Masked by Vengeance (Vega City Vigilantes Book 1)

by A. J. Macey

  “Evera? That you?” Silas' sleeping voice filtered through his darkened room and into the dimly lit bathroom. I hummed an acknowledgment around the toothbrush. “What are you doing up so early, Sweetheart?”

  “No reason,” I mumbled.

  “Sweetheart, I know you’re lying to me,” he murmured, coming to lean against the door frame, the door swinging open slightly so he could look in where I was leaning up against the counter. “What’s wrong?”

  “Overwhelmed with everyone and everything,” I explained softly. As I talked, he stepped behind me, his hands slowly starting to knead the tense muscles in my shoulders and back as he watched me in the mirror. “I’m stressed about tonight. I don’t know how any of you can expect me to be able to play the part of Kane’s rich girlfriend when I could barely afford to eat.”

  “You don’t have to do anything, just keep a smile plastered to your face and let Kane do the talking. It’s easy to play you off as the shy type.”

  “I am the shy type, Silas. You lot just drive me crazy,” I huffed with a half-hearted glare before continuing, finally admitting the one thing I had been running from. “I just… don’t know what the hell I’m doing. My life has been turned completely upside down, and I barely feel like I’m staying above water. It’s easy enough to stay busy, so I don’t have to be left with my thoughts, but now that we’re finally learning things and moving toward what I’ve wanted for ten years, it’s both exciting and nerve wracking. Five guys constantly going after each other doesn’t help either.”

  “It’s usually only three of them,” Silas reminded softly with a grin, his thumbs working miracles on my knots as he worked over my back. “What do you need, then, Evera?”

  “I don’t know,” I sighed, my thoughts continuing to whirl until he curled his arms around my chest and pulled me into his hard torso. “Relax, drink, get out of my head for a little while. I have no clue,” I practically pleaded, hoping he’d know what I needed or wanted right now because I couldn’t focus on one thing for more than a few fleeting moments.

  Without saying anything, Silas leaned into the shower, flipping the handle before taking off his shirt. Sighing, I started to walk out of the bathroom, so he could shower, figuring I could write down some lyrics in an attempt to settle my mind, but his fingers curled around my hand, stopping me. I looked back in confusion, wondering what it was he wanted.

  “Let me help you, Sweetheart. It’s not much, but maybe it’ll help take your mind off everything for a bit,” he offered, tilting his head toward the water and tugging on my hand. Recognition of what he was implying dawned on me, and I felt my cheeks flush with a wave of heat, but right now, all I wanted was for my mind to stop its whirling insanity. With that thought and a steeling breath, I stepped forward and closed the door behind me.

  My heartbeat was erratic, bouncing around in my rib cage loudly enough, I thought Silas would hear it as he slipped my shirt over my head. Nibbling on my lip, I stood there awkwardly as Silas untied my sleep shorts, letting them fall to the floor until I was in nothing but a pair of underwear. Before he could do or say anything else, my eyes landed on the cut V in his hips that trailed beneath his sweats. The urge to finally see what was behind the gray fabric flared to life, and I stepped closer, my fingers trailing down the dip until they reached the soft material. Wow, I stared wide-eyed—for someone leaner than most of my other men, he certainly was one of the biggest in both length and girth.

  “I’m glad to know you like what you see, Sweetheart,” he whispered, dipping down until his lips barely brushed mine, stopping far enough away, what happened next was in my control. Confidence surged, my fingers curling around his hardened steel, his shuddering moan pushing me onward.

  His lips were soft and moved only after I did. Drives me fucking crazy that he lets me take some of the control. At this moment, it was about what I wanted, and given that freedom made my heart swell. No longer feeling nervous or uncomfortable being naked in front of him, I stopped stroking his cock long enough to slide my underwear off my hips and down my legs. As I stepped out of them, I nudged him back, quickly becoming chilled in the bathroom’s draft despite the ever-building heat that flowed through my veins and pooled in my core.

