Page 125 of Killer Confections

She looks around before leaning into him. “We’re talking about this—”

“About what?” He feigns ignorant before calling the other guys over. He walks out of the warehouse, leaving a shocked and dumbfounded Bailey behind.

Slowly, she turns to us. “What the fuck…”

We could get into the logistics of it all, but Atlas and I only shrug.

“No idea,” I lie.

“He’s a Capri-sun,” Atlas shrugs.

Bailey and I blink at him. I quirk a brow. “Did you mean aCapricorn?”

He snaps his fingers. “That’s it! He’s a Capricorn.”

I tilt my head, running a hand through his scruff. “You’re lucky you’re pretty.”

He smiles down at me before kissing my temple.

“Well!” Thalia claps her hands and I finally get a good look at her. She’sdowsedin blood. Like from head to toe. Just looking at her is making bile rise in my throat. “I could use a drink. How about we open Dale’s while he’s out?”

A few cheers of agreement come from the other members as everyone files from the warehouse. Atlas wraps an arm around my shoulders, keeping my head tucked as we walk to his car. Turns out they all parked half a mile away, hoping to keep the element of surprise.

As the crisp nighttime air touches my lungs and I finally get a moment to think, my thoughts wander back to my friend.

“Is Addison going to be okay?” I ask.

Atlas hums. “Bailey isn’t going to let anyone hurt her. She’s already called a search for her on the grounds. Give it a few hours and she’ll be on her way back.”

“You sound so confident…”

He stops us, grabbing my chin as he tilts my head up. The moonlight glints off his pale blue eyes and I take in those ruggedly gorgeous features I’ve come to find so much peace in. He really is my person.

“I’m only confident because youmakeme feel confident, Short Stack. Knowing that you trust me, it does something to me. It makes me want to be better. To make better decisions. Part of that is trusting my gut, and my gut says that she’s okay. Do you trust me?” He asks.

My chest aches as I answer. “Of course. With everything in me.”

His look turns tender as he gives me a soft smile. “Then trust me, she’s okay. They haven’t had enough time to do anything. If she were killed on their grounds, a case would befiled and I’ve had Alana and Connor scanning their database for hours. They haven’t found a single thing on Addison.”

Relief washes over me, and I practically slump against him. “Oh, thank god.”

He rubs my back, chuckling. “Trust in me, baby.”

I look at him, feeling like everything in the world has aligned perfectly, from us meeting to us reuniting. “I do.” I whisper.

He leans down, his lips ghosting against mine. “This is it. Forever.”

“Forever,” I agree, pushing up to my toes and letting him steal my breath in a kiss.

Chapter Forty-Four

Atlas

Dale’s is far louder tonight than it usually is with the crowd of assassins that’s filtered in. The music is thrumming loud enough that patrons have to shout over it, people are dancing, and a few who weren’t a part of our rescue mission have joined to hear all about it.

Thalia, Alana, Connor, Loxley, and I all sit at a table, drinking our respective drinks as Thalia recounts the operation far more dramatically than I remember it.

Loxley is having a great time despite everything.