by Helene Gadot
The sick bastard.
He turned to leer at them, taking in each inch of their false bodies, licking his lips in anticipation. Any lingering lust for Ridley vanished at the dude's lecherous face. Maddox couldn't wait to sink his fist right in the middle of it.
The three of them forced smiles and accepted drinks off the trays, pretending to sip, but not letting a drop past their lips. None of them were interested in being dosed tonight.
"Come sit. Enjoy. It was starting to get a little lonely up here for some of my men."
Beckett was handling the photography, so Maddox and Reese blocked him from sight, while they chatted with a couple of Gregory's men. He recognized none of them from the Legion or the file they'd built on him. They were either new, or they were his inner circle. Maddox guessed inner circle. They'd never been able to get eyes on them before. He kept them more hidden than himself.
Two weeks of club hopping and he was finally in their cross-hairs.
Ridley was the reason they'd finally gotten this close.
Gregory ignored them, focused on the two ladies inching closer and closer until they were almost in his lap. Maddox answered questions applied to him all while studying the surrounding men. He could sense their power but had no idea what their powers actually were.
Reese took care of that, by yapping about a story in the news about the Legion taking down a local knave, drawing them all into a group.
One of the guys huffed. "That knave had pathetic powers. It wasn't all that impressive."
"Do you have powers?" Reese asked, batting his lashes.
Maddox held back his amusement and tried to look flirtatious. He couldn't believe they had a woman on the team and they still ended up being the ones playing the seductress roles.
"Do you?" The guy asked.
"No. I'm a boring human and it sucks." Reese pouted.
"I have the power manipulate electricity."
Reese gasped. "Wow, that is so awesome. Can I see a demonstration?"
He shook his head. "Not right now. Boss doesn't like us to flash them around in the club."
"That's too bad. Are you his best bodyguard since you have such impressive powers?" Reese slid a hand up the guy's arm.
"We all have powers. We keep him safe. He has a lot of enemies."
"Why?"
"He's a rich and powerful man. They always have enemies. But don't worry your pretty head about it. You're safe with us."
"But I bet you have the best power. I can't imagine anything better than controlling electricity."
He preened at Reese's words. "Mine are the best of the lot, but they have pretty decent powers too." He pointed at one of the other guys. "He has super strength." Then the other guy. "He has fog generation. And the one in the corner is telekinetic."
"That is like really impressive. I can't believe how powerful you must be together."
Maddox almost snorted. They weren't impressive. Their powers were a concern, sure, but nothing the five of them couldn't handle easily.
They had what they came for. It was almost too easy. Unfortunately, Gregory didn't appear to be planning anything illegal out in the open tonight, so they wouldn't get any photographic evidence to put him away. He stood with the women on each arm and left.
Damn. He was hoping to end this tonight. They'd been at this for months. Instead, they'd have to break in to his office upstairs and try to find something there. With Ridley on their team, they could even claim the evidence fell into their lap from a confidential and anonymous source.
He and the others made their pretty excuses, and returned to the main part of the club and out the door. Once outside, their illusions fell away and their appearance of pretty girls disappeared.
They loaded into the SUV and waited for Cormac and Ridley to exit as well. As the minutes passed, nerves jangled through Maddox.
Where the fuck were they?
24-Ridley
Ridley could barely stay upright as Cormac led her through the club. She hoped she looked blackout drunk to everyone. Or maybe they assumed he dosed her. She hadn't held such an intricate and powerful and massive illusion for such a long period in a while.
The last time she did, well, she didn't like thinking about that day.
"Are you all right?" Cormac asked, concern in his voice.
"Yep. Just a little weak from using my power so much." She lurched to the left, her feet not obeying her brain's commands.
Cormac grabbed her, keeping her from tumbling to the ground. "Shit. All right. I'll get you out of here."
"I know."
She was power drunk, there was no telling what she would do or say. And the two drinks didn't help. It was much stronger scotch than she was accustomed to.
"What the fuck was that scotch?" Was she slurring or was her hearing jacked up?
He helped her into the car since he limbs were out of control. "It's stronger than the swill you're probably used to."
She laid back against the headrest. "It was delicious, but it did not mix well with my powers."
"Booze usually doesn't." He closed the door and jogged over to the driver's side.
"Can you hold your invisibility when you're drunk?" Ridley asked once he was inside the car.
He let out a short laugh as he pulled away from the curb. "Fuck no. You should see Reese try to fly when he's had a few. It's hilarious."
She really, really wanted to see that. "I am definitely going to get him drunk and find out next time I have a chance."
"You should. It's been a while since the last time."
"You smell good." She wanted to grab the words and shove them back into her mouth.
Cormac coughed. "Thanks, I think. You smell good too."
"What do I smell like?" Her head lolled against the seat as she tried to focus her eyes on him.
"You tell me first." His eyes were dark when he glanced over at her.
"You smell like leather and linen. I like it. Too much. You smell too good. All of you do. You're all too hot and all smell too good. It's dangerous." She could almost taste him. Two weeks in the same house as them was killing her.
