Play Dirty (Wages of Sin #2) - Neve Wilder Page 0,74

said…it before to anyone else and meant it.”

Madigan caught his meaning immediately and hooked his fingers through the shoulder straps of the vest, pulling Azrael closer roughly. “Don’t. You’ll fucking jinx the mission.”

When Azrael threw his head back and laughed, Madigan took the opportunity to press a string of sucking kisses up the side of his neck.

“So, you’re superstitious now?”

“A little, yeah, and it’s tempting fate to tell someone else you love them, like you think you’re doomed.”

“Who said I was going to tell you I loved you, you arrogant prick?” Azrael rocked back a step with a smirk. “Maybe I was finally going to admit you’re the best lay I’ve ever had.”

Madigan chuckled. “I already knew that. You wouldn’t moan like a pornstar otherwise.”

Az caught him by the elbow at the door and swiveled him around, pressing him up against the wood. “After we finish this mission, I’m going to bring you back here, lay you out on this bed, and tell you over and over while fucking you until you say it back.”

Madigan didn’t want to spoil the surprise by telling him he wouldn’t have to work even half that hard to get the confession out of him.

21

Azrael

“Comms check,” Cas said through Az’s earpiece.

“Check,” Az murmured, then listened as Madi, Jonah, Sadie, and Ronin all followed suit from where they stood in front of him.

The sun was only just starting to dip low in the sky, but they sat parked at the end of a service road about half a mile from the compound, waiting for Cas to let them know when it was time to move. They’d secured a van for this excursion, and Madi sat at the back of the cargo area, his feet dangling out the open back doors, arms around Az’s thighs.

It was strange, this thing they were doing: publicly acknowledging their relationship. Casual affection was foreign to him, but casual affection from Madi left him with a pit in his stomach. Like he needed to hold and touch him as much as possible because they might not get another shot at it after that night. Looking out over the others, the plan seemed much less solid, more dangerous. Perhaps Az was just coming to the realization that, for once in his life, he had something to actually lose. He looked down at the top of Madi’s head, skimming his hand over the tousled hair. Madi looked up at him and offered a quicksilver smile that made Az want to kick everyone else out of the van and lock the doors.

Static flared in Az’s ear, and then Cas spoke again. “Okay, listen up. Signal’s live. I’ve got eyes on the security cameras now. I’m going to loop the outside security footage, and I’ve got the blueprints of the compound from the city open in front of me. Once the action goes down, Bennington will most likely make a run for that panic room in his wine cellar. I can disable the locks, but there’s a chance he’s got an exit out of the safe room to the street. Unfortunately, I can’t tell if that’s a sewer line or a tunnel.”

“Not another fucking sewer,” Madi muttered, making Az smile.

“Okay, we’re good to go,” Cas said. “There’s no sign of Eastman’s vehicle, so he must be on the move. Footage will be looped in five, four, three, two, one. Annnnd we’re good. They’re blind. Security systems are disabled. Everybody know their roles?”

“We each take a guard out quick and quiet using Az’s magical murder juice. We go in with a little tear gas as cover, take out the guards, and kill the bad guy,” Sadie muttered. “This isn’t our first rodeo, Mr. Robot.”

Cas scoffed. “Listen, you guys get to go in there, guns blazing. Let me have this.”

Sadie exhaled a long-suffering sigh. “Fine. Go ahead.”

“Thank you,” Cas replied, tone clipped and slightly indignant. “Bennington’s in his office on the first floor, which is closest to the east entrance, but it’s also only about six feet from the basement staircase, so Az you have the best shot of getting to him first. He’s got two guards outside his office, two at each of the other three entrances. Once you start shooting, it’s going to be a free-for-all, so listen to me and I’ll try to guide you through it.”

“Is he always like this?” Az asked Jonah.

“You know what they say about absolute power.” Jonah quirked a fond smile.

Az couldn’t help but smile back. It was reassuring to