Page 6

DANTE

T wo weeks later and my nose still feels like Reid took a hammer to it.

Standing in front of the foggy bathroom mirror, I tenderly push at the side of my nose with the tip of my finger.

Fuck, it hurts. I don’t think Reid broke it, but he definitely did something.

In a way it’s a nice little badge of… something that I can carry with me.

The kitchen smells like muffins when I finally swagger in.

I ignore the murmur of Jacob’s voice and zero in on the coffee pot.

Score. Grabbing my mug with black cats on it, I fill it up, grab a warm muffin, and slink over to the table in the corner.

I’m scrolling mindlessly through my phone when Hayden makes his arrival.

“Good morning, boys,” Hayden says with his usual drawl. His eyes narrow in on where Jacob stands leaning against the kitchen counter, apple in hand, dark hair disheveled. “I didn’t know you were home. Thought you were off with that girl. What’s her name…?”

“We broke up two months ago,” Jacob deadpans.

Hayden sniffles pitifully. “Right. Anyway, where’s your doppelganger?”

“Miss me?” Parker calls from right behind Hayden.

Hayden rolls his eyes. “No.”

The familiar sound of them sniping at one another filters over me while I chew at the muffin Jacob probably woke up early to bake.

After almost four years in each other's pockets, they’re the closest thing to family I allow myself to have these days.

Although Hayden can be purposefully irritating, he’s the smartest and best of all of us.

Though Jacob will likely never admit that.

“Do we have our next job yet?” Jacob asks, eyebrows wiggling playfully at Hayden.

Hayden presses his fingers to his temples. “Hold on, I’m communicating with home base. Let me see. Nope, nothing yet.”

The scowl on Jacob’s face almost makes me giggle. I look back down at my phone to continue the mindless doom scrolling that’s become my morning routine. And that’s enough of that. I push back from the table, grab my backpack, and start the short walk to the basement garage.

Parker has always been the one I’ve been closest to, mostly because he tends to be quiet like me.

We can be together, not say a word, and still probably call each other best friends.

In the way where you call someone your best friend, but you talk to them once a year while playing catch-up.

Still ride or die, we just have shitty communication skills.

Also, during our slapshot self-training freshman year, I developed a little bit of hero envy at how easily Parker took to handling a gun.

It’s like an extension of him. Hand Parker a gun and he’ll find five people within two hundred feet and shoot them dead between the eyes .

I yelp when Parker steps out in front of me, a very undignified sort of sound, and aim a deadly sneer his way. But Parker is Parker, so he only crosses his arms with that odd little smirk on his lips, perpetually messy hair falling into his eyes.

“You came home late last night,” Parker notes.

I narrow my eyes on him. “Are you keeping tabs on me?”

“No,” Parker lies right through his teeth. “But your bedroom was dark when I went to bed and I heard you slinking in after midnight. If you don’t want to be heard, you should wear better shoes.”

“Do NOT insult the Chucks!”

Parker grins, all teeth. “Where were you?”

I push past him, shoving my shoulder into his with too much force. “Maybe I have a separate mission from the rest of you.”

Parker follows after me, huffing and laughing at the same time.

I fight the flush from climbing up my cheeks because yeah, I wouldn’t be the one to get a solo mission.

Only Parker gets solo missions. I don’t care though.

I can hack into government agencies like the rest of them.

I just usually get lumped into being the brawn, being the muscle so that the rest of them can do the dirtiest work.

“Dante, be real here.”

I spin around so fast that Parker almost bumps into me. He lifts his hands up in defense, eyes wide as I glower down at him. “Fuck off, Parker.”

A shout from the kitchen as Hayden and Jacob get up to their usual fighting tugs Parker’s annoying attention off of me.

Thank God. I swipe my jacket off the hook by the door, then skip down the front steps.

Campus is only a fifteen-minute walk, so sometimes I forgo the bike, instead needing the exercise to clear my head on the way to class.

Five minutes into my walk, something doesn't feel right. I pause in the middle of the sidewalk, hand buried in my jacket, eyes narrowed as I scan the mostly empty street. I’m being watched.

Instead of drawing more attention to myself, I keep heading toward campus, but remain aware of that niggling feeling.

The street goes from brick townhomes, to older historical buildings that contain the majority of campus. A chilly breeze washes over me as I stomp toward the engineering building. The shape of a very familiar body catches my gaze, freezing me to the spot for the second time today.

