Page 44 of The Hangman's Rope

I nodded, thinking about the old myth and how Icarus had crashed and burned out of his own arrogance. I worried about that, but then I thought back to how Lorelai had cuddled into my side like I was her shelter from the storm. About how her eyes lingered on me, and how the look in her moonlit eyes was both beseeching and unquestioningly…something.

It was that something that I didn’t have a name for that galvanized me.

I firmly believed that she didn’t give a shit. About Reaper, about being locked away with me, about any of it. She was a lost little lamb and she was looking to me as her shepherd. I felt some type of way about that. A little guilty for her innocence – because I didn’t make for a good shepherd. None of us did. We were a pack of wolves, and we were just about always hungry and looking for our next meal.

Still, where Lorelai was concerned, I stayed my hand. I wasn’t sure if it was her big silver doe eyes looking up to methat did it, or if it was something else… but I had a good feeling about her and I’d learned throughout the years to trust my gut. Still, I didn’t expect my brothers to trust it with me – not with something this monumental.

My thoughts were interrupted by the boys outside calling dinner. We divested our cell phones, took up plates, and loaded up on the fare Torment and some of the other fellas had put together, taking it back on up into the chapel to eat and discuss.

We didn’t always eat and hold church at the same time, but sometimes it called for it. This was one of those times. Making sure everyone was up to speed and working out the problem would take all of us on this one.

I had some added layers of difficulty in that some of my motives probably didn’t quite align with my brothers.’

We would have to see.

I settled into my seat at the big table and set my plate and beer in front of me. The tablets were out, propped and sitting in front of each and every one of us. Connected to the internet, sure, but encrypted to the nines and under the exacting and careful scrutiny of Requiem and his security firm.

Syn was brooding at the head of the table, his dark eyes fixed on the tablet’s screen as Tor set down a plate of food in front of him.

“Eat, you broody bastard,” Tor ordered him but Synister didn’t so much as twitch. He was zoned in on watching the girls, the sound off and every tablet playing the same thing – an image of my small living room from barely two blocks away and the girls sitting around on the couch and in my recliner as Lorelai stepped into the room in a dress that very much suited her shapely figure.

I studied her, and a fierce ache started in my chest. I frowned at the longing. I don’t think I’d ever felt so keenly attuned to another person, never mind in such a short time. It was vaguelyconcerning, but there were honestly bigger concerns in front of me – such as listening in to my brothers’ thoughts as they sat around munching on their dinner and watching the small screen in front of them.

“This complicates things, doesn’t it?” Death mused aloud.

“Shit was already complicated to begin with,” Shade muttered. “This just puts it over the top.”

Fear grunted in agreement, “Looks like Lainey likes her, never mind Mini-Syn. How the fuck they even find out about her?”

“Loose lips sink ships,” Synister breathed out and he balled one fist inside of the other, resting his elbows on the table and pressing his fists to his own lips as his dark eyes roved the screen.

“What d’you think they’re talking about?” Haint asked.

“One way to find out.” Requiem unmuted his tablet and the girls’ high musical laughter filtered through the room, thin and reedy with just the one tablet playing.

“Do you think they’re watching and listening?” Valory asked and she looked up at the camera.

The rest of the girls followed suit.

“Red means no, green means yes,” Lorelai said and Requiem shot me a look across the table. I shrugged.

“I didn’t say anything about that,” I said. “You did.”

“Eavesdropping little vixen,” Torment said it like he was either proud or impressed. That was Tor, though. He lived for when the people around him were fit to be tied and a lot of the guys were absolutely that.

“Like I said,” Synister said, clearing his throat.

“Might as well give ‘em something to look at,” I heard Madisyn say and looked down to see her lift her shirt and her bra, her tits falling out as she shook them back and forth at the camera. The girls howled with laughter and Synister scowled.

He hit the button on the screen unmuting the microphone on his tablet and in a stern tone said, “Put my tits away, Madisyn. I’ll be dealing with you later.”

Lorelai looked like she blanched and swallowed hard. She didn’t say anything but Valory did.

“I hope he’s not being an asshole to you,” she said.

“Always,” Madisyn said rolling her eyes, “but I like it.”

Lainey thought that shit was funny, but Valory just scowled.

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