I raise a finger into the air. “But paid better.”
Mae laughs. “I handle the finances and that is accurate.”
Sebastian lifts the stainless steel lid to the scrambled eggs, then adds a scoop to his plate. “Food is very important in our line of work.”
I laugh, glancing at the plate Ben made for Lux with her favorite avocado toast. “How is it?”
“Perfect.” She beams before taking a bite of her food.
Ben winks at her. “I agree.”
We all begin serving ourselves from the breakfast spread Ben cooked for us. It feels good to eat after the night we’ve had and then I hope to follow it up with bringing her into bed.
Lux will never have to worry about him again—and neither will I. This project is closed and I have never felt so satisfied with using justice to feed my primal urges.
“So, how did it go tonight?” Mae casually asks with slight excitement in her voice.
“We burned the place down,” I say.
Sebastian pops a piece of fruit into his mouth, pushing it to his cheek and smiles. “Yep. And it was exceptional.”
Mae’s eyebrows raise with surprise while her eyes dart to me. “Like old times?”
She’s shocked because I curate every crime scene with a bullet in the head as the main event. It’s cleaner, and with the disposal of the bodies into the water, they naturally get swept into the open ocean. But since Lux has joined us, the crime scenes have become more interesting, and now with the recent burning like the old ways, things have been slightly more chaotic.
I click my tongue slowly. “Yes.”
“It’s unlike you to deviate from your system,” Mae comments.
Sebastian chuckles. “Right?”
“And who closed this time?” Mae takes a bite of her rye toast.
Stevie and Lux exchange a brief glance, and I remain quiet for a moment to give Lux the chance to share her news of being our closer.
I squeeze her hand, flashing an encouraging smile.
With a quick clear of her throat, Lux straightens her posture. “I closed.”
“Again!” Mae shrieks. “You got the big finale, didn’t you?”
Lux’s cheeks redden. I can tell she’s still uncomfortable talking with the topic of conversation. “Thank you.”
“Another project down,” Sebastian gloats with a smug expression. “What’s next?”
My eyes find Lux’s. Those once light brown eyes have darkened in the most intoxicating way. Drowning out Mae and Sebastian’s conversation only inches away, my thoughts are elsewhere. How can I possibly say goodbye to this woman? Will I be able to accept the end of us when the shades of darkness within her dissipate? I’ve witnessed that fire grow inside, evening fanning the flames myself, but is she like me?
I want her to help find new projects.
Research with me.
Accompany me on stake outs.
Help plan the kills.
I desire her presence in my world, but would she want to walk into the night with me?
Letting my arm rest on the back of her chair, our gaze remains connected. The slight pull of her upper lip moves into a smirk, which could easily bring me to my knees if not for the company of others.
