back pocket. ‘OK, so Vero and Ash, go with Victor. Come at the house from the south.’ He pointed to a spot on the map where he wanted them to go. ‘Ash, can you create another diversion?’
‘How are we going to get near? Ash asked, looking around nervously. ‘They’ll sense us. They’ve probably already sensed us.’
‘Use that to your advantage. Be ready to run. The bikes are parked here.’ He pointed to a point on the map a good four hundred metres from the house. ‘We’ll meet back at Victor’s.’
‘What are you going to do?’ Evie asked.
‘I’ll head with Jamieson and Flic around the side of the house, wait until they’re distracted, then see if I can get a visual. Hopefully Jamieson and Flic will mask my scent.’ He stopped talking and started folding up the map.
Evie stared at him with her hands on her hips. ‘What about me?’
He kept folding the map, avoiding eye contact. ‘I want you to stay here and keep an eye on these two,’ he said, nodding his head at RJ and Selena. ‘Make sure they don’t get into trouble.’
‘You’re kidding?’ Evie spluttered. That wasn’t why she was here – to be a glorified babysitter to two idiot kids.
Cyrus pushed the map into his pocket and strode forward, edging her back towards the kerb, away from the others. ‘Evie,’ he said, looking down on her, his hand hovering by her waist, ‘please, do as I ask.’
She looked up into his sea-coloured eyes and saw the expression in them – the same expression he’d worn a few seconds ago when he’d stroked his thumb along her jaw – and it made her fall instantly silent.
There was an echo in the way he was staring at her. It reminded her of the way Lucas had once looked at her, his gaze white-hot, possessive, but also full of tenderness and…No. She pulled herself up short and took a sharp step backwards. He couldn’t be in love with her. Could he?
As though he had heard the silent question she was asking, Cyrus nodded at her, almost imperceptibly, and then he turned and started jogging down the street with Flic and Jamieson.
Chapter 32
‘You’re armed?’ Cyrus asked in a whisper as they ran.
‘No, I always choose to bare-knuckle fight with Originals,’ Flic hissed back. ‘Of course I’m armed.’ She drew her jacket aside and he caught sight of a bluish streak of metal at her hip.
‘Nice,’ he said. ‘I think I had one of those when they found me.’
‘When they found you naked and wandering the streets, you mean?’
He looked at her out of the corner of his eye. ‘You read the newspapers?’
‘I like to do my research,’ Flic answered, scanning the street ahead.
Cyrus grinned at her as she moved past him. She was fast, lithe, sleek as a panther – wearing tight black jeans and a black tank top that caressed every contour. If he could shake Evie from out of his head he might have even given Flic a second glance but unfortunately Evie was in his head, had taken up permanent residence there, so he just admired Flic’s animal grace and tried to keep up.
He glanced over his shoulder at Evie, waiting at the far end of the street. She’d better stay exactly where he’d left her. She was standing with one hip jutted forward, hands on her hips, staring after them, radiating fury, and maybe something else. He’d thought he’d seen a flicker of confusion cross her face before, and when he’d stroked her jaw he’d definitely felt her pulse speed up.
He hoped he hadn’t been too obvious when he told her to do as he asked. He didn’t want to come over all controlling and possessive but at the same time he didn’t want to put the mother of his child in any danger. He mentally punched himself. Man, this whole thing was such a headscrew. He focused back on Flic’s lithe form to distract himself.
‘Let’s come at it through this house,’ Cyrus said, indicating the white-porticoed mansion they were just passing.
‘That’s going to be subtle,’ Flic hissed, tipping her head at the security gate and the warning sign with a frothing Rottweiler drawn on it.
‘I doubt very much the owners are home,’ Cyrus answered, sliding his hand up the wall, looking for purchase.
Flic blinked at him. ‘You think they got eaten?’ she asked, her eyes growing round.
Cyrus shrugged. ‘We’ll soon find out.’ He braced himself to climb.