Page 79 of Wallflower

“Shit. I’ll let you go.”

“I’m up now. What do you need?”

“I’m not going to make it to the hotel to check in with Shantel, can you let her know the plan is still a go?”

“You avoiding her or something?”

“No, I just got caught up.”

“In someone’s pussy?”

“Yes, obviously. Will you let her know to move everyone into position now. I wouldn’t put it past Mr. Smythe to have his goons in place already. But, as long as we’re not hostile, there shouldn’t be a problem.”

“I don’t fucking like this. I should be there with you. What if something happens?”

“Nothing’s going to happen, Ky. Everything’s gone smoothly so far.”

“So far,” he scoffs.

“Don’t you have a flight to catch soon?”

“Yeah, yeah.”

“Try to get some rest before you have to be there. It’s three hours prior right? Or four?”

“Maybe I’ll go five hours ahead, just in case.”

Kyle never fails to pick up on my jokes, or go along with them. It’s what brought us together in the first place. Running a ruse on the substitute teacher back in eighth grade when we were both gangly teens.

I chuff a laugh. “Okay, get some rest, and don’t forget to pack some nice clothes so we can live it up while we’re there.”

“Already done. And I’ve got your personal credit card to enjoy myself with while leaving a very easy trail to follow.”

“Yeah, yeah. Have fun, asshole. You deserve it. I’ll see you soon.”

“You better touch base with me after this handoff.”

“I will. And you’ll talk to Shantel for me?”

“Yeah, I’ll call her right now,” he grumbles.

“Thanks, bestie! You’re the tits!”

“Later, weirdo.”

The line goes silent, and I toss the phone onto the passenger seat. The drive is long enough for my mind to wander, and Igrimace, navigating my way across the still and silent island to the port.

Maximus’s employees swarm around me and the small flank of my own men, encasing us in a circle of darkness. All but their eyes are hidden beneath black full-face masks, each one wearing Maximus’s usual all-black uniform of compression shirts, cargo pants, and tactical boots.

I’m about to hand over twelve of my own team members to infiltrate the walls of Bleakcrest, and fighting back the dire need to regurgitate the gas station hot dog I scarfed down on the way here.

Any one of these men, with their assault rifles, could put a bullet in my unprotected chest. If this plan has been compromised, we’d all be gunned down before I could do a thing about it.

Reining myself in, I let the sinister business man persona slip on like a second skin.

If it weren’t for Rose, I wouldn’t know another part of me existed. However, I’m not about to be the reason this plan goes belly-up. So, whatever the hell she’s awoken inside me needs to go back into hiding.

At least for now.