  The steam wrapped my body in a blanket of warmth as Silas stepped into the shower. He positioned me under the water, his hands never leaving my hips as we continued to lock lips. Brushing my tongue against his bottom lip, I ran my hands over his smooth skin, reveling in the hard plains of his chest beneath the tips of my fingers.

  “You’re beautiful, Evera. I don’t ever want you to feel insecure or uncomfortable around me. You deserve to be showered with affection,” Silas murmured between kisses, his fingers starting to massage up my back once more. The heat of the water cascading over my skin had my nipples pebbling against Silas's chest, our tongues tentatively brushing as my confidence grew. Reaching between us, I wrapped my hand around him, stroking leisurely as his fingers worked magic on my muscles. It only took a few moments until I was nearly melted with desire, my knees wobbly with the urge to feel him inside me.

  “Is that what you want, Sweetheart?” he murmured between our kisses, peppering my jaw lightly before nipping my neck. I shuddered, picturing exactly what I wanted him to do, every explicit detail shown loud and clear for him. He chuckled, answering my unspoken question as he turned me to face the wall, taking care to make sure my face wasn't in the stream of water.

  A shuddering moan rattled through me as Silas's nimble fingers rubbed over my clit and circled over my soaked entrance. His free hand reached around, cupping my breast and rolling my sensitive peak between two fingers. A bolt of vision-dimming pleasure rocked me as he nudged his cock at my entrance, knowing I didn't want to wait to have him.

  “Oh, hell,” I muttered, bracing my hands against the shower wall as he rocked forward, stretching and working me until I was filled nearly painfully full. I kept the string of visuals going, both of us moaning not only at the sensation of him moving inside me, but the naughty fantasies I let my mind run crazy with.

  Fucking in his bed, blindfolded and letting him do what he wanted to me.

  A quickie in the backseat of his shiny SUV, rushing in a moment of stolen passion before getting caught.

  Atop Kane's expensive desk, knowing more than likely, he would walk in at any time.

  My senses drowned, pleasure and desire heightening as I neared release. Panting, I started pushing my hips back in time with his hard thrusts, sending Silas deeper until finally, I came. My knees gave out, my body nearly limp as ecstasy flooded me. He didn't stop, holding me up as he pounded into me, quickly following me into bliss, pulling out at the last moment.

  “My, my, Sweetheart, you have quite the dirty mind,” he whispered, his body curling over mine as he braced against the wall. “I can't wait to see what else you have in store for me.”

  After that? Neither could I.

  Several hours later, my hair stylist was finishing my updo with a spritz of hairspray. My butt had gone numb long ago after sitting through a manicure and pedicure, make-up application, and now, a haircut and style. I had never been happier to have shorter hair than I was at this moment, the styling part taking less than a half hour compared to some of the other women in the salon, who were only a portion of their way through their appointments.

  “It looks good, Evera,” Stanley stated, looking up from the magazine he had gotten from the rack. With how long we had been here, he must have changed magazines at least six times since we’d arrived. “Mr. Renick is going to love it.”

  “Thanks, Stanley,” I responded, my cheeks heating at his compliment as my eyes trailed over what I looked like in the mirror. No longer was my platinum silvery blonde hair falling to my shoulders in messy waves, but pulled back into an elegant chignon, a couple of dainty curls framing my face. My makeup was sophisticated with simple winged liner, mascara, and a red lip. Only the best to fit in with the ‘it’ crowd of Vega City. I had to admit, I l
ooked pretty—despite not looking like me.

  “Let’s head back,” Stanley stated, looking at his watch. “You have to finish getting ready.”

  Oh, joy.

  Kane

  “Everything ready for tonight?” I questioned, tying my tie and looking at Acer and Silas. They nodded, both preoccupied with last minute checks on our earbuds and the equipment that would be going in the van or hidden in our outfits.

  This heist was a lot more complex than anything we’d done before. Evera, who would be going under a fake name as my date, and we would be attendees for the first portion of the evening until people were no longer paying attention to us. When that happened, we were going to slip back into the interior portions of the building where their records were kept. Acer, Carson, Harrison, and Granger would be out in the van and car in case anything were to go wrong, but it was up to Ev and me to pull this off.

