Sinners' Playground (The Harlequin Crew #1) - Caroline Peckham Page 0,210

off my air or really hurting me, but after what Shawn had done it still fucking terrified me.

"Well Fox is telling the whole world that he's got exclusive access between your bronze thighs, and seeing as he knows Daddy will be home any day now to cut your pretty head off, I'm guessing he's been making full use of your pussy. But I also know how much Chase and JJ used to ache for a taste of you. And after your little boast about Johnny James’s cock, I have to assume he’d made good use of it with you. Hell, I wouldn't even be surprised if they had a bet running to see which one of them could fuck you first.” Maverick snorted a laugh but it sounded false on his lips. I just didn’t know what that meant. The mask he wore was so tightly fixed to his features that it was impossible for me to get a true read on him.

"Let go of me, Rick," I growled, thrashing beneath him and he just smiled as I fought and punched, looking like he was actually getting off on seeing me panic.

"Don't start letting yourself believe in dreams, Rogue," he said, dropping his cellphone and the key on the desk beside me as he reached out to smooth my hair out of my face before trailing his thumb over my lips. "I made that mistake once and I'll never do it again. If something seems too good to be true, then it always is. So tell me, why the fuck are you here? Because you sure as fuck didn't come here just to sell out those assholes for that key. There's something else you want from me."

A loud knock came at the door and Maverick sneered angrily as he pushed himself upright, leaving me laying on the desk, panting in fear with my heart thrashing and the most utterly fucked up feeling singing in my veins. Because as much as I didn't want to, on some level I'd relished in that. I liked him showing me the worst of him because there was no bullshit to it. I didn't want to pretend that these men were the boys I'd known once because they'd proved a long time ago that I'd never known them anyway. And they sure as fuck didn't know me anymore. So I wanted to look into the depths of his darkness and figure out whether I could survive the fall into it or whether it would drown me if I tried.

Maverick ripped the door open and I pushed myself to sit up, glancing at his cellphone and key which he'd left beside me.

He threw a look over his shoulder at me then stepped outside to speak to whoever had interrupted us.

My lips parted in surprise as I realised he’d just given me the perfect opportunity to do what I'd come here for. I’d been planning on trying to trigger some kind of alarm or somehow making it seem like this place was under attack, but stealing his cellphone was like a thousand times simpler than that.

Though I was starting to seriously regret this plan. Why was I putting my damn neck on the line for people who wouldn’t do the same for me?

Fuck the Harlequins.

But fuck Maverick too.

And fuck Shawn while I was at it. Always.

I picked up Maverick’s cellphone, finding it still unlocked from his call and I quickly checked the caller ID to find the contact details I needed.

I pushed my tongue into my cheek as I considered my options. I could forget the fucking plan, let the Harlequins go to hell and leave them to deal with their own problems. But if I did that then I was burning my bridges there and then what? Just stay here on the isle of psychos and let Maverick keep tossing me about like a rag doll? No thanks.

Besides, I had unfinished business with that trio of lying motherfuckers. So I'd stick to the plan then I was going to go and wring their fucking necks, get my hands on their keys and blow up their goddamn world before running the fuck away like I'd been planning all along.

I tapped out a message to Eckles on Maverick's phone, telling him that the island was under attack and that he needed all of his men back here asap to defend it. Then I pocketed the phone, grabbed my own cell too and threaded Maverick's key onto the leather