Power Switch (Power Play #3) - Kennedy L. Mitchell Page 0,18
held captive in this house.” They’ve kept me locked in the house since that night we were ambushed. Going out for the party last night was a rare taste of freedom. No matter how many times I told them, “All work and no play make Randi a dull girl,” they were relentless about keeping me safe in this house.
Both men nod.
“My apartment is secure.” My mouth gapes at Trey. “We can keep her away from the windows.”
“We'll sweep it for bugs—”
“The hell?” Trey groans. “You're an overprotective busy bee.”
“Busy bee?” I say on a giggle, rewarding me with an almost smirk from Trey.
“This is national security we're talking about. Mix that with the two fucktwats, Birmingham and Whit, I'm not taking any chances. We go to your place, scan it for bugs, then… eat lunch.” The exaggerated wink T shoots my way causes a snort to escape. I slap a palm across my nose just as another slips out. “Have Jessica order the food. That way no one knows it's for Randi.”
My gaze snaps to Trey's. “I'm sorry, what? Is she fucking living with you now?” I take a deadly step toward the two men, my eyes no doubt blazing with jealousy and giving them a peek into the violent side of my crazy.
“Calm down there, Carrie.” Trey gives T a worried glimpse. “Jessica isn’t living with me. That will never happen. She lives in her own condo, several floors below mine.” Keeping his attention on me like I’m about to strike, he says to T out of the corner of his mouth, “Negative on Jessica. I repeat, negative on Jessica.”
All the anger and tension seep from my tight muscles, leaving them heavy. “Oh. Okay. Whew, you almost died.”
Wait, can I get jealous when I was just imagining hottie Sam and me playing “spank the student”?
“Wow,” T says on a whistle.
“Yeah, I was a little scared, and I've seen her hit.”
I let out a sarcastic laugh at the two with narrowed eyes. “Hey, I'm getting better. Look at these guns.” Lifting my twig-like arms, I flex, allowing the small hill to bulge along my bicep.
“You are improving,” T agrees. “Sarah says you've come a long way.”
Pride radiates in my chest. Sarah, his wife, is one tough cookie, so impressing her is like winning the lottery—it never happens. “Really? She said I was getting better?”
With a smile, he nods. “Still a long way to go, mind you.” I roll my eyes to the ceiling. “But better than the worthless duck-and-roll strategy you started the training sessions with.”
“That's what they taught me in elementary school,” I say, hiding my laughter. Trey is right, T is so fun to rile up.
“That’s tuck and roll,” T says, throwing his large hands in the air in clear exasperation. “That's when you're on fire, not when you're getting your ass—”
I lose control over my giggles, cutting him off.
Eyes narrowed, he squints from me to the chuckling Trey. “Funny.”
“You're not laughing,” Trey points out.
“I don't laugh.”
I nod, causing the earlier makeshift messy bun to come unraveled. “Sure you do. I've seen you do it a lot around me.” The pen falls to the floor, and my hair tumbles the rest of the way down my back.
“That's me laughing at you, not with you.”
I grasp my chest and lean back against the bookshelf, faking pain. “You cut me deep. Real deep, T.”
With a roll of his dark eyes, he marches to the library doors and gives an impatient wave out into the hall. “Let's go, you two. I'm fucking starving.”
5
Trey
Why the hell am I nervous?
Keys in hand, I slide around Randi and the rest of the alpha team to open the condo door. The moment the deadbolt clicks, four of the guys, plus Tank, push past me, shoving the door open. Tank adds a little more shoulder into his push than necessary, making me stumble to keep from falling backward.
Randi moves around me to follow the five. Snaking an arm around her waist as she passes by, I haul her backward, sealing her back to my chest.
“Not until they clear the room,” I chastise. “It’s like you've never done this before.”
She shrugs. “It's your place. No one knew we were coming. What's the big deal?”
“You. You're the big deal, Randi. Not sure if you've realized it yet, but you're the vice president, and with that comes constant threats. Not everyone agrees with what you’re trying to change in this city, plus the less local threats.”