I go to sling the weapon to my back, but Vincent grabs it and takes it from me.
“I’ll carry it.”
I just nod.
“If the ladder is back-caged too tight, I’ll have to take it. You and It won’t fit together.”
Vincent is a thick guy, and if the cage is as tight as I fear, there’s no way he’ll fit.
He picks up the night goggles from the seat and hands them to me. “It’s not.”
Grabbing him by the shirt, I pull him to me. He bends, knowing what I want, meeting me for the kiss. It’s deep, sweet, and utterly possessive. Completely Vincent. He lets me think I’m
leading the kiss, but I’m not. It’s all him.
Pulling back, I stare up at him. “You sure you wanna do this? I could be breaking so many fucking laws here in a minute. You want that blood on you?” I know Vincent has saved my ass before, putting his own career at the FBI on the line, but this is more than that. He’s actually going to stand there while I do it. I don’t even know why I’m asking the question because I know the answer. But I still want to give him an out.
“You come before anything. Always.” He kisses me again.
We make our short trek over to the water tower. I go up first, climbing the tall ladder until I reach the top. Pulling out my phone, I check my messages from Scribe, making sure everything is on the ups and confirming the location.
I head over to the south side of the tower and lie down, pulling on the night-vision goggles as I look for my target. I spot them a mile out. I pull out my phone again.
Me: I got three.
Scribe: Those are Mixers. Any other shows will be Aces.
I slide my phone into my back pocket. Vincent hands me my sniper, and I fix my scope.
Vincent lies down next to me.
“Never fails to turn me the fuck on when you got a gun in your hand.”
I look over at him and smile. “Name something I do that doesn’t turn you on.”
“You got me there.” He leans in closer. “I tell you, your pussy tastes sweeter since you got knocked up. I can’t seem to stop eating your cunt lately.”
“You’ve never been able to stop eating my cunt,” I retort. It’s nice having him here. It’s not like we have to be quiet. No one can hear us.
“Hostile,” I say when I see movement. Three motorcycles come in on the Mixers. Vincent goes utterly still while I let the world fade away as I watch the ground.
I’m only to fire if one of the Aces pulls a weapons. So I wait. I can’t make out any of the members of the Five Aces as they get off their choppers, but I count more than two. I watch two of the Mixers pull guns out from behind their backs. I see the light of fire, but it takes a moment for the sound to reach us this far out.
Vincent still doesn’t say a word. I sit up, and he follows suit.
“Mixers killed them,” I tell him, shaking my head, not knowing what the fuck could be going on or why they needed me here. Maybe they thought the Aces would pull something, but it was clear the Mixers came to kill them. I bet they have three graves dug and ready. God, I hope we don’t get pulled into whatever this mess is. We just got clean and have been trying to stay that way.
“That’s it, Mac. You’re done for a while.” His voice is firmer than it normally is with me, no hint of playfulness. “Your brothers will just have to figure something out for the time being. It’s not just the blowback that could come. You shouldn’t be hauling this heavy shit around. Lying on the ground on your belly for hours. You’re starting to show and—”
I kiss him, cutting him off.
“I’m with you. This family first.” I watch the tension leave his body. His hand goes to my belly in a protective move.
“Come on.” He pulls me to my feet, picking the gun up and flipping it over his back. “I cooked three dishes for this barbecue tonight and they are going to be shit if I don’t get them in the fridge.”
I laugh. “I can’t even with you.” I head for the ladder, but stop and turn. “You made the pasta salad, right?”
“Of course I made the fucking pasta salad. I like getting laid.” He moves past me. “I’ll go first.”
I descend the ladder after him, follow him to the truck, and put my gear away.
“I’m gonna tell them.” I’m nervous about telling everyone I’m knocked up.
“Don’t be nervous.” Vincent pulls me to him. “Think they’ll be that shocked I put a baby in you? I do just about anything and everything I can to leave my mark on you.”