I snort a laugh. “Nothing about that girl is innocent.” Though I have to admit, Ava being a virgin is a curveball I didn’t see coming.
“Don’t tell me you’re suddenly having a crisis of conscience,” Ford chuckles, clapping Wes on the shoulder. “At least you got your dick sucked. I’m dying over here!” He grabs at his crotch, the outline of his boner prominent in his jeans as he gives it a vulgar shake in Wes’ direction, who jumps away with a scowl.
“Don’t worry, Ford, you’ll get a turn,” I sigh, stepping over to the bar to pour myself a drink.
“What if she runs?” Wes asks.
“Let her. Unless my father miraculously starts answering his phone, she’s got nowhere to go.” I snatch a rocks glass off the shelf behind the bar, pouring myself a healthy measure of bourbon and recapping the decanter.
“Dude went off the grid,” Ford remarks, striding over to join me at the bar. “I put a track on his financials and phone activity, but so far, it’s crickets.”
“He knows he’s in deep shit unless he figures out where that shipment went or comes up with the cash to cover it.” I take a sip, relishing the burn of the liquor as it slides down my throat. “Which he won’t, because everything’s safely frozen in those shadow accounts if you did your job right.”
“Don’t I always?” Ford flashes me a cheshire cat grin, snatching up a bottle of whiskey. Twisting off the cap, he wraps his lips around the rim and takes a pull straight from the bottle.
The guy’s a fucking heathen, but he’s also a damn genius when it comes to IT. He can hack into anything without leaving a trace, which is a dangerous superpower for a psycho like Ford to have.
“By the time he figures it out, it’ll be too late,” I murmur, swirling the bourbon in my glass before taking another sip.
We covered our tracks well. Gideon’s off somewhere chasing false leads, trying to figure out who wronged him while never suspecting it’s his own son. I don’t know who he pissed off to put a target on his back, but they hired the right man for the job. My father taught me everything I know. Bet he never realized that by molding me in his image, he was also creating the catalyst to his downfall.
“Well, I don’t know about you, but I’ve gotta go get my dick wet,” Ford grumbles, pushing off from the bar. “I’ve got theworld’s worst case of blue balls setting in.” He takes the whiskey with him, the neck of the bottle dangling from his tattooed fingers as he saunters toward the door.
“Any news about that fight?” I call after him, suddenly itching to get blood on my hands.
“Got you booked for next week,” he replies. “Still waiting to hear back from Benny about who you’ll be going up against.”
I grunt in affirmation as I grab for the decanter of bourbon to top off my drink. “Send Chels up if you see her.”
“Sure thing,” Ford laughs, yanking the door open and exiting the loft.
Wes strides over to poach a bottle of beer from the fridge beside the bar, eyeing me smugly as he pops the cap. “So shedidget under your skin,” he chuckles, lips curling into a smirk. “You could’ve made her suck your dick, too, ya know.”
“I’m not interested in getting a crappy blowjob from a virgin,” I mutter.
“It wasn’t bad, actually,” he remarks with an amused smirk. “I’m kinda looking forward to round two if she doesn’t run.” He raises the bottle to his lips, wagging his brows.
I roll my eyes, snatching my glass off the bar and heading out to the balcony, doing my best to block out the shadows lingering at the edges of my vision.
I’m in control.
Dragging in a few deep breaths, I repeat the mantra in my head over and over until the shadows slowly start to recede.
The screechy pop music assaults my eardrums as I sink down onto the far side of the soft leather couch, Wes following a beat later and flopping down on the opposite side of the sectional. Moments later, three heads of blonde hair bob in my peripheral vision, and I look over to see Chelsea, Stella, and Blair scampering up the stairs onto the balcony. Apparently,it’s physically impossible for them to go anywhere without each other.
Stella and Blair stop to chat with Wes while Chels makes a beeline for me.
“What were you guys doing up here?” she asks as she slides onto the sofa. “I saw some girl running away like the building was on fire.”
I chuckle to myself and take a sip of bourbon, swishing it around in my mouth before swallowing it down. “Just playing with my new stepsister.”
Chelsea’s jaw drops, her blue eyes widening in surprise. “What?You never told me you had a stepsister!”
“She’s not your concern,” I reply dismissively. “We’re dealing with it.”
Her brows draw together, a mix of irritation and suspicion flashing across her features. “How?”
“Don’t worry about it.” I bring my glass to my lips, taking a sip as Chelsea continues to eye me dubiously. Swallowing down the liquor, I turn back to her with an annoyed sigh. “I didn’t stick my dick in her if that’s what you’re asking. Not that it’d be any of your business if I had.” I gesture toward the other side of the sectional with my glass. “Wes had fun though.”
