Page 180 of The Reluctant Hero

I don’t know why the idea of it startles me. She’s faced each of us down without fear for weeks. The only time I’ve seen that nonchalant act stop was Monday. And today, she seems like an entirely new version of herself. I’m not experienced with the cold shoulder from her, but it left me extremely wary on instinct.

An instinct that usually helps me understand a threat is close.

Ace starts nodding. “She tried to take my head off with that stick.”

“Jakob is abaton, not a stick,” Jake gives him a flat glare.

“I’m not surprised you named a weapon after yourself,” Cade mutters. He’s not arguing anymore.

“Southenjoys her company,” Jake points out as if he’s handing us another clue. “She sees the monster in each of us and has nothing to say about it. She made friends with Shade who far surpasses my skill in killing.”

“She’s made her own team. Without us,” Ace says in a wrathful tone.

“They’ve displayed loyalty without games,” Jake gives him a bright smile.

“She needs to understand who we are.”

We all look at Gabe in disbelief. His cold expression is locked down tight.

“Are you insane?” Cade protests nervously and glances at each of us to back him up.

“She’ll run,” Ace agrees raggedly.

They turn to me, but I’m really thinking it through.

Jake has made a lot of good points. I don’t think she knows just how far South or Shade will go with their targets. But from the beginning, she’s treated them the same way she treated us. No fear. Acceptance.

He’s right. She sees us all. She already knows we’re monsters.

“Tell her,” I look at Jake calmly to find him frowning thoughtfully.

“No,” Cade snaps. “If she talks, that spells big fucking trouble for her.”

Ace’s mouth opened to blast Cade with rage and snapped shut in surprise. He didn’t say it would be trouble forus. His focus is onher.

Ace’s eyes meet mine with a curious head tilt added.

I didn’t think Cade had it so bad for her, too. He and Jake have kept their interest well hidden. Why?

Possibly because they saw her reaction to Gabe and wanted to stay out of it. Or they thought we wouldn’t let them into it if things got serious.

Were they planning on leaving if she stayed with us? The thought is sobering. I’m not sure if I could be that self-sacrificing, but apparently, they can.

Until we screwed it all up by believing lies.

“If she sees us more clearly, she’ll understand that we’re willing to get our hands dirty against the guilty,” Gabe points out to them as if he’s oblivious to the undercurrents going on around him. Hell, he probably is. Fresh off the anniversary of his mother’s death, having his heart broken, realizing he tried to destroy the woman he’s obviously in love with, and desperatelytrying to make amends without acting like it. He has his plate full.

“I’ll tell her,” Jake casually agrees and walks out, ignoring Cade’s protest.

“Fuck,” Ace whispers in defeat.

“She has to know we will back her plays,” Gabe insists. “Trust begins somewhere, and it’s past time for it. Maybe if it had happened sooner, all the mistakes wouldn’t have been made.”

We’re all quiet after that.

All that’s left is to wait for her judgment of us as the broken men we are.

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