Page 68 of Double the Redemption

He gave absent waves when those milling around called out to him. Probably all surprised to see him up and about so early.

When he reached the warehouse, he called out to Glitch but didn’t see or hear her moving. Not until she dropped down in front of him at the top of the steps to the apartment door.

He blinked down at her. “Are you all just going to clamber around like monkeys?”

She shrugged, grinning. “It’s fun. I haven’t had to do that in a long time, so I’m taking every advantage I can.”

“And giving your man a heart attack.”

Her grin widened.

“Is she up?”

“Nope, they’re both still asleep. Seems they had long, exciting days yesterday. And from the sounds of it, a steamy evening too.”

He didn’t rise to the bait. “How about you let me inside and I’ll get to work on feeding them before I head to the shop for the day.”

“You’re willing to risk that she won’t come out shooting at you again?”

Shit, he forgot about that. He had to hope she wouldn’t assume he was one of the bad guys.

“I’ll let her know I’m there.”

She narrowed her eyes on him before sighing. “I’m kind of hoping she doesn’t shoot you, but just in case, I’ll be close by. I’m not as fast as the others since I’m more of a computer genius, but I can help in a pinch.”

He tried not to let his unease show. This was either going to go really well or terribly.

The door opened into the quiet apartment, but they stopped when they saw Asher sitting at the table, coloring quietly.

“Looks like you’re up,” Glitch whispered.

Ink made his way silently over to the table to sit next to Asher. “Good morning, buddy,” he murmured. “Where’s your mama?”

“Sweepin’,” he rasped out, his voice husky. “H’gry.” He looked at Ink hopefully.

That, he could do. “Do you want to help me make some breakfast, and we’ll surprise your mama with it in bed?”

Asher nodded, but he looked back at his drawing. “’Inish.”

Ink chuckled and ruffled his hair. “Alright, you finish that, and I’ll get started. How does pancakes sound?”

Asher nodded, still uninterested.

Ink tried not to be too loud, shooting nervous glances down the hall. He had to hope Naomi would realize Asher was out here with him and not come out shooting.

It didn’t take him long to get the food going, checking in on Asher every couple of minutes to make sure he was all right. With each passing minute, Asher became more awake, but his focus was never pulled from his artwork.

Not even when Naomi stumbled down the hall, eyes wild as she looked around. Ink turned, then relaxed when he didn’t see the gun in her hand. He did, however, take in her tiny shorts and top that barely covered her tits, appreciating the view. That certainly wasn’t going to help him avoid getting a hard-on. Not to mention, her nipples were hard, and her hair was a tousled mess.

She was stunning, and he was definitely going to be late for work if he didn’t get a hold of himself.

Blinking, she looked at him then back at Asher, like she couldn’t figure out if she was still sleeping or this was some kind of dream.

He turned the burner down to low and moved toward her, unable to stay still a moment longer. “Morning, baby. I thought I’d stop by and see you before I headed for the shop. Asher said he was hungry, so …”

Naomi held up her hand, her face flaming as her eyes went wide. She walked straight to the bathroom, slamming the door behind her. Ink stood there, unsure whether to follow and make sure she was all right or wait.

The answer was made for him when he heard a thump against the door and a pained groan. He hurried forward but stopped when she barked, “Don’t even think about it, Ink. I’m not coming out until you go the hell away. I look terrible. I can’t believe you saw me like this. I look like a hussy. My tits and my ass are out. Oh my God, I have no bra on!”