Page 6 of The Auction Block

"She hit the bull’s eye fifteen times in a row. You hit it twice. She owned you, bro," Vlad says laughing.

Hyde stops at an entrance booth to the park and shows the gate keeper his Interpol badge. She nods, trying to glance through the tinted windows and waves us through.

"Showtime everyone," Jax says in a stern voice as Hyde pulls into a parking spot.

I throw the door open and step into the Baltimore sun. It's the end of May, but this weather is tame in comparison to where I live in New Orleans. A cool breeze caresses my face and I close my eyes, tilting my head upward.

"Don't you look all peaceful and shit," Dresden says close to my ear.

My body goes rigid as my lids fly open. I glare at him from the corner of my eyes.

He takes a step back, stuffing his hands in his pockets. "Sorry, Lily."

I shrug, trying to force the fear from my limbs. "It's cool, Dres."

Jax stops in front of us, rubbing his face with his hands. "You ready for this, Lil?"

I roll my eyes. "Yes,Dad. I'll be fine."

He smiles, warm and comforting— a smile that’s gotten me through so many nightmares and bad days. Jax really is the best thing to ever come into my life.

"Ok, let's do this." He turns on his heel and strides toward the pavilion.

We follow him and Hyde to a small group of people in the picnic area. The beach is off to our right, a single lifeguard in the tower. We stop just under the tree line and Blake saunters forward with his friends following close behind him.

"Mr. Mason." Hyde holds out his hand.

"Good to see you again, Agent Monroe. Welcome to Baltimore."

"Thank you."

"This must be the rest of my new, and unnecessary, security team." He glances over Hyde's shoulder.

"Let me introduce you," Hyde says, pulling me back to the present.

I look up as they walk toward us. He has a very determined walk I hadn’t noticed earlier, as if he's a man on a mission. Blake's brown hair is slightly damp and wavy, stopping just below his ears.

Water beads across his toned chest and thick muscles accent his shoulders and arms. His stomach is nothing but abs, chiseled to perfection, leading down to toned hips and legs. The baby blue swim trunks contrast nicely with his tan skin and hang off his hips just enough to show the V-shaped muscles. Blake Mason is the perfect instance of the inverted triangle.

Dresden joins me, hands in his pockets. "Go figure the asshole is richandbuilt like a brick shit house. He's like a walking cliché."

"Since when do you notice how good looking another dude is? Something you forgot to tell me?"

"Fuck you. He wasn’t half naked earlier. You can't tell me you failed to notice."

"I don't think a person on this beach hasn't noticed him."

"It’s whatever. He ain't got shit on these guns." Dresden flexes his arms causing the veins to pop slightly.

I chuckle, keeping my eyes on Jax. He gestures to us and Blake's eyes dart to mine again.

Jax, Hyde, and Blake stroll to the opposite end of the line we've stood in, stopping in front of Rhett.

"Lily and Dresden have already been acquainted, but everyone else, this is Blake Mason." Jax's voice commands the space as he glances down the line, shortly locking eyes with me. "This is Rhett Sheldon, Weapons Specialist."

They shake.

"I think it's important you know I don't condone the use of firearms in any way," Blake says in his deep, rumbling voice.