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Anita’s head tilts to Mal, her manner so unbothered you would think someone just gave her a compliment. “Problem?”
She hops down from the desk and walks to Anita, getting closer to her. “My problem is you. I don’t trust you.”
A sneaky smile folds on Anita’s lips, making her look dark and innocent. “Get in line. It’s nothing new to me.”
Mal laughs something shrill. “Give me one reason. Just one.” Her finger flies up, shakingly. “I see something strange, or you attempt to deceive us. I’ll slit your throat and watch you bleed out.”
Instead of crumbling down into fear like any other normal person would do after getting threatened to death, she smirks, flicking her curly hair over her shoulders, not fazed by any of it. And that… That makes my heart squeeze to unbeatable lengths. My lips curl lightly. You either have the bones of steel to handle us, or you simply don’t.
“Great. I’ll sharpen the blade.”
Fuck.
Bedford’s head looks up at Anita with an admirable expression and his mouth nearly spreads open and Boone’s neck twitches in a way that seems like he wants to laugh, but he contains it.
That’s new.
The other workers in the room eyes lift, peeking to see the moment but refuse to stare fully.
And I resist the urge to grind my teeth underneath my bottom lip as I watch her own the moment and stand up to Mal. Not many do.
Before I get wrapped up in her tail, I clear my throat to move on now. “Bedford, please continue.”
“We know by now this group has grown through the years. The last two from theproblemsyou all have been solving…leaves him.” Bedford points at the screen to a man who looks like he’s seen far too many prisons. “Fred Delgado.”
My teeth tap together, narrowing in on the man I remember vividly.
“And him. Victor Kareem. Also known as Victor the Vicious. I know stupid name” He cringes as he points at the next guy, and I could punch the screen from the red fury that plunges into me. I narrow my gaze at the clear photo of Victor, my heart gallops over the pricking of my nerves heating up. The motherfucker who killed Carter. The master behind it all. The one who caused these slices on-.
“That’s all I have for now.” Bedford spins around to us, cutting off my thoughts, but I’m nearly seething with carnage.
I release a breath to steady the anger. Soon. Soon. He’ll pay. I cross my arms, my eyes looking down at the floor and rubbing the pad of my thumb on my chin. “I’m going to need to scope this place out tonight to get a closer look. Chr?—”
“I’m going with you.” Anita walks forward, looking at me, her hands running through her hair. Oh,nowyou can fathom the sight of me.
I look at her for a second longer. “We leave at seven. So be ready.”
“Always.” She takes her eyes off me before strolling off, excusing herself from the group without another word.
Mal cocks her head to me. “You trust her enough to be alone out there with her?” She blinks, raising her brows.
“I actually happen to like her.’’ Bedford speaks with a sly smile, making Mal’s lips tighten. He ignores her. “Do you know she’s worked side by side with the three deadly serpents?” Bedford twists in his chair back to the screen, clicking his fingers, tapping on it and swiping. “Serpents Vixens, to be exact.”
Two women show up. A woman with porcelain skin, white, blonde hair that’s shaved on one side, and piercing blue eyes. The other has black and blue shorter hair with much pale skin framing over a face that seems miserable. I don’t recognize them, but from the logo on their combat gear of a star with a snake slinking over and around the symmetrical shape. It automatically tells me they are assassins trained by Popov, the man who created an underground organization of women to eradicate corrupt ministers, popes, politicians, government officials, you name it. They live up to their name, that’s for sure.
I also don’t give a shit who they are, that doesn’t change anything. Do they know who the fuck I am?
“Oh yes, it’s three of them.” Bedford flips through each photo quickly once more.
“Go back.” Boone’s voice snaps out so deep and deadly that it actually fucking shocks me. My brows perk, and I slowly turn my head to him. Mal is looking at me with wide eyes and the same stunned expression.
Boone’s eyes dagger into the screen so hard that it might actually catch fire.
Bedford’s eyes jump to Boone's and then to us. “Okaaay.” He drags out, swinging in that chair again. He flips the screen, and it lands on a beautiful woman with long braids and deep brown skin. It only shows her face from the waist and up. She may look like a Nubian queen, but similar to Anita, she’s reeking venom in the liquid that flows through her bones. Fucking deadly.
Turning my head back to Boone, he watches the screen with a tightness to his jaw so hard that I can see it protruding from his temples and his face is red, matching the color of his hair. His hands clench tight on the desk as he leans down on it.
What the fuck is going on?