  “She’s ready, Kane,” Silas added quietly, looking at me out of the corner of his eye. He tilted his head slightly toward the door, signaling to go get Evera. Dipping my head in thanks, I strode out of the room down to where Evera was staying. Adjusting my bowtie one last time, I knocked.

  “Blue, can I come in?”

  “Uh, yeah.” Her voice was quiet, wobbling slightly with nervousness. As soon as the door was open, my jaw dropped, and I stopped in my tracks.

  She was absolutely beautiful. Icy blue eyes centered on my face, ringed in simple makeup with a pop of red on her lips. With her hair pulled back, her sharp cheekbones and strong jaw stood out, bringing attention to her delicate features. Instead of hiding in sweaters and long sleeves that were too big for her and jeans that were worn and holey, she wore a black dress that sparkled and glimmered under the light. Creamy skin was only exposed on her chest in the v that dipped down, the curve of her breasts deliciously peeking out between the two sections of black beaded material. Turning to face me fully, her hand came up to fiddle with the diamond earrings I had left for her to wear, bringing attention to the simple black mesh sleeve. How did we get this lucky?

  “Say something,” she mumbled. Only then did I realize I had just been staring at her. “Does it look dumb or something?”

  “Evera, you are one of the most beautiful women I have ever seen,” I said intensely, stepping fully into her room. “It looks amazing, but you’re missing one thing.” I chuckled at her scrunched-up face as her confusion grew. Reaching into my pocket, I pulled out the jewelry box I had kept from her. “Turn around,” I commanded softly. She hesitated briefly before doing as I asked. Unhooking the necklace, I placed it around her thin neck, making sure the teardrop diamond sat in the center of her bare skin.

  “It’s beautiful,” she murmured softly, her lip quirking up slightly as she looked back at me. “Do I look the part of a date worthy of Kane Renick, CEO of Regency Financial?”

  “You always do. Whether you’re dripping in diamonds or curled up in one of my t-shirts, Blue,” I reassured her, capturing her lips with mine. “Let’s get our comms and head out. We have a room to dazzle.”

  “Let’s all pray I don’t fuck this up,” she muttered under her breath, giving a pained groan when I laughed. Wrapping my arm around her, I reassured her she would be amazing.

  She’s never not been amazing.

  “Ah, Mr. Renick, good to see you!”

  It was never ending. Smile, shake hands, pretend I didn’t want to punch each and every one of these slimy bastards in the face, over and over. Evera was quiet, but stood tall and confidently next to me, her eyes focusing on me every few moments and making me want to do nothing but get lost in those icy depths.

  “Uh, we got a problem,” Acer stated, his voice filling the earbud followed quickly by the sound of his fingers flying over the keyboard. “Declan Hadid isn’t Declan Hadid.” Excusing myself from my current boring conversation, I directed Evera off to the side of the event, angling toward her so I could talk without looking odd.

  “What the hell do you mean?” I hissed.

  “I mean, that’s not his full name. His legal name is—” he started.

  “Guys,” Silas’ voice was hard. Fuck. If Silas is back at The Syndicate, something must have happened. “Declan isn’t here.”

  “What do you mean?” Carson barked.

  “As in, not in the building. Declan escaped.”

  Oh shit.

  17

  October 25th

  Friday Evening

  Declan

  The bed was comfortable, but I was too focused to enjoy the relaxing downtime in my room. Only a few more minutes until they would be rolling out for the party, and I could get a move on with my portion of the plan.

  When the clock reached the proper time, I sat up and got to work on the bracelet on my ankle. They clearly hadn't thought too much about the fact that I break into places in my down time when they decided to put this stupid monitor on me. As soon as the latch released, I flexed and rotated my ankle, enjoying the freedom, but I couldn't waste much time as I had a schedule to keep. Standing on my bed, I popped the vent off and climbed in.

