Page 59 of Point Blank

She shook her head.

“Well, no news is good news. Let’s get to work.”

“Look who decided to grace us with his presence,” Peyton called from the hallway. “Hi, Brock.”

Brock took one of the kitchen chairs, spun it around, and straddled it. “Hey, Priss. Long time no see.”

A spark sprang to Peyton’s eyes at the nickname and Serena coughed to distract her.

Peyton moved toward the table and clapped Brock on the back. “Glad to have you.” A beat passed. “Dani will be too.” Despite their intention, Peyton’s words lacked conviction.

“Let’s go over the plans one last time,” Peyton said. Milo and Brock groaned.

“We’ve been over it a dozen times at Milo’s,” Brock said.

Peyton shrugged. “Not all of us together.” She winked when Milo rolled his eyes. “C’mon, guys. I ordered food.”

Chapter

Thirteen

Serena zipped up the front of the sweater she’d taken from Dani’s closet. The zipper stopped just over her cleavage. The black material clung to her more than she was used to on a job but would make climbing the balcony easy.

“You drive, Milo,” Brock said. “I have to arrange our equipment.” He nodded to Milo’s truck, which was parked next to his red Ford F-150. “Go ahead and take shotgun, Serena. I’ve got some things to sort.” He hefted the bag into the back seat of the truck and slid inside. Peyton climbed in next to Brock, her own bag stocked full of essentials.

They’d spent the last hour rehearsing the plan—again—and eating pizza, which Serena had hardly touched since she’d already eaten at Milo’s. She looked at the clock on the dash as Milo buckled his seatbelt. At any time, the kidnapper would text the meeting point where they would swap the diamonds for Dani, and they needed to be out of Titus’s, gems in hand, by then.

Milo pulled out of the driveway. A beam of light from the back seat caught her peripherals. She turned and took in Brock’s hunched form. As much as she disliked him for the stunt he’d pulled with Dani, she couldn’t hate him. Peyton seemed to have taken a similar stance. Aside from Milo, there would have been no one else to turn to. Nineties music playing low through the speakers reminded her again of the nights spent with Milo in the grass.

“All right. S, here’s your earbud.” Brock passed the small device to her and she tucked it into her ear. A wave of nostalgia washed over her. Then a rush of adrenaline hit her bloodstream, chasing away brain fog and heightening her senses. Like a recovering smoker inhaling a cigarette, she savored the tantalizing high of adrenaline.

“Testing,” Brock’s voice sang in her ear.

She lifted her sleeve, where the speaker was clipped. “Copy.” She turned to look at Brock and he winked at her.

“You’re all set.” He handed her another device. “Give that to Milo. Here, Priss,” he said, as he passed her one too. Peyton mumbled something unintelligible but took it. Serena smiled at her—it was just like old times.

Milo’s fingers wrapped around hers as he took the bud. Her knuckles burned under his touch, and her skin throbbed when he pulled the device away, leaving only cold air in its place.

Desire had been arcing between them like a damn solar flare. Having sex with him twice should have quenched her thirst. It hadn’t. Even now, with their friends in the back seat, she wanted him.

A grin slid across Milo’s face. “Thanks.”

Her temperature ratcheted up a degree and moisture filled her panties. Dear god, she had it bad. She pressed her knees together and wrung her hands. She had to keep her head in the game and focus on the heist. Night had long since fallen and the moon sat high in the clear sky. Could Dani see the sky where she was?

Serena tightened her arms around her stomach and dragged in a long, deep breath. Dani’s beaten face filled her mind’s eye, and she curled her fingernails into her palms. Brock gave Milo directions, but their voices were muffled by her rage. She’d kill the jerk for touching her sister. The vehicle slowed and Milo pulled off the road onto a hiking trail in the old, quiet area of Lone Tree Estates.

“We should hide the vehicle in case a hiker spots it and reports it,” Brock said.

“Good thinking.” Milo backed into the brush until the arms of several trees fell over the hood of the truck. He shifted into Park and turned in his seat. “Is this good?”

Brock leaned forward. The glow of his phone lit the confined space. “Yeah, this is perfect. We’ll need to hike the trail for a good quarter mile before we reach the property’s gates.”

Serena unbuckled her seatbelt and grabbed the door handle. “Let’s go.”

Milo caught her wrist, stopping her before she could hop out. “Hold on.” He reached into the glove box and pulled out an object. The overhead light caught the black metal, and her blood sloshed through her arteries.

“What’s that?” The question was moot. She couldn’t tear her eyes from the hard lines of the weapon.