A thick silence fell between them for a moment before Cormac finally broke it. "We feel the same about you, pet."
"Why are you calling me that? We aren't undercover anymore." She didn't want him calling her that. It confused her.
"Slip of the tongue. My bad."
"Uh huh. Wait. Weren't you supposed to be telling me what I smell like?"
He chuckled. "Right. That was the deal, wasn't it?"
"It was."
"You smell like the ocean and motorcycles and cherries."
Ridley wrinkled her nose. "That doesn't sound like a good mix." The cherries were from her shampoo. She always smelled like her garage, it was impossible to scrub out. How sexy.
"Trust me. It's a good smell."
She frowned. It didn't sound like a good smell. "Maybe you're just weird and like strange scents."
"Maybe. But it's hot, so don't stress about it."
"I just remembered I don't care if you like the way I smell. It's better if you think I'm gross so you'll leave me alone."
At the stoplight, he turned to scrutinize her. "Is that what you really want? Me to leave you alone? The others to leave you alone?"
"Yep."
"I don't believe you." The light turned green, and he thankfully released her from his gaze.
"You shouldn't. But you should leave me alone. It'll keep you safe. You don't understand what you're getting into if I end up being found. And me hanging out with you shitheads will definitely get me found. Then we're all dead."
"Are you ever going to tell us what you're running from?"
Definitely not. "Nope. I'm power drunk right now and I still know to keep my mouth shut. It's bred into me after a decade of practice."
"That sounds lonely."
"What do you know of it?"
"More than you know. We all have things we're running from."
"
What are you running from?" She didn't expect him to tell her.
"My mother was a very dangerous and powerful knave. Or, she is. She still hasn't been stopped or arrested. I tried, but my brother betrayed me and deleted and destroyed all the evidence I collected."
Ridley didn't know what to say. She'd already said way too much. She couldn't believe he was telling her. He was the last one she expected to confide in her.
"Are you drunk too?" She wanted to make sure since he was driving. And she wanted to make sure he wasn't fucking with her.
"No."
"Then why are you telling me this?"
He sighed. "Because I know what it feels like to run away from a shitty family and have to start over. And I know what it feels like to be ashamed of your past. And I'm not the only one. The others are the same. So if you're ever ready to tell us, you should know that we understand and we won't judge unless you did something horrible."
She rubbed at her chest, not liking the strange emotion swirling there. "I'm sorry about your family. That really sucks."
"It does."
"Do you ever think about going back and trying to take her down again?" She knew exactly what it was like to have a powerful parent who eventually should be dealt with. But she also knew how impossible it could seem. She doubted she'd ever be able to deal with hers. Instead, she'd spend her life in hiding.
Cormac shifted in his seat. "All the time. One day, I will and the others will back me up. But right now, we're working on helping Maddox."
What did Maddox need help with? "Helping him how?"
"That's his story to tell you."
"Do you think he'll tell me?" She wasn't sure if she wanted him to. She didn't need anything else tying her to these men.
"I don't know."
"Thank you for telling me."
"Don't mention it." A chill was back in his voice, but this time, it didn't irritate her. It was his mask. She understood.
They drove in silence for a few minutes, his confession between them, making it awkward. "Hey Cormac?"
"Yeah?"
"Do you think we can go back to being dicks to each other? This nice shit is making me uncomfortable."
A smile spread across his face, banishing the coldness "I would love that."
"Excellent."
She was way too vulnerable at the moment to handle any more kindness from her nemesis.
"I didn't realize I was your nemesis."
She gasped. "Did I say that out loud?"
"You did."
She slammed her head against the back of the seat, closing her eyes. "Fuck. I haven't been hit like this in a long time. And the effects weren't this bad. I blame the drinks you ordered me."
"Have you used that kind of power before?" Cormac asked.
"Not in a long time. Usually I'm only trying to truly fool one person at a time."
"But we all saw the snakes when you were torturing Tyler." Only the glow from the dash lit up his face.
"Sometimes when I'm pissed off, it gets away from me. Then, the anger helped with the come down."
"So, do I need to piss you off? Will that help?"
"I'm too tired to bother trying." She tilted her head to stare up at the moon. It was a crescent tonight, her favorite kind.
"We're almost there and you can crash. I'll tell Maddox to debrief in the morning."
"I love the mattress in my bedroom. It's like sleeping on clouds."
Cormac chuckled as he pulled into their driveway. Maddox and the others waited for them and Reese opened her door.
"You okay?"
"I'm drunk." She tried to throw her arms out in a bow, but she ended up spilling headfirst out of the car. Reese caught her and kept her from ending up in a crumpled heap on the paved driveway.
"I see that." He frowned at Cormac. "How many drinks did she have?"
"Only two. Granted they were strong, but she's more power drunk than the usual kind."
Reese steadied her. "Let's get you inside."
"Sorry. I'm feeling better now." She pulled away from Reese and tried to make it onto the porch.
