Page 29 of Hades

“Hi, we were wondering?—”

“Aye, where the fuck the break room at?” Hades barked.

“Sir—”

“Bi—”

Hades was cut off by Cati, who elbowed him and placed a smile on her face. Good thing, too, because ole girl was about to get cussed out for a second time that month by him.

“Ma’am, we’re just looking for my sister, Harley Cruz. She called with an emergency, and we’re just here to get her.”

The lady’s gaze softened as she looked Cati over, surely seeing the resemblance. When she glanced over at Hades, she pursed her lips, but she walked around the desk and said, “Follow me.”

Hades grumbled under his breath but kept his cool as he followed behind the older lady with an apple-shaped body. They walked down a long hallway before she stopped at a door and pushed it open. Over the ole lady’s head, Hades saw Harley sitting in the far corner of the room on a plastic chair and gripping a butter knife.

Hades chuckled as he bumped the lady in front of him out of the way. He marched over to Harley and placed his hands on the table in front of her before leaning down and grinning in her face. “The fuck you was gonna do with that dull ass knife, Tink?”

Her brows pulled in as she scowled at him, which made Hades laugh right in her face. Shorty had definitely been hanging around him too much.

“Lucky for me, I don’t have to find out,” she said, standing up and brushing past him.

She spoke softly to her co-worker before embracing her sister. Together, the Cruz sisters walked out of the room, leaving the old lady and Hades alone. She slowly looked him up and down with disdain on her face. “I sure hope that nice young girl isn’t mixing with the likes of you.”

Hades walked over to her slowly, with a menacing grin on his face. When there was only an inch of space between them, he leaned down to meet her petite height, and in his deepest voice said, “Don’t worry about where the devil puts his dick, baby. Just be happy I don’t turn yo’ old ass out.”

Chuckling, he stepped out of the room, leaving her jaw on the floor.

Lucifer watchedas Hades paced inside his office, amusement playing in his eyes. Pixie clearly thought they were playing because her little legs kept up with his long strides as she panted happily and looked up at her new best friend.

“Pix, what you think, man?” He stopped suddenly, looking down at the dog.

Pixie yipped before lying down by his feet, expelling a long sigh. Baby girl was worn out from all the pacing they had done over the past thirty minutes.

“You gon’ ask the dog what she thinks before me, bro?” Lucifer asked, a grin spreading across his face. “Let me find out you like the mut.”

“The mut is cool,” Hades said dismissively before scooping her up and walking over to his desk. He sat down and allowed Pixie to get comfortable on his lap before he spoke again. “I ain’t ask you because I know what you gon’ say.”

“I mean…”

“I don’t want to hear it, Lu. We just need to make a move because I have a really bad feeling that punk ass Drew is about to bring us a world of troubles.”

Lucifer stayed silent for a moment before he cleared his throat. “Why you ain’t just give Harley up?”

Hades frowned. “I ain’t giving that girl up.”

He didn’t say more, but Lucifer knew his brother like the back of his hand. He also already knew the answer to his question before he even asked it. “Just say you like her, man. It’s okay. I won’t think you got the cooties.”

“Get off that. We need to focus on Drew and this shit with the cops.”

Lucifer sighed. “Fine. Look, it’s time to see Pops, and if you don’t, I will. I’m not too prideful to go see him and get this shit to disappear. This is above us now, and we need help.”

Hades scowled at his brother. “You really okay with going to see that nigga and ask him for a favor?”

Lucifer stood. “To keep my freedom and keep our family safe? To keep you safe? To make sure the riders are safe? Hell fuckin’ yeah. You coming or not?”

Hades felt like he was at a crossroads. He had taken an oath to the Obsidian Riders as their leader to always keep them safe and make sure they were good. Lucifer was right. Unless they wanted to go on a killing spree and further implicate themselves, this shit was above them. On the other hand, their father was not someone he fucked with. He made an oath to himself the day his mother died that he would never speak with his father again, especially not to ask for a damn favor.

He weighed his options as he watched Lucifer walk out the door, and he knew right then what he had to do. Above all else, he swore to his mother to always keep his siblings safe, and if Lucifer was hellbent on going to see their father, then Hades needed to go with. There was no way in hell he would allow anyone close to him to be alone with than man who raised the devil himself.

---