Page 54 of Viper

“Viper, you got a grill brush?” Striker shouted from the kitchen.

He sighed and motioned for her to move so he could open the door. “I might throw your brother off sooner.”

Paige’s laugh followed him into the living room.

Chapter Fourteen

“All done, lass?” Wraith smiled warmly as he reached for her polished-off plate.

She smiled back. “Yes, but I can grab that.”

“Aye, not to worry. Let the men clean up while you rest your feet. Troy’s probably goin’ to have thirds anyway.” He winked at a glowering Troy.

Paige couldn’t help but chuckle.

“Ass,” Troy said, toward Wraith’s retreating back.

She curled her fingers around his. Atlas and Havoc were already cleaning the kitchen. Reaper had eaten quickly then returned to his rental, saying he was still sweaty from sitting by the pool and needed to shower.

“What did you find out today?” she asked.

He reached for his glass of water and took a long drink. “Craig ran to a dispensary from the restaurant, and the owner, William Barre, let him hide there. The two obviously know each other but we’re still trying to figure out their connection.”

“And you’re not going to share this information with the police?”

He set his glass on the table and traced his thumb over the wood grain. God, he was effortlessly handsome. His close-cropped blond hair was a shade or so lighter than the stubble on his jaw, and his bright-blue eyes seemed to hold the secrets of the universe. There was so much behind his gaze: experience, loss, joy—she could read him for hours and never get bored. And the tattoos up his arms did all kinds of things to her insides.

“This isn’t a matter for the police anymore, babe. I mean, if they get to him before us, whatever. But I don’t plan on letting that happen.”

She bit her bottom lip. She wasn’t a newbie to Phantom Ops’s way of working. While Atlas didn’t share a lot of details about his missions, she had a pretty damn good idea what their jobs entailed.

There wasn’t a more capable team of men. However, she didn’t want any of them behind bars, and this situation was a little different than what they were used to with Craig having murdered a young woman.

She opened her mouth to say just that, but Troy lifted their joined hands and kissed her knuckles.

“Craig’s stupid for sticking around. We’ll find the arrogant bastard and when we do, he won’t hurt anyone ever again.”

The dishwasher clanked shut and Havoc strolled into the dining room, picking up his laptop from the island on the way. He sat down across from them.

Havoc focused on his phone, then switched to his laptop.

Atlas wiped his hands on a dish towel, then rounded the island. He pulled out the chair nearest her and sat. She listened to the team chat casually and fought the urge to rest her head on the table.

She hadn’t done much but lie by the pool that day, but the sun and all the emotional stress of the previous night had sucked her energy.

As the guys talked, she leaned against Troy, resting her hand on his thigh. Havoc turned the screen to show something to Atlas.

While he was distracted, she lifted her lips to Troy’s ear. “So much for throwing everyone off the balcony.”

He barked out a laugh, then quickly cleared his throat. “I’m game,” he said jokingly. He slid an arm around her waist and kissed her temple with a featherlight touch.

The cat might be out of the bag, but she also didn’t want to rub their romance in her brother’s face and make him feel uncomfortable. Troy clearly felt the same way—and that fact made her like him even more.

It was hard to find anything about Troy she didn’t like.

He laced his fingers with hers and moved their joined hands to rest on her thigh. Electricity bolted to her belly, and the low, gentle pulsing was enough to make her squirm on her seat. She flicked her gaze to the clock: 7:18 p.m.

These guys didn’t rest when there was work to be done. There were only two reasons they’d leave this apartment: one, if the work was finished, or two, if they were thrown from the balcony.