“Nah. Not today.”
“Well then, I’ll have to keep surprising you.”
“MY MOM LOVES OLD CARS.” Arsenio’s knife skills were quick and sure. He looked at me while his blade flashed on the cutting board. “The guy next door to their old place wanted to sell the Corvette, but he refused to let it go to some kid who’d fill it with cheap gas and have the interior reeking of weed within a month. Mom promised she’d save up to afford that car one day.
“When Dad was forced to go back to China to settle his visa issues, there was so much red tape and hoops to jump through, they almost gave up hope he’d make it back. When he finally got the notice his visa came through, the first thing he did was buy a plane ticket, grabbed a taxi to that old neighbor’s house, and bought it on the spot. Mom walked out of work that afternoon and there they both were.”
“That’s so sweet.”
Arsenio finished making his pineapple star and placed it over my right nipple. The guy said he was hungry. Apparently that meant lying on the kitchen island and playing the bowl to his fruit salad. I didn’t mind. This was not the strangest after-sex activity the guys got me in.
“Grape, please.”
Arsenio plucked one off the bushel placed strategically on my middle. He popped it between his lips and fed it to me.
“I’d fixed up that car with him since I was seven,” he continued. “After Dad died, Mom couldn’t sit in it without crying. She gave it to me when I was sixteen, and I kept it perfect... until yesterday.”
“I understand, Arsenio. Everything of Gran’s they took from me. You know what I’ve done to get even one thing back.”
He arranged the strawberry slices on my belly in a pattern I couldn’t see. His face was an unreadable mask once again.
“What did he say?”
“He said the car was just the beginning.” I rested my hand on his. “He’s got something picked out for all of you, and Roan worst of all.”
He nodded slow. “Then we’ll be ready.”
“You’re going to wait? Serve your revenge up cold?”
Another pineapple graced the left nipple. “You reminded me that’s what I do. Besides, I’ll give the analytical bastard something, Jacques is practical, but he isn’t merciful. The retribution he has picked out for the Pigeons is more satisfying than the beating and jail time I picked out.
“In his version, there’s fire.”
Chapter Four
I tried not to smirk as the doghouse was dumped in the backyard.
“You’re smug as shit.”
Looks like I failed.
Cairo lifted me off the porch, wrapping my legs around him. I linked my fingers behind his neck as he pressed me against the door.
“Did you plan this with Ellis to upgrade your digs?”
“Nope,” I said, grinning. “But I might’ve if I’d known that was all it took.”
Waking up to find the doghouse covered in glass and my bloody footprints on the floor was enough to bring an end to that particular punishment. Cairo wanted me safe and tucked under a Bedlam Boy the next time someone came up on our house in the middle of the night.
“Will I sleep with you tonight?”
“You’ll be in my bed. I’m going out tonight and want you where I can find you when I get back.”
“Okay.”
Arsenio and I got back from his place an hour before. After his snack, he bent me over the couch, pool table, and made me come twice in the shower. I thought I was sore after my marathon with Roan and Legend. The three of them back to back, and I had a noticeable hitch in my step. Arsenio was kind, or smug enough to carry me home.
When we walked in, the sun had set and the guys were finishing up dinner and talking in hushed tones that shifted to muted.
“What were you guys talking about?” I asked. “Your plan against the Crows?”
“Talking about you actually. Arsenio texted us that we have to be ready for the next hit. Any one of us could be next. We were also talking about you feeding him juicier info next time. Might get him to give you more in return.”
“Makes sense,” I agreed. “Are you really going to stand there and take the blows?”
“Jeremy has worse coming his way.”
“What about Cavendish and AgriProspects? The investigation? Is there any news?”
Cairo popped my strap off my shoulder. I swear it was their mandate in life to ensure I was naked at all times.
“Sheriff sent the cigarettes out for testing. The lab is in Hunter’s Crest. It’ll be a few weeks before he gets the results.”
Groaning, I dropped my head on the wood.
“Good news is he made the link between Cavendish and Hope on his own. He’s digging deeper into both of them, figuring out what made them a target of a serial killer.”