Page 23 of Veiled Vengeance (The Devils of New York #3)

SPENCER

L ast night, after my meltdown, my three men became extra attentive. Asher fixed me up a late-night snack while Rio and Zane worked swiftly to finish building the bed frame. We all climbed into bed and fell asleep to some cooking competition show Asher turned on.

Rio attached himself to my back like a koala with Zane on the other side of him.

I ended up sleeping half on top of Asher and leaving behind a small drool spot on his chest. Not that he needed another embarrassing moment in his arsenal to use against me.

Listening to me pee is horrifying enough to last many lifetimes.

When my alarm goes off in the morning, I reach my hand out to turn it off, but the noise persists.

“Stop smacking me in the face. I’ll make it stop,” Asher grumbles.

Oops.

A rush of cold air across my bare legs sends a shock to my consciousness.

“What the fuck?” I crack an eye open and am met with a smiling Rio.

“Rise and shine, Sleeping Beauty!”

“Are you crazy? It’s six a.m.” Rolling over to use Asher’s body heat to warm me up, I find his spot vacant. I open my eyes and find Zane and Asher changing into . . . workout clothes?

A naked Asher peeks back at me and winks. “You can stare all you want, Princess. But a picture will last longer.”

My mouth drops open. “I wasn’t—I mean—What’s going on?”

Rio stands and pulls me up with him. “We’re going to the gym. Duh.”

Squealing, I jump and wrap my legs around his waist. Thankfully, he catches me as both of his hands cup my ass. “Thank you, thank you, thank you!” I pepper his face with kisses.

“If I knew this would be your reaction, I would have made this happen sooner.”

Zane appears behind Rio. “Share the love, Angel. Where are my kisses?”

Rio gives my ass one more squeeze before handing me over to Zane. I give him the same treatment while Asher stands off to the side, pretending to ignore the scene in front of him and checking his watch.

“We should probably get going,” he suggests.

Zane sets me down on my feet, and I walk right up to him. I fist his shirt at the center of his chest and pull until he leans down. The kiss I plant on his lips is slow and passionate. He follows my lead for the first time and moves his lips with mine.

We break the kiss at the same time and rest our heads together.

“Thank you,” I whisper reverently.

His voice is gruff. “You only need to ask, and I’ll give you the world, Princess.”

As we take off down the street, I relish the movement of my limbs and the way my body warms. Rio keeps pace on my left, and Zane and Asher stick right behind us.

The morning is cool, and the sun is beginning to paint the sky in beautiful shades of pink, yellow, and orange. It’s the perfect morning.

Besides the fact that a literal serial killer is after you.

Even though Inner Spencer is right, I refuse to let that dampen the mood.

Out of the corner of my eye, I take a quick look at Rio. He’s concentrated on our surroundings, searching for any sign of a threat.

If my life were a cartoon, a light bulb would appear above my head right now. I’m very aware of the seriousness of our circumstances, but we deserve to have fun at the same time.

Lengthening my stride, my speed picks up from a fast jog to a run. Rio notices and increases his pace to match mine. We make eye contact, and I shoot him a crafty smirk.

“ Ni te atrevas ,” he pants in between breaths. Don’t you dare.

My smile grows, and I break into an all-out sprint. “Catch me if you can.”

“ Mierda ,” Rio hisses.

“Ah, shit,” Zane complains.

“Fuck,” Asher grunts.

The laugh that comes out of me is spirited and free. The smacking of their tennis shoes on the pavement and their heavy breaths mingle with mine. I know I can’t outrun them—that isn’t the goal.

I know I’m playing with fire here, but I enjoy provoking their feral side. The side that calls to an aspect of myself I didn’t realize was suppressed. They’re going to be so pissed at me, but I know I’ll find pleasure in their punishment.

Zane’s shoes appear next to mine as he catches up with me. A glance over my shoulder informs me that Asher and Rio are right on our heels, just as I expected.

I stumble slightly as I elbow Zane in the side, causing him to grunt. He finally gives me a smile and a shake of his head.

When we round the corner and the sign for Joey’s Gym comes into view, I push myself one last time.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Asher bitches.

Rio laughs, and Zane stays right by my side.

Stopping abruptly at the entrance, I lean against the wall as my labored breaths saw in and out of my lungs.

Zane paces next to me with his hands on his head—he’s barely out of breath.

Asher bends over to stretch his hamstrings, and Rio falls face first on the pavement with arms spread out on either side.

“You really are trying to kill me.” The sidewalk muffles Rio’s claim.

My chuckle is barely there from being so out of breath. “You wouldn’t feel like you were dying if you’d work on your cardio more.”

Zane grimaces as he eyes Rio on the ground. “You know that’s not sanitary, right?”

Rio lifts his head for a second to respond. “I’m building my immune system.”

“If that’s what you want to call it.” Asher’s lip curls in disdain.

Shaking my head at their squabbling, I walk inside with all three of my men following right behind me.

My focus immediately goes to the front desk, and I find Joey standing there as usual.

When he sees me, his eyes light up for a split second before the glee vanishes and is replaced with his usual rough exterior.

“You look like shit.” His words are gruff, but I know what they mean.

My heart warms, and the corners of my mouth curve. “And you look like a shriveled-up dick.”

He rounds the desk and beelines right for me. His arms encircle my body, and I freeze in shock. After a moment, I sink into the affection and return the gesture.

“You really scared me the other night.” He sounds choked up.

My tears threaten to fall. “Sorry about that,” I whisper.

He pulls back and looks me up and down. “How does the other guy look?”

My face hardens as I think of how Anthony is still walking around a free man. He dishes out pain and suffering like he’s a fucking sadistic Santa Claus. He takes what he wants because he believes he’s untouchable—invincible even.

He doesn’t get to feel safe. He doesn’t get to live life carefree.

He’ll feel my vengeance soon enough. My wrath will no longer be hidden behind veils in the shadows. Anthony is the one who should be plagued with nightmares and fearful of every person he meets.

“He’ll be cold and six feet under soon.”