Queen of Quarantine (Brutal Boys of Everlake Prep #4) - Caroline Peckham Page 0,128

and what looked like a blindfold tossed on top.

"Hitman," Niall said, pointing at himself before winding the duct tape around the bleeding wound on his bicep a few times and ripping it off with his teeth. “But if the cops pull me over I just say I’m a handyman.”

“How do you explain the blindfold?” Tatum asked curiously.

“I tell them I’m a submissive and that if my mistress calls me I’ve gotta be ready for her to come choke me no matter what time of the day or night it is. Folk don’t tend to question that shit.”

Tatum snorted a laugh while I held back on saying half the things that were running though my head. I’d already known he was a gun for hire from what Kyan had told us, but standing here looking at his killing gear kinda made it more real.

“It looks like you’ve got a good set up here,” I said, wondering if complimenting his murder weapons was the thing to do in this situation. All I knew for certain was that this was fucking weird.

"Why? You need someone dead?” Niall asked casually like he was offering me a soda. “I don't have any openings this week because I really need to get back home and feed my pets. The feisty one doesn't like it if I leave her waiting too long between meals. She gets real mouthy. The other one gets pissy too, but I don’t give a fuck about him so I’m not so bothered on that issue. Still, I wouldn’t want him dying on me before I’m good and ready."

Kyan gave me a look that said don't ask, but I was really fucking curious now.

"Is that sanitary?" Tatum asked, pointing at his duct tape bandage and Niall barked a laugh before tossing the trunk closed and rounding the car to get in the front passenger seat.

"Niall doesn't much care about his own mortality," Kyan supplied with a shrug as he ushered us around the car to get back in.

Blake had taken the driver's seat and Saint was looking at a map on Tatum's phone as he muttered about the best route for us to take to avoid the camp as we headed back south towards Kyan's family's home.

I got into the middle seat and Kyan climbed in beside me, drawing Tatum onto his lap before pulling the door closed.

"Follow this route to the best of your ability," Saint said, handing Tatum's phone to Blake who sat it in a cradle on the dash with the satnav highlighting a route Saint had clearly drawn out himself.

"On it," Blake agreed, pulling into the trees once more and we headed away from the camp as fast as we could.

"We need to send that footage of the camp to the press," Saint said, holding his hand out for Kyan's phone and I frowned at him as I realised he hadn't even really greeted Tatum yet.

"You need to chill, brother," Kyan teased, tossing him the phone all the same.

"I will just as soon as we are away from here and the threat has passed," he snipped back before focusing on the phone and ignoring the rest of us.

Niall kicked his boots up onto the dash and found a baseball cap in the glove box, putting it on and tugging it down over his eyes as he seemed to go to sleep.

"Are you okay?" I murmured to Tatum as I took her hand in mine, turning it over to inspect it for any signs of injuries.

"I'm fine. Niall was a fierce protector, don't worry."

"I think you need a full physical check-up to be sure, baby," Kyan murmured against her neck while running his hand along her thigh.

Tatum sighed contentedly, turning her head to place a kiss against his lips before leaning over to me next. There was something about that which seemed so simple, so easy, her just turning from one of us to another. I didn't even know when I'd fallen into this rhythm with it, but at least in these kinds of situations, it seemed to make so much sense.

Saint was typing away furiously, sending email after email to as many different news outlets as he could and by the time we bumped back out of the forest and onto a road again, he was done. He wordlessly took the SIM card from the phone, broke it into pieces then lowered his window to toss it out.

As soon as the window was closed again, he reached for Tatum,