It’s a surprise, however, that after just telling that guy to be quiet because we might be listening, he calls in someone else, but the Misfits clearly are starting to sweat, which means they’re making mistakes. Mistakes that we can hopefully use to take them down.
It takes another couple of minutes, but I finally hear footsteps coming down the hallway. “What?” the voice demands, low, and not close enough that I can make out who it is. The only person I’m certain any of these guys are is Arson.
“We might have a problem with that fucker. He’s starting to panic.”
A heavy silence fills the air, but I can feel it change. A dark foreboding fills the space. The kind that makes me think that the first man is about to get a hard lesson and not one that’s going to leave him alive for much longer. “Leave it to me. Just make sure that you’ve done what’s required. Alright?”
Footsteps retreat, but again, only one set. Which guy was it? It takes another minute, but I get my answer. The third man says quietly into what I quickly figure out is his phone, “Moves are being made. Are you good on your end?” Silence. “Alright, just ensure you’ve got what we need to make this happen. Your club must be none the wiser, no matter what you’re feeling…I don’t care how long you’ve been with them. They trust you and you need to make that work to your advantage. There is much more at stake here…you’re working with us, and that means you’re working with Vlad.” I hear a low curse, then steps stalking away. I don’t hear a door slam, but I do hear the steps fade, which means they’ve left the hallway.
My gut burns as I try to digest everything I’ve just heard. Fuck. Fuck! Bullet was right. We have another traitor, and they’re working with the Misfits and Vlad. Things have just gotten far more dangerous than we’ve been thinking.
I need to get to Cryos and get my phone. Then, tonight, I need to talk to Bullet. Alone. We can’t trust anyone. Not now. Not when this is all at stake.
I wait another five full minutes before I allow myself to walk calmly and normally out of the back stairs and walk casually down the hall. I stop when one of the doors opens,and I see Crypt emerging. His expression is his normal neutral expression, but his eyes take me in curiously. “How’s the head?” I ask him.
“Better, but still have some issues with light on the odd occasion. Medic’s forbidden me from riding until it goes away. How’s the back?”
“Itchy, but manageable.”
“I’m on the women and kids tonight while you’re in Church.”
I chuckle. “So you’re going to let Rose pamper you and talk shop with Thea?”
He shrugs. “Probably. Though the kids have been pretty talkative from what I’ve been hearing.” His expression changes briefly to one of amusement. “Might give me some insight into what to expect when all the little ones coming in get older.”
I grin. “Yeah, I’ve seen that for myself. Pretty sure Isla is about to have the lot of us on our toes. Sawyer’s quieter, but I tend to get the impression that he listens and is eager to learn.”
Crypt nods. “Yeah, got that too. Boy would be a good soldier.”
I have to agree with that. We turn and head down the hall, and while I want to ask him if he heard what was said out here, I don’t dare. I know Crypt is one of the few we can count as safe, but that doesn’t mean I can be careless. As it is, the two of us coming out of the hall, talking, and into the common room that is full of both club members, we have put a target on our backs.
I don’t look around the room once we go our separate ways. Instead, I head for Cryos’s office, ignoring the sensation of being watched. By multiple people if my senses are accurate. Good. Let them wonder.
I walk into Cryos’s office without knocking, startling him. Cryos looks over at me in surprise, but he’s not quite fast enough to close out whatever he’s working on his screen. I keep my eyes on him, an affable smile on my face, even as my mind is spinning. Why does Cryos look like he’s talking with someoneonline? Who? And why does he have surveillance cameras on the side of it?
I can’t jump to conclusions, but it’s weird. Though, Cryos has always been odd, and fiercely protective of his work. Said before it stems from his time with the Feds, but there’s something else to this. Still, Bullet’s been clear that he has Cryos working on shit, and I’m probably being overly paranoid.
“Hey, brother,” I say casually. “Bullet told me you still had my phone. Wondering if it’s okay to get it back? I need to shoot a message to my folks so they don’t freak out they haven’t heard from me in a while.”
“Oh, yeah, sure,” Cryos says, looking around his messy desk. “Where the hell did I put it?” He gets to his feet and starts rooting around. “How are you feeling, man? Medic and Avery both said that you’re mending, but you know how doctors and shit are.”
I chuckle. “Yeah, I’m healing. Itchy as shit from the stitches but Avery told me that they can come out in a couple of days. I did have a shower, finally, so I’m feeling a bit more human.”
He grins over his shoulder at me as he moves another stack of random papers. “Bet you’ll be fucking relieved when they do come out. Though I guess with having the hot nurse helping you, it’s probably not a hardship.”
I smirk but say nothing to that, even as little fingers of jealousy start to claw at me. Avery’s mine, but I don’t want to put more of a target on her back by announcing my intention to claim her as mine. It might be old-fashioned, but that’s how things work around here. Still, she’s not Cryos’s type. He much prefers the club girls and no-strings sex.
“Ah, here it is,” Cryos declares triumphantly, turning to show me the phone in his hand. “Sorry, brother, it’s probably dead. I got the shit off it I needed and then set it aside and never thought about it again.”
“No worries. I’ll charge it up and call them after Church. They’re a couple of hours behind so they should still be up.” I turn to head out but stop when Cryos says my name.
He gives me a warm smile when I look at him. “I’m glad you’re back, man. I was worried, but something told me it’d work out.”
I smile. “You can thank Avery. Without her, I don’t know if you’d have found me.”
“Yeah, I got that.” His tone sets my senses on alert.
“See you in Church.” I head out of the room, my brain trying to piece everything together. This time, when I enter the common room, I look around. I realize a couple of things, quickly. Avery is sitting with Rose, Thea, the kids, Sniper, and Bullet, smiling and talking happily. She looks at ease, and I like seeing her with the people I care about the most. She’s going to fit in here well when this is all over.
