Page 35 of Raven
“Is it safe to talk here?” Phoenix asked, peering around like someone might jump out. Not on my watch, buddy.
“As safe as any. What’s on your mind?” she asked, leaning her head back on my shoulder.
“What’s your process? Anything we can help with?”
“Oh, um,” she screwed up her nose, her brows furrowed as she thought. “I did a lot of research back at the mansion. The file I have is pretty extensive as well. For John, I’ll be posing as a traveling nurse. He’s on dialysis among other medical problems and has a nurse who stays at the house. The night nurse conveniently won a vacation and will be gone for a week.”
“Whoa, so you have covers and things?” Porter asked, leaning forward.
“Sometimes. Most of my kills I can do in the dead of night, slipping in and out with no one the wiser. But some have such tight security that having a way in is easier. I tend to go undercover as a nurse or doctor because I know the lingo and pass without detection. I’m not the best at other personas, so I stick with what I know.”
Otto’s brows pinched as he turned. “What’s the security like? It seemed standard to me. What did I miss this time?”
Raven patted his arm, naturally soothing his nerves over missing something.
“John understood the assignment when he went on the run and secured himself a fortress, unlike Millicent’s run-down house in the middle of nowhere. There’s a monitored gate, security that walks the grounds and house, and cameras. I have an app that will distort the cameras, but I didn’t want to deal with the other complications. Sometimes the easiest way in is the simplest.”
“Shit,” Porter cursed, flopping back in his seat. “How are we going to get in?” he asked, looking from me to Otto.
Otto didn’t notice, his gaze distant as he ran the risks and odds through his head for various plans. The guy had a knack for solving puzzles.
“I could potentially get one of you in as my intern or something,” Raven offered.
“That could work. How many days were you planning to be there?” Porter asked.
“At least a few days, so it’s not suspicious that he dies the moment I get there. I have some things I’ll give him to show his decline leading up.”
“Hmm, it would give me time to do a walkthrough, locate all the hiding spots, and figure out the guard’s rotations. What do you think, Otto?” Porter asked.
“We’d just need to find Rueben a way in. I don’t want you two going in alone.”
“Please. I could take all the guards out without breaking a sweat,” Raven huffed. “I just don’t want to. It’s a lot of bodies to cover up. I’m fine on my own. Always have been.”
A growl rumbled in my chest, my hand tightening at her words. “No more,” I said gruffly, causing her head to spin toward me. Her eyes were wide, and I worried for a second I’d gone too far, scaring her. She licked her lips, and her pupils dilated as her cheeks turned a delightful shade of pink.
Oh.Oh. She was turned on.
A smug smile spread across my lips before I could stop it, my beard stretching with the action. Her eyes glazed over a little, making my heart hammer harder as my cock stiffened. I was sunk for this girl. There would be no turning back for me. Raven was it. I could see similar looks in the others, so we’d need to discuss what that meant the second we had a chance. I wasn’t opposed to sharing; we’d shared everything for years, and with how we worked, it would be easier to have one woman.
Hopefully, the others felt the same because I didn’t want to fight my brothers.
The conversation turned to Raven sharing some of her favorite kills and spotting marks we’d overlapped. It was interesting to find how many times we’d almost met.
Eventually, her eyes drifted closed as she snuggled deeper into my arms with her feet in Otto’s lap. We’d raised the arms on the chairs so she could stretch out an hour ago. The cabin was quiet, her soft snores the only thing I focused on. Looking up, I met the twin’s eyes, both locked on the girl in my arms. Otto’s were also, and I knew this was the moment I’d been waiting for. Taking a deep breath, I wetted my lips and swallowed.
“We need to talk.” My voice came out hoarse from disuse, the last few words more of a croak. It was nearly the longest thing I’d said to them all in years.
Everyone’s eyes lifted to me, nodding.
“I think I know what you want to talk about,” Otto said, motioning toward the girl in our arms.
I nodded, happy to sit back and let them hash it out now that I had the ball rolling.
“We all like her,” Porter said, putting it out there plain as day. I appreciated that about him. I nodded, as well as the others. He smiled, his shoulders relaxing. “I’ve been waiting for the right girl to come along and win all of our hearts. I never imagined it would be Little Bird.”
Phoenix’s skeptical gaze swung to his brother, his jaw dropping in protest. “What do you mean, you’ve been waiting for the right girl? Every girl you meet has been the right one.” He crossed his arms, daring his brother to deny it.
Porter just rolled his eyes, not taking the bait. “Each time I liked a girl, it was because I saw something in her I thought we’d all like. But every time, at least one of you wouldn’t like her, so I’d find something to send her on her way. This has been my plan all along. Can you honestly say it’s not ideal?” Now it was Porter’s turn to raise his eyebrow, waiting for his brother to argue.