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“God, I hope so,” Franny groaned, slumping onto a bar stool. “I’m so tired. Tank has been like a beast the last few nights. I’m not complaining because that man has skills like no other, but the lady bits are sore. I would kill for a good night’s sleep.”
“Roach,” Tank thundered.
“Stay,” he ordered Rose before jogging down the hall toward their Prez’ office.
“So,” Rose rolled her eyes. “About that pizza in the big freezer outside.”
“Wait five minutes. If he isn’t back, we go ourselves.”
Three minutes later, Franny was snoring softly against the bar, using a rag for a pillow. Rose tossed the charred circle that was once a pizza in the trash. If anyone asked, she would say the guys ate it. No one would ever know the difference. Besides, there was no one around to tattle.
The urge to run outside was hard to deny. The storeroom was attached to the side of the garage. It wasn’t far. A few hundred feet from door to door. She hadn’t been outside in days.
Days.
Rose missed the sun. Fresh air. It was hotter than Hades outside, but it was outside, as in not within the same walls she saw every day. The temptation was too strong. Since no one was around to tell her no, Rose hurried out the door before she could talk herself out of it.
“Sweet baby Jesus,” Rose sighed in pure bliss as the sun beat down on her. Closing the door softly behind her, she hurried across the yard. She was out one door and in the next before anyone saw her. Mission accomplished. Half accomplished. She had to get back inside before Birdy laid an egg or Ladybug handcuffed their arms together.
“Jackpot,” Rose whispered excitedly when she opened the freezer. There, nestled on the top, were pizzas. “Manna from heaven.”
Rose tucked them under her arm and closed the freezer. Tip-toeing to the door, she paused to listen for voices outside. She made it this far without getting caught. There was no sense in getting careless just because her mission was almost complete. One more sprint across the dirt, and no one would ever know she was gone.
Rose placed her hand on the door, but something inside her screamed at her to wait. Her breath stalled when she heard a frustrated tone filter through the door. There was only one person who growled like that. Birdy was on the other side of the metal she was leaning on.
“Shit,” she whispered. “I am never going to hear the end of this.”
“I can’t do this very much longer. You said one job. One fucking job, and now you are doing another one, and I’m stuck here waiting. This was not part of the deal.”
Rose smacked her hand over her mouth. Her heart rate thrummed in her ears so loud she was surprised Birdy didn’t hear it. Who was he talking to? What job?
“Bullshit,” he spat. “You keep telling me that, but it’s always one more. I’m done. Grow a pair of balls and get your shit handled because you have one week, and I’m out. I can’t save your ass anymore. People are talking. It doesn’t take a genius to figure it out, and then what?”
Rose strained to listen. His voice faded in and out like he was pacing in front of the door. Sweat beaded on her forehead and ran down into her eyes. Rose refused to move.
“Fine. Get the job done, and then I’m out. I’ll send you what I can.”
She listened as Vulture swore. He punched the door she was leaning against as he cussed whoever was on the other end of that call. Rose jumped when the door rattled under the assault. The boxes in her hand clattered across the floor. She froze when the pounding stopped. He heard her. There was no way he hadn’t heard the boxes hit the floor. She held her breath and didn’t move. Any second the door would burst open. The ringing of his phone had her anxiety ramping higher. Getting caught outside was one thing. Getting caught outside and overhearing something she shouldn’t was a completely different kind of danger.
“What?” He barked.
Rose leaned into the door, pressing her ear into the metal.
“What do you mean she is gone? Roach, how hard is it to watch one woman?”
Oh no. They knew she was gone. This was not going to be good.
“On my way. You better hope we find her fast, or I will beat your ass for taking your eyes off her.”
Rose waited until she couldn’t hear anything before opening the door to peek her head out.
“About time,” she sighed when no one was in sight.
Rose tucked the boxes under her arm and opened the door. She had just stepped through it when the back door of the clubhouse swung open. Tank, Birdy, and Ladybug crashed through. They all stopped when they spied her. Standing shoulder to shoulder with matching looks of irritation, they made a formidable sight.
“Hey, boys.” Rose sent them a flirty finger wave. “Getting us some dinner.” She smiled, holding up the pizza boxes.
“Rosey,” Ladybug grumbled, rubbing a hand over his bald head.
