I sigh, exiting my room, and move quietly to the main floor of the apartment. It’s one large room divided into a living room, dining room, and kitchen. Blake and the team stand around the island in the kitchen, talking in hushed tones. At the bottom of the stairs, I glance from the guys to the door of Sammi's office. I tiptoe to the office.
Inside, Sammi sits at her desk watching the monitors. Most people find her job boring, but she loves it. She can use a computer to find information about anyone. It's like having a virtual ninja at your beck and call.
"Hey, Boa."
This is the first time we've been in a situation where we have "down-time."
"Hey Lily, how's it going?"
"Same shit, different day. You?"
I stop next to her desk and fold my hands together behind my back. I learned early on not to touch her tech space. She goes from sweet to bat-shit in the blink of an eye.
"Have you run out of stuff to do already, mate?" She sits back in her chair, twists slightly, and smiles at me.
"You know, I could always train, but I don't want to wear Rhett and Jameson out and they’re my partners for now, and I think the other guys are tired of having their asses' kicked." I roll my eyes.
"You and Mason seem to be getting along nicely." She raises her eyebrows.
"Don't, Sammi," I say giving her a pointed look.
"Oh, come on, Lily. I get the issues, mate, honestly, but you wouldn't be the first Interpol agent who fell for an assignment."
"What?"
"Hyde and his wife met when he first started at Interpol. She was in Witness Protection involving some murder case he was working. Apparently, they fell in love and married three days after she testified at the trial and was released from the program."
"No shit."
"Yeah, don't let anyone try to tell you how to feel. I get the risks, but you're young. If Jax tries to have you disciplined, you'd do well to use that bit of information against Monroe." She grins.
"How did you know Jax was thinking about calling Monroe?"
"Lily . . . I'm the most well informed person here. I know everything about you guys, remember?"
I give her a sad laugh. "Yeah."
Someone clears their throat from the doorway. I spin around to find Blake leaning up against the frame, hands in his pockets, a bemused look on his face.
"Yes?" Sammi raises one of her eyebrows.
"Jax needs to talk to everyone." He locks eyes with me and winks, spinning on his heels and strutting from the doorway.
I stand with my mouth slightly open.
"Come on," Sammi says walking around me. “Fix ya face, mate. You look like a jelly fish stung you and that man winking can’t be that painful.”
I close my mouth and shake my head. I don't know what the hell Blake is doing to me, but part of me likes it . . . the other part, not so much.
Sammi takes her usual place next to Hayato. I've always suspected there was something romantic between them, but they hide it well. As I approach the island, Dresden meets my eyes and shakes his head slightly. I raise my eyebrows in question and he looks down at his hands.
"We need to discuss this charity event for next Saturday," Vlad says, refusing to look directly at me.
"Okay, what's the plan?" I lean forward to rest my elbows on the island.
I'm situated between Jax and Blake, careful not to touch either of them by accident, trying to ignore the energy emanating from Blake.
Caleb gives me a tight smile, while Miranda looks like she wants to rip my head off my shoulders. Her cheeks are blood red, her eyes glossy and full of contempt. Vlad straightens himself and I bring my gaze back to his face.