  “Ugh,” I groaned, shimmying slowly through the confines of the stupid metal container, my skin itching as anxiety flared. I hated tight spaces, the claustrophobic sensations flowing over me the exact opposite of flying. Shaking those irritable thoughts from my head, I continued on, moving as fast as I was able to until finally, I reached the roof.

  As soon as the grate on the roof was moved, I shot into the air. The sudden use of my wings had me groaning, both in pain from disuse and relief as my back muscles stretched. Got to hurry, I noted as I looked at my watch. Don't want to miss out on all the fun.

  “Sir,” my butler Lincoln called out as soon as I landed on the front drive, “where have you been? We've been worried sick.” He waved between him and my three other employees.

  “I had some unexpected business and wasn't in a location to make a call,” I explained, striding confidently into my home. “I need my tuxedo, please, Marjorie,” I directed to one of the housekeepers.

  “Of course, sir.” She dipped her head in acknowledgment before hurrying toward my wardrobe.

  “Will you be having any more of these... unexpected trips?” Lincoln murmured quietly.

  “Yes, but they won't be so unexpected, and I feel I will have access to communication this next time around,” I reassured him. “Just keep the house from crumbling between my visits if you could.”

  “As if I would let it become anything else,” he smarted, giving me a look as he started out of the room. Chuckling, I made my way to where I knew Marjorie would have placed my tux, changing quickly before stepping into my bathroom and styling my hair. Right on time, I thought as I hurried from that wing of the house.

  “Will you be back tonight, sir?” Bethany asked from the front door where she waited with my coat.

  “More than likely, no. But I should be back sometime in the next few days,” I explained, sliding the expensive wool article on. “Thank you,” I stated, grabbing the watch she handed to me. “You three be good!” A round of goodbyes sounded as I closed the door behind me, and as soon as it was shut, I took off, digging out the little comm I had placed in my pocket as I got dressed, shoving it into my ear. The sounds of monotonous, boring rich people party filled my ears but no panic. Guess they hadn’t found out I was missing yet.

  They didn't start to panic until the building came up in my vision, and I descended around the corner away from the late-night arrivals. Slicking back my hair, I straightened my jacket, thankful my wings somehow don’t rip through my clothes and stepped up to the front, my invitation held out.

  Time to party.

  Evera

  “What the hell do we do now?” I questioned, my tone quickly becoming panicked. I fucked up. I should’ve known it was a terrible idea to bring him into all this. “We can’t exactly let him run around, knowing who we are and what we’re after.”

  “It’ll be okay, Evera. We’ll find him,” Kane reassu
red.

  “Yes, Sparky. Listen to big, bad Kane. It’ll all be alright,” Declan’s voice echoed through comm, taunting and smug. “Though, I’m quite disappointed it took you so long to realize I was gone, Silas. I would have expected better from you.”

  “Ezekial Hadid,” Acer ground out. “So glad you could join us.”

  “Wait, Ezekial Hadid? Like of Hadid Investments?” Kane’s eyes widened while I stood here feeling anxious, struggling to keep my arcs contained. “Acer, find him.”

  “On it,” Acer huffed, the sound of clicking keys filling the space as Declan laughed. “Wait… it says he’s at the council building.” My stomach dropped, ice running through my veins as I glanced around the room. Declan’s going to tell the Legion Council we were here.

  “Don’t look so scared, Sparky. I’m just here for the party. I mean, I was invited, after all, as CEO of my company.” As soon as the words left Declan’s mouth, I found him standing confidently near the entrance. Despite the nerves and worries, I couldn’t stop my mouth from going dry at seeing his tanned body in a fitted suit with his hair slicked back as he smirked at me.

  “What do you want?” Kane hissed, seeing him across the room.

  “Nothing, honest. But I told you I was going stir crazy in that metal building, and I figured I could be backup. This whole superhero squad gig is pretty fun.”

  I groaned, There’s no fucking squad! The urge to glare at him was strong, but knowing we were in a room where we could catch attention at any moment, I kept it contained.

  “We are not a fucking squad. We need a damned name, so you lot stop calling it that,” I bit out in exasperation.