The Revenge (The Insiders Trilogy #3)(19)

Bailey


Tony.

I braked going around the corner to where Camille Story had her lair.

Tony?

“You’re kidding me!”

Tony Cottweiler was one of Matt’s friends, the wealthy asshole friend who liked to get away with any sort of sexual act while sitting next to me in their booth. That Tony.

I was instantly growling.

He grinned, leaning one shoulder against the wall, and slid his hands into his pockets. He was dressed for the job. All black. Black jeans. Black shoes. I noticed they were the ones Seraphina was raving about, since they weren’t in stores yet, and he had on a black thermal shirt under a black leather jacket.

“What are you doing after this? Going straight to Naveah?”

His hair was even messily rumpled, and grrr … I wasn’t happy about this change, not one bit.

He laughed, rubbing a hand over his jaw. “Man. Your reaction right there was more than enough to do this. Matt promised me you’d be pissed, but I think I just got a hard-on. ”

“Gross.”

His shoulders kept shaking in laughter, but he grew somber a second later when Fitz came around the corner. Tony straightened from the wall. “What?” He motioned behind me. “We can’t break into an apartment when you have a guard with you.”

I looked over my shoulder.

Fitz hadn’t spoken a word when we made up the plan or left for the plan, and now we were here to activate the plan. Not one word. I should’ve been worried about that, but I was also not in the mindset to look a gift horse in the mouth.

I just shrugged. “He won’t say anything.”

Tony let out a long, dramatic curse. “Are you kidding me? He probably called Kash while you guys were figuring out this whole plan in the first place.”

I looked at Fitz. “Did you?”

He just looked down at me, not a blink.

I groaned.

Tony cursed again. “Fuck!”

Well, crappers.

I took a breath. “How long do we have?”

Now he talked. And he blinked. “Seven minutes, if even.”

Tony pushed farther away from the wall, stalking over. “Is Kash coming himself?”

Fitz swung his head to Tony, but he was done talking. He had fulfilled his daily minimum apparently.

Tony flicked his eyes upward, his hand going to the back of his neck before he motioned to me. “I’m getting you in, then I’m taking off. I don’t want to be here when Colello shows up. He’ll rip me to pieces.”

He turned, leading the way to Camille’s door, and took out a set of keys.

I eyed him, trailing behind. “Do you do this often? Is that why Matt sent you?”

“What? ”

I motioned from him to the door, and to his keys. “Breaking and entering. You do this often?”

He laughed. “My dad owns this building. Matt sent me because I have a universal key to every apartment and door.”

Oh.

Oh!

Well, then. “Guess we’re not really breaking and entering, then?”

“No, we are. I have no right to enter her apartment when she’s renting it, but I know the security guys. Got ’em to turn off the cameras for the next three hours.” He inserted the key. It fit. He paused and looked at me. “I mean it. I was going to stick around and wait, but if Lethal Boy Toy is on his way, no way am I sticking around.”

“Seraphina has a crush on you.”

He almost fell into the wall from my words. His eyes went wide. “And? A lot of chicks have crushes on me.”

“She’s too young for you.”

“No shit.” His face was clouding over, becoming more stormy as I kept on. “Why do you feel the need to make this an issue? I’m not into kiddie porn, if you get my drift.”

“You’re not a good idea.”

His mouth opened and an aghast mewl came from him before he jerked his hand up. Keys dangled from his fingers and he raised them higher. “You wanna rethink pissing me off? I have one more door to open for you.”

I narrowed my eyes. I wasn’t intimidated by him one bit, and I stepped into his space. He was taller than me, so my head had to angle up, but I was hoping to make up for the fierceness of it with my words and by closing my eyes almost to slits.

“I remember the sex house party. You had girls jerk you off with me sitting next to you, knowing I couldn’t leave the booth. You got a blowjob beside that same booth minutes earlier, and I might’ve been in a grief zombie state, but I clicked back to the present. I saw you making Seraphina laugh at bowling.”

His eyes were blazing, but he kept his mouth shut.

I kept on. “I don’t want her to romanticize you. I get if you were just being nice, but she’s young. She’s impressionable.” I half cringed because I could hear Chrissy Hayes speaking through me. “But you know she has a crush on you. Don’t encourage it. That’s all I’m asking.”

His anger lessened as I spoke. His jaw wasn’t as tight and his scowl eased. He was almost thoughtful by the end. He didn’t respond right away, taking the time to rub his jaw once before letting a soft curse slip free. He turned, going through the apartment.

It was a simple layout.

Kitchen and dining room on our right. Living room straight ahead. Going past the living room, there was the bathroom. Two bedroom doors beyond. I noted the pile of blankets folded at the end of the couch. That must’ve been where Hoda stayed.