I pull up to the curb and kill the engine. “She won’t be able to help herself. She’s probably already here.” It takes less than a minute to scout the perimeter.
Gotcha.
Pointing to the shadow lurking behind the fence, I nod. “Check it. I knew Temple wouldn’t stay away.”
“Why is she waiting outside?”
“Would you be inside knowing we’re going to torch the place?” I counter.
“Yeah.”
“That’s because you’re a hotheaded prick. It’s going to get you killed someday.”
I stare at Temple. Reckless woman. I should take her by the throat and throw her against the wall. Show her that being here, alone, is a stupid fucking idea. I want to spread her legs and tease her cunt until she promises never to do it again. Then, I want to tear an orgasm from her, suck her juices dry, and tell her to do something more treacherous to me.
Saint whistles. “Chick’s got balls. Don’t know many that’d rock up at this time of night.”
Warring between wanting to choke and fuck her, I mutter, “She’s not most chicks.”
Saint watches me, grinning. “Do you want to rub one out? I’ll turn on some music and wait outside the car if you want. You’re going to go blind from blue balls if you don’t do something about it soon.”
Isn’t that the fucking truth. “Screw you, asshole.”
The prick laughs. “Is it because of what she said the other week in class? Not going to lie, I wanted to strip her naked when she started talking about poetry or whatever the fuck it was. Can’t remember now. I was too busy picturing her riding my cock, reverse cowgirl style.”
My knuckles turn white against steering wheel. “Keep talking, I fucking dare you.”
Saint smirks. “Dude, you’ve got it bad.” He looks to Temple’s hiding spot and sobers. “But don’t confuse a hot rack with our plan. If she gets inside your head, we’re all fucked.” Clamping a hand on my shoulder, he squeezes. “Temple’s an exit strategy, that’s it.”
“I know what she is.” A firecracker wrapped in a killer body. A curse sent to mess with my head. A possession I will control. Temple’s a temptation I can’t ignore. Not even for my brother.
Saint lets go, taking out his phone. He scrolls through his messages. “You’re going to bone her, aren’t you?”
Since I won’t lie to him, I don’t say shit.
He shakes his head. “Like you said, bro, she’s not like most chicks. Watch your back, because she’ll put a bullet in it. Chick’s wired for violence.”
That’s what I’m counting on.
Angel and Eve pull up behind us. He dims the lights and calls Saint’s burner.
Saint puts him on loudspeaker. “Yo, jockstrap. Where have you been? You drive like a geriatric.”
“I had shit to do,” Angel grits out.
“Is that code for a quick fuck?” Saint grins. “Couldn’t have been Eve. She won’t go near your creepy ass.”
“That’s because I have standards,” Eve pipes up.
Saint smirks. “Out with it, cuz. Who’d you pay for a fuck this time?”
“Shut it,” I warn. Angel hates being questioned about personal shit. Dude will happily butcher my idiot brother, and it won’t be until Saint’s a heap of rotting body parts that he’ll realize what he’s done. Or care.
“What? I’m curious, that’s all. He never talks about the women he bags. Hell, the dude could be a virgin for all we know. We’re family. We’re meant to share this stuff.”
“I said, shut it.”
“Whatever, dude. Just having some fun,” he mutters.
“Where are we at, Angel?” I ask.
“You’ve got fifty minutes. Plenty of time to get in, get the job done, and out again. I’m taking your car, and Eve’s taking mine—”
“She’s what?” Saint exclaims. “Eve, you can’t drive for shit.”
“I’m a great driver, thank you very much.”
Saint scoffs. “Have you forgotten the time—”
Bored, I cut him off. “What about the cameras, Angel?” I eye Temple’s shadow. If she moves, I want to know about it.
“Sorted,” he confirms. “They were a piece of piss to hack. I’ll text you the code to the garage. Don’t screw it up. The system will lock itself after three tries, and it’s on a twenty-minute timer.”
Saint smirks. “You’re a miserable dick, cuz. Anyone ever tell you that? No wonder Eve won’t spread her legs for you. She’d get more love from her vibrator.”
“Fuck you, Saint. She’s not worth my time.”
“Hey, asshole, I’m right here.” Eve is pissed.
Saint grins, proving his memory is shot to shit when it comes to self-preservation. “If you’re gonna hit him, Eve, aim for his balls. It’ll be the first time someone’s touched them in years.”
“Fuck you.” Angel ends the call.
Getting out of the car, my idiot brother laughs. “He’s so easy to piss off. It’s almost unfair, you know? Like playing spin the bottle with someone who’s drunk as fuck.”
“You’re screwed in the head.” I grab my bag from the back seat. “And not just for your weird-ass comparison. Angel’s a loose cannon. He’d fuck you up in minutes.”
“I live for the thrill, motherfucker.” He shuts the door. “You’ve seen him and Eve together. The sooner they fuck, the better it’ll be for all of us. They’ve been like this since high school.”
I stealthily make my way to the garage. It’s barricaded by a chain-link fence with a deadlock I could break open in my sleep. “Focus on what needs doing, man.”
He looks me dead in the eye. “Fine. But you need to do the same.”
Asshole.
Chapter Ten
Temple
The wind is cool. It blows straight off the ocean, the salt from the sea spray licking my skin. I crouch in the shadows, drawing my cap lower and tucking stray strands of hair behind my ears.
The low wall separating Dad’s garage from the abandoned laundromat next door is cracked and crumbling. Despite its disheveled state, or maybe because of it, it offers the cover I need.
I glance at the night sky. The stars glimmer and wink like they’re giving me the go-ahead to inflict carnage on Sin, Saint, and Angel.
Anticipation tingles in my arms and legs. It blends with the pins and needles already there, turning my limbs hot. Despite the pricks of discomfort telling me to shift position, I don’t move. With my eyes pinned on the sleeping garage, I wait.
Sin’s Ferrari slows and eventually stops. Then a Lamborghini arrives. Two figures—Sin and Saint—emerge from the first, dressed in black and drawing their hoods over their heads.
Sin’s long, confident strides eat up the distance to the garage. Stupidly, I get distracted by his movements and miss him reaching the chain-link fence separating the outside world from my work.
Cursing, I shift, trying to get a better look.
Sin breaks the padlock and opens the gate wide enough for Saint to squeeze through.