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Now, more than ever, I’m grateful for making the decision to come to Nevada. Never in my wildest dreams could I imagine they’d have the resources they do.
The Phantom can’t stay hidden forever, and when we find him, he’s gonna wish he was already dead.
CHAPTER 19
THORN
“I don’t know how much longer I can sit here and stare at this shit.”
Glancing at Delaney, I watch as she scrubs her hands over her face. She and I, along with Fort, Lock, and Jez have been locked in the damn meeting room for the last two hours. The rest of the club left when church ended, but the five of us wanted to get working on trying to determine where the Phantom will strike next.
“Why don’t we take a break?” Jez suggests, looking at Delaney with concern.
“I’m all for it,” Fort says. “I’m hungry, and rumor has it Abyss is making his special Purgatory Pizza.”
Delaney narrows her ice-blue eyes. “What the hell is Purgatory Pizza?”
“It’s the one food that makes us all gluttonous sinners,” Lock snickers. “Purgatory Pizza is a delicious combination of pepperoni, four cheeses, sausage, ham, bacon, onion, olives, ground beef, nacho cheese Doritos, grilled chick?—”
“Okay, okay,” Delaney mumbles, holding her hands up. “I get the picture. Gotta say, it sounds disgusting.”
“Bite your tongue,” Jez quips. “It’s incredible.”
“But if you don’t like all that shit,” I begin, watching Delaney’s face pale at the thought of what Lock described. “Abyss will happily make you something else.”
“Orrrr,” Jez says. “Thorn could take you out to eat.”
“And that’s my cue,” Fort says, rising from his chair. “I think it’s time to call it for now. We’ll pick back up on locating the Phantom later.”
Lock follows him out of the room, both of them snickering. I stare at Jez, silently ordering her to leave, but she doesn’t get the memo. Instead, she leans her elbows on the table and rests her chin in her hands.
Delaney clears her throat. “I’ll just head into town and grab something.”
“Well, that’s just stup?—”
“Jez,” I snarl.
My Pres’s twin huffs out a breath and slams her laptop closed. “I can see when I’m not wanted.”
She stands and leaves me alone with Delaney, who’s trying to hide her laugh by covering her mouth.
“What’s so funny?” I ask.
Delaney frantically shakes her head, but she can no longer contain herself. She bursts out laughing. “She’s a bit of a drama queen, isn’t she?”
“Jez?” She nods. “Don’t let her hear you say that,” I warn and then smirk. “But, yeah, a bit.”
She sobers and looks at me thoughtfully. “You love her, though.”
I shrug. “Of course, I do. She’s as much a sister to me as she is to Soul. Hell, we all love her.”
“It’s sweet.”
“It’s annoying,” I joke.
Delaney gets to her feet and starts to pace. “Don’t do that,” she snaps, her easygoing demeanor shifting into something… darker. “Don’t pretend like the people that matter to you don’t. You never know when they won’t be around anymore.”
Anger slams into me. “Pretty sure I’m aware of that.”