Reid casually leans against a large oak tree on the sidewalk just outside of the engineering building.

The cigarette between his fingers is almost down to the filter as he takes a deep inhale, slowly blowing the smoke up into the sky with an elegant tilt of his head.

Fuck. When he brings his face back down, his eyes find mine, and a small, irritatingly sexy smirk tugs at the corner of his lip.

Reid gleefully taps the side of his nose. “How’s that feeling?”

My eye twitches. “My nose is fine, thank you.” I mimic drinking alcohol with my hand. “How’s that feeling?”

Reid’s lips bunch at the side as if fighting a chuckle. “I haven’t taken any pills from strangers lately if that’s what you’re asking.”

“That’s good.”

Reid easily pushes off the tree, tosses the finished cigarette to the ground, and stomps it out with his heel. A flash of the creamy skin of his stomach makes me almost squirm, but I hold fast, instead staring down at him in feigned indifference.

“It seems someone has told most of the dealers to not sell to me anyway,” Reid notes with a curious edge to his voice.

“Pity,” I lie, because it was definitely me.

Reid taps his chin thoughtfully. “Someone’s been stalking me too. Following my steps, making it impossible for me to hook up.”

“Oh no.”

Reid steps close enough that I can feel the heat radiating off of him, smell the cigarette smoke and the soft tinge of his musky cologne.

My eyes rake over his face, the slight dark roots beginning to show at his scalp.

He makes an aggrieved sound, bringing my attention back to his face.

Reid presses two fingers to my chest and pushes all the while scowling up at me.

“Stop cockblocking me.”

I grab his fingers with mine, twist, and tug him closer until his body is pressed against mine. “No.”

Reid’s chest heaves in anger and his eyes narrow. “I don’t know who you think you are, but stop stalking me, stop fucking with my life, and stop pretending like you give a shit.”

“Maybe I do give a shit.”

“I puked on you,” Reid argues with a feral snarl.

I smile down at him. “It was kind of cute.”

Reid somehow just gets angrier. “I ruined your Chucks.”

“Chucks are replaceable.”

“Ugh.” Reid twists his arm out of my grip and backs out of my reach. “You know, two can play this game. I’ve been watching you for the past few days.”

“Oh?” That does catch me by surprise because Reid is pretty easily the most important thing on my radar as of late.

I can’t imagine him having the ability to watch me without me knowing.

The confusion must show on my face because Reid smirks up at me, bright blue eyes sparkling with the glory of a win.

“I can cockblock you too, ruin your night.”

I shrug and brush past him, letting my arm drag across his midriff despite feeling the sudden urge to toss him over my shoulder just at the touch of his skin against mine. Not sure if I want to take him over my knee or put him on his knees.

Slipping my phone out of my jeans pocket, I navigate to my solo text with Parker. I do not need this one in the group chat.

Need you to watch over someone for me.

My cover was blown

Parker

Oh?

I don’t have time for this but also tell me more

Guy from the nightclub when you guys fucked up your designer jeans again

Parker

Hayden fucked up his designer jeans

Okay

Parker

You’ll owe me

Okay

Parker

Stop replying just okay

I’m not doing your laundry

Parker

Let me borrow those leather Chucks, the ones with the roses on the soles.

WHAT THE FUCK WHY

Parker

They go with an outfit of mine. Let me. Then we’ll have a deal.

Fine

Do not fuck the mark. He’s mine.

Parker

Oh?

Stop saying oh

Parker

Oh??????????????

Fuck off

I’m irritated all through class. Irritated at Reid, irritated at Parker, irritated at Hayden for not having another mark for us.

I want to finally do something important in one of our goddamn missions.

I want to be more than just the hot tall guy covered in tattoos that either causes a distraction or seduces someone.

I was brought on to the team because I can hack without a single trace, but no, Hayden always does the hacking because he has the inability to delegate.

Also, I’m pretty sure Hayden thinks we’re all stupid, but most of all, me.

Which is ridiculous. If we’re basing intelligence solely off of looks, then Hayden, Mr. Frat Guy Looks, would be the stupidest. But he’s just a control freak and relegates me to the bottom of the barrel so I can never get any of the glory.

I get paid the same as them, so I don’t know why I care so much.

Whatever.