check in on them, talk to them, unsettled me, knowing it had to wait.
“Actually, glad you showed up.” Warwick patted his shoulder with a smirk. “You can come with me. Also, procure another bike for me.”
“This the eighth one this month!” Ash snorted, both men about to step to the door.
“What can I say?” He winked back at me. “I ride hard.”
“Warwick, can I speak to—” Kitty came striding into the room, coming to a halt, her mouth still open, but no other words followed. Her gaze locked on the new arrival.