AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Do you remember our agreement?” LeBlanc added.
“I passed your test so you would call me when you needed a blunt instrument to do your dirty work.”
“Not very gracious of you to put it like that, but it’s succinct nonetheless.”
The shower shut off. Stevie would be emerging any time now. I scrubbed a hand over my face, feeling my heart rate climbing by the second.
“If this is nothing but a social call, I’m hanging up,” I said.
“Enzo, relax,” LeBlanc said with a chuckle. “You should know by now I’m only interested in maintaining connections that are profitable for me. And you have the potential to be very, very profitable.”
Dread prickled at the base of my scalp.
“It’s showtime,” LeBlanc said. “Tonight. I’ll pick you up at ten o’clock. And don’t ask for any further details than that. You’re on a strictly need-to-know basis.”
Then he hung up.
A moment later, Stevie stepped out of the bathroom, wrapped in a towel, with her hair twisted up off her neck into a messy bun. Under normal circumstances, I would have been tugging at that towel in a heartbeat, distracted by the tempting glimpse of cleavage barely concealed by the terry cloth.
She’s so goddamn beautiful, I thought. My gorgeous, fiery Stevie.
When her gaze flicked over me, seated on the foot of the bed, phone in hand, the sheets pushed aside, a smile curved her lips up. Stevie came closer, trailing her hands along my thighs. There was no doubt what she was after and I would have gladly surrendered my cock to her in a heartbeat if I didn’t feel utterly sick after the phone call with LeBlanc.
“Stop,” I said, my voice hoarse and quiet.
Gently, I grasped Stevie’s wrists and moved her hands away, pushing them back toward her. She frowned.
“Don’t do this song and dance routine again, Diablo,” she warned.
As Stevie knelt before me, the look in her eyes said she wouldn’t back down. She wouldn’t give up. Her heart was in my hands. And I had to break it in order to save her.
“I was the one who hacked Tarzan’s bank account.”
Stevie went deathly still. The color drained from her face until her skin was ashy white. Then she recoiled.
“Is this a joke?”
I wish it was, I thought.
“I’ve been doing it since I was a teenager,” I said. “Bypassing security systems as easily as taking candy from a baby. Needed the money. I learned that I had to look out for myself because no one else would.”
I didn’t mention the part where my principles had changed drastically since I was a kid. My skills weren’t used for selfish reasons anymore. I tracked a few phones for the Alpha Riders to locate people, including Axel’s girlfriend, Beth. Even though I could have been living the high life, padding my pockets with a few keystrokes, I chose not to. I wanted to earn my way into something better.
Stevie pushed to her feet, shaking her head. For a split second, her face crumpled before she glanced away, blinking hard to compose herself. I didn’t want to do this to her, but she wasn’t safe when she was around me.
“What about the Alpha Riders?”
There was the slightest tremble in her voice, whether from barely restrained fury or hurt, I couldn’t tell. Probably both.
“You heard about the vote,” I replied. “It’s a no. Again.” I swallowed around the sudden dryness in my mouth. I never had a problem with lying before, but it tasted sour on my tongue now as I continued. “I knew that would happen. So, I created a little insurance policy for myself. Got my hands on some quick cash, thanks to Tarzan. I figured the bastard owed me after wrapping his paw around my throat when we first met.”
Stevie started shaking. Her hands balled into fists at her sides. I spread my arms wide and forced myself to put on a smirk that would infuriate her beyond repair.
“Go ahead, princess. I’m sure you’re dying to give me hell.”
Stevie turned away and swiped her hands across her face—a tell-tale sign that she was hiding tears. That hurt more than any punch to the face she could have delivered.
“Stupid, stupid, stupid,” she muttered under her breath. Nearly inaudible. Saying that to herself instead of me, the one who actually deserved it.
