Page 85 of More Tricks

So that’s exactly what I did, explaining how I took out Mastiff, the drugged girls, then the bomb.

“Back up one sec,” Eagle cut in. “Did you just say that you took an ax to an electrical panel wiring?”

Rubbing my forehead, knowing this was gonna go downhill, I nodded as I answered, “Yeah, that’s what I did.”

“Of course you did. Then what?” Eagle acknowledged and moved on.

Next, I covered the guys and the FBI showing up, dealing with the women, going to see him, and taking the helicopter to the compound. He was oddly quiet after I shared my epic takedown of the machine gun on the back of the truck, not at all as impressed as I was. Then there was the live-action laser tag with Void. I shared about Pinky being a mole but left out the fact his nephew was part of this too. That was Picasso’s deal once we got Eagle back home.

“Now the FBI is here to deal with the litter of dead bodies. I suggested we just burn the bastards, but Cam said that would cause more problems,” I finished with a sigh. “So what do I do? How do I make them stop being mad at me?”

“You’re absolutely not going to like it,” he responded.

Sitting up, I swung my feet forward and leaned my elbows on my knees. “Just tell me.”

“Part of why you’re feeling the way you are right now is because I’m here in a hospital after you thought I was dead. My guess is you want to be near me as much as I want to have you wrapped up in my arms,” he explained. “This is how the guys feel right now with how many death-defying moments you’ve had. All they want is to keep you in their sights so they know, without a doubt, you’re alright. Give them a day or two to calm down. I’m sure the grounding won’t stick. They know you’ll never let that stand, but giving into it even for a short while will show how much you care and respect their feelings.”

I groaned. “God, everyone is getting all Dr. Phil on me tonight. I get what you’re saying, though. Today has been a lot for us all, and the day just won’t end.”

“Promise me you will get some sleep. The doctors said if I’m as stable as I have been, they’ll let me go home since we have Dani looking after me,” Eagle informed me. “You should see that woman in action. She is kinda scary when she gets all boss-ass nurse on your ass.”

“Tell me about it. That’s why I hired her,” I agreed. “I’m assuming you want to talk to Picasso?”

“Nah, you gave me the four-one-one, and my pain meds just kicked in, so I’m gonna be useless in about five minutes. Get some sleep, hellcat. You’ve done good, and I love you,” Eagle reassured.

“Love you too,” I whispered back before hanging up.

Running my hands through my hair, I got to my feet, and prepared to deal with whatever was still going on with the FBI. When I went back out to the kitchen, there was no one there. The plates were left on the counters where they were eating, so I assumed they’d be coming back. I heard voices on the porch, so I opened the front door to find them all at the foot of the stairs pointing out an area on a map for the agents.

“We’ll have a team head out there with flood lights now and start tagging bodies. I don’t want to leave them for the animals or the heat of the day to start them rotting,” Agent Egger said, her face scrunched in disgust.

Cognac used a red marker to draw around an area. “The land mines are here, here, and over here. They knew just where to hit us because it’s not a large gap, but we needed a space to be able to evacuate if other options were cut off. Just take care of the bodies and let us move everything else. A bunch of them ended up in the minefield.”

“Are all you people out of your mind?” another agent asked. “Why would you even need to have a minefield in the first place?”

I snorted. “Really, that is a stupid question since you’re cleaning up the attack we’d been prepared for. Being on the defensive means careful planning to ensure when shit goes down, you're not caught unaware. Or did they not teach you that sort of thing at Quantico?”

“Little demon, you can come out here if you’re going to play nice. If not, go back inside,” Void warned, giving me a look that told me he wasn’t playing around.

Remembering Eagle’s advice, I sighed and went back into the house to let the others deal with things. If they felt it was best for me to stay out of the situation, then I’d just find some other way to occupy myself.

“Honey child, what’s got you all glum?” Dante asked, coming down the stairs and adjusting his teal-colored suit.

Gone was the makeup and prosthetics to hide his features. I noticed he’d let his perfectly styled hair go pure silver with some sprinklings of his once all-black hair like his son. Cam got his lighter golden eyes from his mother while Dante had rich, dark chocolate-colored eyes that didn’t miss a detail. The man was a silver fox for sure, and it was no wonder he could sweet talk his way in or out of any situation. He had long legs, fine-fingered hands, and looked after himself more than most women did.

“You do know it’s like eight o’clock in the evening after a battle for our lives, right? I doubt there will be any soiree for you to attend,” I pointed out, a smile tugging at my lips.

Dante clicked his tongue at me. “Just because you’re in a bad mood doesn’t mean you get to be nasty.” He glided over to the couch and patted the seat next to him. “Now come sit down with me and tell me what in the blue blazes is going on. Why are the FBI here so late?”

“That would be because your son called them, explained what happened, and they felt the need to take over since they dealt with the first part of this ridiculous day,” I answered, flopping down on the couch.

“Hmm, that does sound like him,” Dante agreed. “That doesn’t explain why you look as thrilled as a wet hen in a rainstorm.”

Oh God, I almost forgot how dramatic Dante could be and how hard it was to keep a straight face.

“Eagle, one of my men and leader of the Phantom Saints, is back in a Vegas hospital. The guys are grumpy at me, and we jumped over one hurdle only to find out a bigger one is coming before we can even see the finish line,” I griped. “Do you have any idea how much harder it is to take down Diego De León and his cartel? They don’t rule the East Coast by being idiots.”

“My sweet child, you are looking at this all wrong,” Dante scolded, patting my knee. “What do they say about eating the elephant?”