Savage Vandal (82 Street Vandals #1) - Heather Long Page 0,81

all he said was, “Fair.”

“Probably should thank me,” Jasper suggested thinly. “Because I don’t have to do you a solid.”

The malice in his glare when he looked at Jasper promised all kinds of retribution. Goddammit. Just fucking do it and get it over with. One would think he’d learned to not play with his prey.

“Thank you, Hawk,” Meeks ground out between his teeth like the bitter words poisoned him, even as he gave them air.

“You’re very welcome,” Jasper told him a split second before the knife came down and severed his trigger finger.

I’d give Meeks credit.

He didn’t scream.

Much.

Chapter 21

Emersyn

“You don’t have to stay with me,” I told Freddie as he walked me up the stairs, and he grasped his chest with both hands.

“Boo-Boo, you’re gonna hurt my feelings.” The melodramatic note made me roll my eyes. “Besides, do you know how long I’ve waited to get alone with you and your perfect pussy again?”

We were in the hallway, and I paused to look at him. “You’ve never been alone with my perfect pussy.”

“So now would be the time to start, right?” He leered so playfully, I couldn’t help laughing. It was the most ridiculous expression. “Besides, I’ve got excellent conversational skills and more—I can cook.”

“Really?” The flip from playful leering to just plain playful was refreshing. Everyone else was so stoic. Like Kestrel. He was supposed to be my ally. I’d trusted him, and I still wanted to trust him. When he said if he could let me go, he would, I believed him.

Yet, here we were.

Then there was Vaughn. My whole body heated at the thought of him. He flirted and soothed. His voice could melt me, even when I wanted to punch him for laughing at me. Rome was…a mystery. His art though, that took my breath away. Jasper was so damn controlling. The image of his kiss seared through me. Then there was Liam—he was more of a mystery than Rome.

Beyond all of them? Doc.

I didn’t understand any of them. At the door to my room, I put a hand on Freddie’s chest so he wouldn’t follow me inside. “I’ll be out after I shower.”

“Awww, no free looks at that pretty pussy? I promise, I won’t touch.”

I snorted. “Keep asking like that, and you’ll never see it.”

Just as I closed the door, he said “Yes!” with great vehemence.

I pulled the door open again and eyed him. “Why are you so happy?”

He grinned, arms folded and looking cocky as hell as he leaned against the doorframe. “Because you just told me how I could get to see it again. I just have to stop asking.”

My mouth opened, but he seemed so damn pleased with himself, that I didn’t have it in me to burst his bubble. With a shake of my head, I closed the door and headed for the bathroom. I paused only long enough to take a change of clothes in with me. I was soaked through with sweat, and I needed a shower.

Fifteen minutes later with my wet hair pulled into a braid and dressed in clean clothes, I found Freddie sprawled on Kestrel’s bed, studying his phone. He glanced over at me as I opened the door and then sat up.

“Damn, I was hoping for a little towel and flash.” He winked as if to let me know he wasn’t remotely serious, which I appreciated. Still, I shook my head and padded for the door. I’d left off shoes and put on thick socks.

I didn’t expect a chance to blow out of here yet. I didn’t even know when Doc would manage it, but I planned to trust him as much as I could trust anyone in this place. I was halfway down the hall before Freddie caught up to me.

“Maybe we should hang out up here?” he suggested, and I hesitated.

Did he want to stay here because he didn’t want to let me go downstairs? Was something wrong? Jasper had taken off like a bat out of hell the moment Kestrel knocked on the door. One minute, he was burning me alive with his kiss, and the next, he was glaring at me like I’d committed a crime.

“I’m hungry,” I said. “And I want to go watch something on the television.”

“Oh.” Freddie scratched at his smooth jaw like he had scruff. “Yeah, and you don’t have a TV in your room. I do, but my room looks like shit. Not to mention I’m not in the mood for having my balls chopped off.