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"Lily has a closet down on the Bayou," says a deep voice behind us. Spinning around, I gaze at Dresden. Vlad stands next to him, a shy smile on his lips.
"It's not a closet. It's sturdy and basic," I snap playfully.
They both laugh, walking to join Teresa across from us.
"Sorry about last night, Mason," Vlad says, holding his hand out.
I raise my eyebrows, astonished.
"No worries, I think the three of us are all fighting for the same thing," Blake says, shaking Vlad's hand firmly.
"Fighting for the same thing. What thing?"
"None of us wants you taking this asinine assignment, Lily," Vlad says. His eyes are tight, lips turned down and shoulders slumped forward slightly.
"Truthfully, I don't want to take this assignment, either. I don't have a choice though."
"Yes, you do, Lily, tell him no," Dresden snaps.
I reach over, clasping Blake's hand in mine. "Dres, I was taken by The Taurus when I was eight. This is personal for me."
"You're going in blind, it's too dangerous," Vlad says.
"I know this group better than anyone, I'll be fine."
"Be prepared, if anything happens, it's Jax's ass on the line," Dresden warns, his face hardening.
I give him my sly grin. "You know me better than that, Dres. I'll go in, kick ass, take names, come home and we'll have a beer to celebrate."
"To Lily's safe return," Blake toasts, holding his beer up.
We each raise our glasses. The boys fly into a discussion about sports. I wasn't even aware Vlad or Dresden liked sports. Blake's a true Baltimore fan though. The Ravens for football, and the Orioles for baseball. He even gets into a heated debate with Dresden over how underrated the Johns Hopkins Blue Jays are.
My thoughts slowly slip into a dark place. If I told them the real reason for going in, they'd stop me. A rescue mission without back up is a huge risk, even more so than me going in to assassinate one lone guy.
Slowly, I stand, and Blake turns his head, his eyes suddenly full of concern.
"I'll be right back."
He reaches up and grasps my neck gently, pulling my lips down to his for a brief, heated kiss. As he lets go, he winks at me, and I grin. Here's to hoping my ass makes it back. I turn and quietly sneak up the stairs.
Inside my room, I find a pen and piece of paper. Let's hope I'm better at writing than I am talking, otherwise, I'm fucked.
Pressing the pen to paper, I write my first letter . . . ever.
†††
Folding the letter, I stick it in an envelope and seal it. I glance at the clock— six a.m. already. I've got eight hours.
As I enter the kitchen, Teresa's clearing the island, placing the leftovers in warmers. Blake, Dresden, and Vlad are shooting pool in the game room. I make a beeline for the kitchen.
"Teresa," I whisper. She turns around, raising her eyebrows. "I need to talk to you in private."
She glances at the guys, tossing a towel on the counter. "Follow me."
Once inside her bedroom, she closes the door. "What's wrong, Miss Lily?"
"I need you to promise to do something for me."