Page 47 of The Karma Project
I cross my arms over my chest and try really hard to keep an angry look on my face, but it’s hard to be taken seriously when I’m sweating and heaving and wearing the clothes I slept in, and my hair has turned wild.
“We never left; we’ve been here this whole time.” Max shrugs.
“Then where the hell is the SUV?”
Max nods as if he finally put the pieces together, “I sent it off to get more modifications. Bullet proof glass and such.” He continues, “We were in the armory taking inventory, and Teddy was making sure that Darren was still breathing”
“Unfortunately, he is.” Teddy grumbles.
“And nobody woke me up because?” I trail off, waiting for them to fill in the blank.
Brandon rolled up his sleeve, “I tried but you bit me.” I look at his forearm, and sure enough, there is a deep purple bruise bitten into his skin.
I wince, “Oh, sorry.” I push some hair out of my face and wipe a little sweat off my forehead. “And why was I in your room?” I look at Dean, pinning him with my brows furrowed.
“You demanded that you sleep in my bed with me last night. You refused to go in yours.” Dean answers.
“I don't remember that?” I looked at the other three for confirmation and they all nodded.
“Seems we took a lot out of you last night, princess. Forgetfulness could just be from exhaustion,” Brandon adds.
“Well then,” I huff, still trying but not coming off as collected, “If you didn’t notice I was busy. So, you can leave me to it.” I play the music again and move to go back to the treadmill, but Dean stops me, latching onto my elbow.
“Yes?” I ask breathlessly when I click the music back off.
“We have to evaluate the guards in twenty minutes if you’d like to get changed. They’ll be joining us here.” Dean gestures to the other side of the room that has been prepared with sparring mats.
“Right.” I sigh. “I’ll just go change really quickly. And I’ll be back in five to go over the plan or any information I may need. What else is happening today?” I ask Max this time.
“Teddy and Brandon will be collecting Deangelo today. I have to catch up on some of our legitimate businesses and a few meetings this afternoon.”
That’s the first time I remembered that they actually do own real businesses, that not all of their wealth comes from the shady underbelly of the city. The last few days have been a whirlwind, and I completely forgot about the companies they owned. There was one more thing I was forgetting about that finally popped up in the center of my brain.
“Can Teddy and Brandon do me a favor while they are out?” I look towards the two brothers who are watching me intently.
“Of course we can, little devil. I’d do it on my hands and knees if you asked.” Teddy moves as if he is actually going to get on all fours.
“No, no.” I say quickly with a laugh. “I need you to pick something up from my apartment.”
“Of course, what is it?”
“Get my father’s heart out of the freezer.”
26
Denoted C
Dean
I’m partly disappointed to see Zoe return not wearing my shirt, but I know it wouldn’t have been easy to spar in. She’s wearing these tight athletic shorts she has worn before. They are made of this black skin tight material that hugs her so closely they look like they are painted on. The hems around her legs squeeze just enough to make the fleshy parts of her upper inner thigh puff out a little around them. It’s a part of her body that I always catch myself thinking about sinking my teeth into. She paired the shorts with a matching sports bra, that luckily isn’t showing all too much of her breasts, a saving grace for me not to get too distracted. She walked in barefoot as she began wrapping her knuckles.
“Zoe.” I greet her, and she almost looks surprised to hear me acknowledge her.
It’s not that I mean to keep my distance, well maybe it is. I’ve been drawn to her and wanted to protect her since the first day she came down for breakfast. But then I got wary around her, because I was worried she’d affect my brothers in a more negative way, distract them. And she has affected them and admittedly she has distracted them as well, but not in bad ways. Brandon seems more focused than ever, Teddy is still feral but completely tame when she calls for it, and Max is finally sleepingat night. Before Zoe came along, Max was so high strung about different leaks and finding The Sparrow, and taking down the Cambions, but now it’s like having her around has made him feel more confident. She rattles him when she gets defiant, but I think it was good for him to be around someone that takes some of the control off of his shoulders.
Like he has found peace in her chaos, and she has found her own sense of peace surrounded by our chaos. As much as I don’t want to admit it, she’s an asset. I’m still worried that if we get too close, she may blow like an unsteady grenade, but I’ve relaxed in her presence.
“Dean. Are these the troops?” She asks, pointing her chin to the forty men gathered near the sparring mats.
