Under the Full Moon (Crimson Romance) by Bobbi Romans Page A

anything close to Mr. Our jobs are tedious, dangerous and all around shitass, so please excuse us if we take a moment to de-stress.” Coyt finished.
    Wow. With the way he put it, Grace felt like a heel.
    “And please excuse me, too. Things haven’t been the best for us either,” she offered sheepishly. The last of her energy drained straight out.
    “When was the last time you ate a decent meal?” How Damien picked up on her sudden tiredness she didn’t know, but she was grateful for the strong body to lean against.
    “I had a large lunch.”
    “A meal was being prepared when we left … I’m sure there will be tons of leftovers. We can talk over dinner,” Coyt said, ushering them towards two separate large vehicles. With the others so quiet Grace suspected they, too, were running out of steam. Normally Beth would have already been raising hell about getting into more strange vehicles, yet her niece hadn’t uttered one complaint when they’d been split up. Beth, Moss, and Trick entered a big black SUV with Punge and Branch, while she and Damien were ushered into Coyt’s Isuzu Trooper.
    Wasn’t long before the vehicles turned off road onto what appeared to be a winding dirt road. A good thirty minutes and more butt-busting bumps and turns than she could count, they pulled up in front of a rather impressive compound. Considering they were out in the middle of Boon Fucking Egypt, the place appeared to be quite modern and Fort Knox secure.
    She noted cameras blinking high up on the ten-plus foot fencing that surrounded the place. A look-out tower complete with guard and bars covering all the windows she could see, stood ominously to the far of the property.
    Paranoid much?
    Out of the corner of her eye, she watched Coyt press his thumb against a small black pad and a buzzing sounded before the gates slowly rolled open.
    Wow. Shit like the security features they had here didn’t come cheap. Someone within this organization had some serious money. Maybe like the kind she and Faith had read about. Poor people striking it suddenly rich overnight. Though all the monitoring should have settled her nerves, she experienced the opposite emotion. Unease being at the mercy of virtual strangers.
    “You seeing all this?” She nudged Damien to make sure he caught the same high security points she did. His sharp nod and intent look proved he had. He squeezed her hand in a reassuring way.
    “Home sweet home,” Coyt announced pleasantly.
    “Big home,” Damien muttered.
    “Well it houses some really big people. You noticed the size of Branch’s neck?” Grace heard the humor, but even Damien seemed edgy judging by his challenging reply.
    “Bigger they are, harder they fall.”
    Coyt didn’t seem to take offense to Damien’s statement. Instead, the man just shrugged and motioned for them to follow him through the ceiling-high massive front doors.
    Beth, Moss, and Trick caught up with them at the foyer. Punge barreled past like his pants were on fire and shouted out “honey, were home” while he beelined toward the back. Grace realized his direction when the mouthwatering smell of something divine hit her nose. The loud grumbling from her stomach caught everyone in the near vicinity’s attention and broke the tension into laughter.
    They were ushered down a long hallway where thankfully the aromatic scent of home cooking became stronger. Grace couldn’t get past the warm rustic feel of the interior. While on the outside the place more looked like a new age, steel cool fortress, the inside reminded her of some kind of mountain ski lodge. Rich wood furniture, thick wooly rugs and humongous fireplaces sat in nearly every corner. The ceilings were well past ten feet. Of course the men they followed needed every bit of the extra headspace. The whole scene had a familiar appearance.
    Oh shit. The freaking Shining.
The place resembled the lodge from her favorite horror movie.
    Finally the hallway ended to the opening of a