CHAPTERTWENTY
Dante
I paced the length of my office while sipping coffee, impatient as hell for Lars to hurry up and trace the email. It had been almost two hours since he opened Paul’s laptop, and those two hours seemed like ten.
“You’re wearing out my carpet, Manbait.”
I whipped around as Jackson casually strolled in.
“Which would you prefer: worn carpet or holes in walls?”
He chuckled and crossed his arms over his expansive chest, blue-green eyes twinkling with humor. “If you were a plasterer, I wouldn’t give a fuck.”
“Uh-huh.” I sipped my coffee. “So, how’s Lars doing?”
“There’s progress.”
I snapped to attention and absentmindedly wiped away the coffee spillage from my chin.
“We rolling?”
Jackson nodded, though held up a hand. “He’s certain he’s narrowed it down. It indicates to a hotel block downtown, so I’ve just asked Tate to visit and request their security footage.”
“You think we’ll get access?”
A snigger came from my boss. “Against all odds, he managed to talk his way into viewing the club security footage from Saturday night, so he’s up for the challenge.”
“Has he left yet?”
“Nope. About to.”
I practically hurled the coffee mug at my desk. “I’m going with him.” I hurried around Jackson’s imposing stance and stuck my head into the corridor. “Yo, shithead?”
“Yo,” came Tate’s voice from two doors down.
“Don’t leave without me. I’m coming!”
Jackson muscled past me and raised a brow. “No going rogue, Manbait. Call in the team before going in gung-ho and guns blazing.”
“We get light weapons?” I asked, slightly breathless with excitement. It had been far too long since I’d had a decent piece of weaponry in my hands.
“No, you fucking don’t get light weapons!” Jackson exclaimed. “Fucking Army!”
I barked a laugh. “Music to my ears, Muffin. Go on, say it again, but a little deeper. Make it extra sexy.”
Jackson’s booming laugh rang out. “Always knew you snake-eaters were sick fucks.”
“Keep going,” I smirked. “It’s making me hard.”
He muttered a curse under his breath, then called out to Tate. “Time to go, Tater, before Manbait makes me an offer I might not refuse.”
I shoved his shoulder. “You’d fucking take it in a heartbeat, frogman.”
He returned my shove, laughing his ass off.
Christ, it was good verbally sparring with the boys. It made me feel whole again after being away from my team for months.
Tate came out of his office wearing a perplexed expression. “Please tell me I didn’t hear all that shit. I gotta ride with this guy.”