"Huh," Zed huffed. "I didn't know anyone had moved in."
"Why does this give me a bad feeling?" I groaned, shaking my head. Zed glanced at me with concern but turned the car out of the driveway a fraction of a second slower than his new neighbor. The other car turned toward us, slowing as we started to pass, and the driver's window rolled down.
Zed immediately hit the brakes. My breath caught in my chest as the sick feeling peaked.
"What the fuck?" he snarled. Shooting me a pained look, he rolled his own window down.
"Good morning, neighbor!" Chase called out with a broad, smug-as-fuck grin on his bruised face. "Lovely morning, don't you think?"
"You can't be fucking serious," Zed snapped, his jaw ticking with fury.
Chase scoffed a laugh. "I never joke about a nice day, old friend." His one-eyed gaze shifted past Zed to me, and it sparked with excitement. "I trust you got my flowers, Darling? I'd love to stay and chat, but you know how it goes. Business waits for no man. See you round." With a cheery wave, he hit the gas and accelerated down the street.
Both Zed and I just sat there a moment, speechless. Then Lucas sat back with a long string of curses.
"I couldn't have said it better myself," Zed murmured, hitting the gas once more.
I had no words, though. Fucking Chase was still four steps ahead.
31
The groan of pain that escaped Lucas as he rolled back to his feet made me flinch internally, but I did nothing to intervene. Instead, I just nodded to Alexi, who'd grabbed a towel to wipe his sweaty brow.
"Go again," Lucas grunted.
Alexi sighed, then shrugged and tossed his towel aside. "You're tough, kid," he commented with an edge of respect. "Try to keep your left guard up a bit tighter."
"Boss," Bulldog spoke up, his voice strained, "mind if I sit this round out?" He was still hunched over in the corner with an ice pack to his groin. Lucas had caught him with a sly knee after I offered him some advice on fighting dirty.
I gave a sharp nod, then left them to it. Alexi and Bulldog had been kicking Lucas's ass up and down the training gym for almost two hours, but I felt like Lucas was learning a lot. So I'd let him make his own calls on whether he was okay to continue, and so far he wasn't giving up.
"I think I'm starting to like that stubborn little shit," Zed muttered, falling into step with me as I strode across the Anarchy grounds toward the offices.
I scoffed a laugh. "Starting to? You're so full of shit."
Zed didn't disagree, just arched a lopsided smile as he caught my hand in his. After a quick look around us, he tugged me into his embrace. Two steps and he had me against the wall, his lips on mine as he kissed me.
"Zed," I whispered against his lips as his hands found my waist. "We're at work."
"I don't care," he replied. "I can't keep my hands off you." Or his lips, apparently, as he kissed me again softly. His tongue traced the seam of my lips, lightly stroking over the aching split and making me arch my body into his. Tossing professionalism aside, I kissed him back eagerly.
"Hey, Zed." Hannah's familiar voice jolted through the bubble we'd just constructed. "Have you seen—" She cut off as I jerked out of Zed's grip and cleared my throat. "Oh. Boss. Uh... Shit, this is awkward now." Her wide-eyed gaze darted between Zed and me.
I pressed the back of my hand to my lips, trying to chase away the lingering burn of Zed's kiss so I might be able to focus. "You're fine, Hannah," I replied, sweeping that same hand through my hair. "You were looking for me?"
Her big brown eyes darted between Zed and me again, then she squared her shoulders and refocused. "Yes, sir. I need to discuss a few things, if you have some time?"
I nodded, stepping away from Zed. "Absolutely. Zed, go back and make sure Lucas is still alive."
He gave me a sidelong glance, then scrubbed a hand over his short hair. "Sure can, Boss. I'll see you later, then?"
Not answering him, because it was a stupid fucking question, I led the way into the admin building with Hannah tight on my heels. Not that I had a proper office at Anarchy, but we had a security office and it wasn't currently in use, as the