When she swayed to the right, Maddox swept her up into his arms like she was a fainting damsel and carried her inside.
She grumbled, but letting him help was getting her into bed faster and she really didn't want to face-plant in front of them.
Awkward.
Reese hurried ahead to open doors since Maddox's arms were full.
She started giggling, and couldn't seem to stop. What the fuck was wrong with her? Was it the stress compounded by the booze compounded by the overuse of her power? At least her brain was still working enough to come up with that ridiculous riddle.
"I blame this on you." She glared at Maddox.
"Why?"
"You pulled me into this. You paired me with the douche who gave me the strongest scotch ever made. See? Your fault."
Chuckles from the other guys came from behind them as Beckett and Cormac followed them to her room.
"Uh huh." Maddox set her down inside her room.
"Things were fine before you showed up. Now, everything is confusing and you've opened up old wounds and it's only been a couple weeks, so there's no telling what'll happen if I stay here much longer." She pouted and yanked off the ridiculous shirt, dropping it onto the floor.
Strangled noises came from Beckett and Cormac who stood watching from the doorway.
"You worried you're gonna fall for us?" Reese asked, a massive grin on his face, his eyes twinkling.
She blinked her eyes as she scowled down at the heels on her feet, trying to figure out how to remove the torture devices. "All of you? That seems like a bad plan. Though even Cormac is growing on me. You're dangerous for me. And I'm definitely dangerous for you. I don't think I want to get you killed." Was she dreaming? She hoped so. She wasn't supposed to be saying any of this to them.
Reese took her by the shoulders and helped her sit on the bed. "Why won't you let us in so we can help you? I swear you can trust us." He knelt down and removed her shoes, looking up at her through his lashes.
She gulped, enjoying the sight of him on his knees in front of her way too much. "I can't trust anyone. No offense. You four actually seem trustworthy. But I can't afford the risk."
She flopped back onto the bed and struggled with her pants, but the stupid things were glued on. This was why she wore jeans and boots. They were much simpler to handle. With a frustrated groan, she stood and attempted to get them off that way.
A small part of her brain screamed at her that she would regret this tomorrow, but she ignored it. She wanted the clothes off.
The rest of the guys disappeared except Maddox, leaving him to help her out of her pants. "You let us make that choice. Besides, we're pretty powerful and can handle ourselves. We want to help you. I want to help you."
Ridley almost opened up her mouth and spilled everything. She wanted to share the burden, tired of carrying it alone.
But Maddox stopped her. "Don't tell me now. You're not in your right mind and I don't want you to tell me like this. But please consider letting us in."
"You are very irritating." She huffed and fisted her hands on her hips, in nothing but a thong and a strapless bra.
"What have I done now?" He made a valiant effort to keep his green eyes on her face.
She pouted. Drinking while using her power made her pout. "You're all sexy and serious and want to help me."
"And that's a bad thing?"
"It's a combination that could make me stupid."
Maddox gripped her lightly by her upper arms, peering down at her from his ridiculously huge height. "You're safe with us. So are your secrets. But I know it's only been a couple weeks. I know you need time. And I'm sorry for the blackmail."
"I get it. You have a job to do and had no idea if I was a knave. I hate calling them knaves. It's a stupid term. It makes them seem almost cartoonish."
His lips brushed against Ridley's forehead. "Get some sleep, badass. W
e'll figure out our next move tomorrow."
She stumbled over to her bed and passed out as soon as she sank into the mattress.
25-Ridley
She winced at the ache still pounding through her head while she tightened the bolt on the bike she was almost finished with. Her powers still worked, but she was wrung out from the night before.
Thankfully, she'd only seen Cormac this morning, and she'd hustled him out the door an hour before she needed to leave. Seeing him was bad enough, but she definitely didn't want to see Maddox after she almost told him everything. She was a fucking idiot and was never drinking and using her powers again. Maybe she was never drinking or using her powers again.
Cormac hadn't said much on the drive to her garage and had left with just a request for her to call when she was on her way.
It was nice not having them over her shoulder for once. Even Malia wasn't there, busy with a dentist appointment. She hadn't been completely alone in days and she reveled in it. She had her favorite music blaring through the garage and sang and danced along as she lost herself in the intricacies of the beautiful machines that needed her touch.
It gave her a chance to think without their hotness muddling her mind. She couldn't believe she'd almost spilled her secrets to Maddox, no matter how fucked up she was. If he hadn't stopped her, she would have ruined everything. But damn it if him stopping her didn't make her like him even more. He could have taken advantage of her inebriated state. Cormac too, but they hadn't.
What the hell was she supposed to do with that?
And sober, she still wanted to tell them. She wanted to be on their team. She liked hanging out with them. She even missed them a little working alone in her garage. Fourteen days. She'd known them fourteen days. And it wasn't really how hot they were. She didn't trust hot men, she just liked to sleep with them.
It was who they were. They were rebels and rule-breakers and didn't give a shit what anyone thought, they only cared about doing what was right, even if it was illegal or behind the backs of their superiors.
They were kindred spirits.