Total pages in book: 34
Estimated words: 31905 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 160(@200wpm)___ 128(@250wpm)___ 106(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 31905 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 160(@200wpm)___ 128(@250wpm)___ 106(@300wpm)
Ace rolled his eyes. “It will if you want my help with the financial shit.”
Fuck. Knowing I’d never decipher all that crap by myself, I ground my teeth into dust so I wouldn’t say anything else.
“You two done?” King grunted, his face back in its usual scowl.
Ace gestured to the computer and explained, “Wizard and I have the beginnings of several aliases set up for cases when we need to get someone gone fast.”
The Hounds of Hellfire were known for our ability to make people disappear…for a price. Not the hired killer kind of disappear, though. We gave people a new life. Under the right circumstances, we did it for free, but mostly, it was the MC’s main source of income. Seeing as how we had experts in all the fields necessary for that kind of shit—a wizard at the tech stuff (hence my road name), a forger, a money guy, etc., etc., etc.
We’d long ago learned that it was helpful to have some of the legwork already done for several identities in case it was an emergency that required an immediate extraction.
“One of them is for a high roller,” Ace explained further. “Someone who wants to disappear with their fortune and can afford to pay us to do it since it takes a fuck ton of work.”
I nodded. “Won’t take much work to get this up and running. The backend is as solid as they get. Breaking this identity would take years for the best of the best. Once it’s live, we filter word of the new man through the grapevine, and as long as we’re reading her right, she’ll bite.”
“Volunteers?” Ace asked with a smirk.
Echo sighed. “It’s my op, so I’ll do it.”
Blaze and King shared a look, then they both grinned and King suggested, “Bring Violet in here to tell her.”
Oh, that’ll be good. I highly doubted Violet was gonna let her man date another woman, even if it was pretend.
“Why?” Echo questioned with narrowed eyes.
“Protection,” Blaze drawled.
Echo scowled. “Why would Violet need protection?”
I hid my laugh in a cough, but the dirty look Echo shot my way told me I hadn’t done a good job.
“Not Violet, Echo,” King muttered as he stood and walked around his desk to take a seat behind it. “You.”
“What?” Echo shook his head, clearly confused.
Blaze swept his hand around the table and grunted. “Out.”
Disappointed at missing what was bound to be a fantastic spectacle, we all protested but shut up and left when King growled. “Now!”
Later, we were sprawled out in the lounge of the clubhouse, drinking and taking a break from all the shit we were currently mired in.
Courtney, Blaze’s old lady, was teasing Echo about how he’d basically forced his way into Violet’s life after overhearing her narrating a book.
“Stalker much?” she asked with a giggle, making Blaze shake his head with a sigh.
Echo shrugged. “A guy’s gotta do what he’s gotta do to get his woman’s attention.”
“Damn straight,” King agreed, cupping the back of his son’s head with a soft smile that had his woman, Stella, blushing.
I shrugged and commented, “I’m sure some light stalking wouldn’t scare Violet off after she narrated that book for Thea Drummond with the hero who took his masked stalker rep very seriously.”
The room went silent as we all turned to gawk at me.
Oh shit.
Violet’s eyes were wide as she asked, “You’re familiar with The Monster Behind the Mask?”
Thinking fast, I said carelessly, “Stumbled across it when I was looking into you.”
The comment turned Violet’s attention back to Echo, and I should have simply left it at that…but when King got defensive about his ability to sweet-talk Stella, I couldn’t help murmuring, “Chill, Prez.” Then I shot a wicked smile at Echo. “At least you don’t need to worry about your woman recording sex scenes with another guy.”
Watching the ensuing argument was hilarious as fuck.
Eventually, Ace elbowed me in the side. “Another one bites the dust,” he joked.
So it seemed.
My thoughts turned to Thea, and I felt a trickle of relief that I wouldn’t have to worry about her working with another man—in any capacity. And I’d be the one she used to research any steamy scenes in her books.
I shook my head. “When I claim my woman, I’m not gonna be pussy-whipped enough for her to act out hot-as-fuck sex scenes with another guy,” I stated.
“Quit starting shit,” King rumbled. “I read somewhere that babies are sensitive to their environment. Don’t need Cadell to get all worked up.” His face softened when he glanced at his newborn son.
But even though I hadn’t been trying to make a dig, just a statement of fact, I raised my hands in a gesture of surrender. “Sorry, Prez.”
Cadell suddenly let out a little wail. Everyone turned their attention to the baby, leaving me free to down the rest of my beer and grab another one from behind the long bar.