Bane: Elite Operatives (Bad Boys of X-Ops Book 4) Read Online Free Page A

about to be split in two.
    I didn’t really want to think about Blaize like that—my wicked thoughts centered around Kiki—but goddamn .
    Were they trying to smash the cot to smithereens?
    Just then I heard a blistering creak, a groaning sound of splintering metal.
    Yep.
    Done broke their cot.
    Shoving up from my pallet, I dragged on some clothes and hit the door.
    Justice peered out from his tiny two-roomer across the way. “Incoming?”
    “Not with your security measures.”
    “Storm and Blaize again?”
    Their door opened, and Storm stood front and center, holding his discarded jeans in front of himself, deep breaths gusting from his sweaty chest.
    And his hair stood all on end.
    “Sorry ’bout that.” He pointed backward. “We were doing a little room reorganization?”
    “Whatever.” I pushed him back. “Get out of my face, fucknut.”
    Jus smirked. “Can’t believe you two like each other again. Twilight Zone shit.”
    I hit him with a rare smile. “That Rod Serling. Now that was some damn good shit.”
    “You are so out of touch, Bane.”
    “And you’re such a pretty boy, Jus.”
    His goodnight? The ever-popular giant middle finger.
    Whatever .
    I continued through the interconnected rooms of the warehouse, making a point to check in on Walker. He was spending time in la-la land c/o our good friend morphine. I pulled out my burner and texted Jade a quick update on her hubs.
    She immediately pinged back and asked about Kiki, because she was all up with the T-Zone gossip.
    I had no comment, other than I wanted to get the new woman beneath me, but that probably wasn’t a possibility—or wise at all—given my super-secret motherfucking orders.
    I hit the digits on the keypad for the back entrance of the building and stepped outside. A cool night. The bright halogen lights haloing over acres of empty tarmac.
    Cigarette in hand, I lit up. Inhaled. Exhaled. Rolled my neck.
    Kiki peeked her head out the door. “Mind if I join?”
    “Not at all.” I shoved over a couple feet, holding the pack of smokes out to her.
    “Don’t smoke. But I sure could use a drink.”
    She stepped beside me in combat boots flapping open and sweats with a hoodie on top, the black sweatshirt covered in white skulls and crossbones.
    She’d wound her hair on top of her head, showing the shaved sides until she shrugged the hood up, all but covering her features.
    “I’ve got a bottle in the room,” I said, mashing the cig underfoot.
    “ Ugh . Don’t know if I can go back in there right now.”
    “Storm and Blaize going at it again?”
    “ Jesus. Yes.”
    “But Blaize likes you.”
    “I like her too. Doesn’t mean I want to listen to her have sex for hours on end.” She peered out from the deep hood. “I thought that boss and the subordinate shit was just a romance cliché.”
    “You’d have to ask Jus about that.” Chuckling, I pushed away from the wall. “We could bunk with Walker.”
    “In your OR?”
    I shrugged.
    “Why don’t you just get the bottle, and we can drink until dawn, Bane.”
    “Depends.” I squinted at her. “Are you a messy drunk?”
    “The last time I was drunk was the first time I kissed you.” She leaned back, propping her shoulders against the wall. “Wanna try it again?”
    No brainer.
    ****
    The tequila had gone down smooth, and Kiki was pretty easy to talk to when she didn’t have her back up. We’d sat outside the back door, huddling close, sharing warmth, slugging straight from the bottle.
    “So who’d win in a fight?” she asked. “Storm or Walker?”
    “Walker.” I lit another smoke, exhaled on the slow. “He’d just blow Storm’s nads to bits.”
    “I’d place my bets on Storm. He’s killer with a gun.”
    “Justice could probably take them both,” I said. “ Oo-rah and all that.”
    “Pretty boy?” Kiki curled her lip. “Not my type.”
    Good to know.
    The stars above started glowing brighter, the night growing colder. Couldn’t much feel my toes