Page 15 of Providence

“Pres?” Trigger said, breaking the silence in the room. “I think you can trust these guys with the truth.” He pointed to Stevie and Paulie, er, Bear and Goose respectively. They’d said they were cousins when they joined up, but they looked nothing alike.

Sol scoffed. “Like fuck, Trig. No offense guys, but we’ve known you, what, a year? You are Brothers, and I trust you with my life. But I don’t trust anyone with theirs,” he lifted his chin toward Serendipity and the baby. Madoc.

I nodded. I one hundred percent agreed with Sol on this one.

The woman, fuck I was trying not to call her fucking that,Serendipitycocked her head to the side. “Why do you think that, Trigger?”

The cocky little fuck shot a know-it-all look at Sol. I huffed out a laugh. Sol looked like the easy going fucking pussy hound of the group, but he was a fucking killer. I’d seen him gut a man from belly button to sternum. But Trigger, he had no fear. Maybe we should have beat him more when he was a kid. He’d grown up around the Club, and the little fuck actuallylovedus. Sure, I sometimes saw a flash of fear in his eyes when he looked at me from time to time, but that just made him smart.

Trigger turned back to Stevie and Paulie. “I think they have secrets of their own.”

Judas raised a single brow. “Spit it the fuck out, Trig.”

I didn’t miss the apologetic look he gave the former Prospects. “I don’t think they are human either.”

My eyes shot to Paulie and Stevie. Paulie’s face went pale, like fucking milky white. I thought he was going to vomit. Stevie slid back his chair and was on his feet too quickly. I stood, whipping my gun out and pointing it in their general direction. I didn’t actually want to blow their brains out, but I would if I had to. I looked over to see the fucking silent assassin was doing the same, but he had his gun sighted directly on them, Sammie stuffed behind his back.

Trigger stood, waving his hands softly. “Hey, hey, calm the fuck down.” He looked toward Stevie and Paulie. “I don’t know why you guys are twitchy as fuck, but no one here cares what the hell you are, unless you eat fucking babies and shit out napalm.”

Serendipity laughed, actually laughed, though I noted she had Madoc in her arms. “I can see why you’re the secretary, Trigger. It's definitely for your diplomatic skills.” She looked at Stevie and Paulie, her face soft. “It’s okay.” She unwrapped the baby from its little sleeping bag thing, and out popped Madoc’s wings. They looked bigger today. Hell, he looked bigger today. How was that even possible?

Paulie gasped, his eyes glued to the baby.

Stevie went even paler, his eyes as wide as saucers. I lowered my gun, because all my instincts were telling me these two were no threat. Marco kept his gun where it was. I didn’t begrudge the psycho fucker that.

“He’s an angel. I mean, like some part of me understood that we were fighting angels and that you were knocked up and shit, but I didn’t, I mean, I didn’t think? You don’t have wings.” It was almost an accusation, and I growled.

Stevie’s eyes whipped to me, and he swallowed hard. “I wasn’t doubting you, or nothin’.”

Serendipity shot me a look, and I ignored it.

Stevie looked around, and then cast a furtive look over his shoulder at Paulie. “Show them,” he whispered, then turned back, his gaze bouncing between me and Marco. “Don’t shoot, okay?”

I nodded, but Marco didn’t make any promises.

Stevie didn’t take his eyes off the former gun for hire, but I looked past him. Paulie’s face contorted, then the motherfucker just vanished.

Poof.

“What the actual fuck?” someone whispered. It might have been me.

Stevie didn’t break eye contact. “I’m just going to bend down. I’m not doing anything hinky, I just gotta pick him up from the floor.

Him? What the fuck?

Stevie bent down, and then when he stood up, he was holding a fucking rat. “What the hell is that?” Trigger whispered, and I looked closer. It wasn’t a rat. It looked like a cat, a ferret and a rat had a fucking gangbang and whatever Stevie was holding was the result.

“He’s a mongoose. A dwarf mongoose to be specific. Actually, it’s Paulie. We are Shifters.”

I had several fucking questions. Paulie was no shrinking violet. He was just under six feet tall, and I’d seen him knock the teeth out of a drunk guy at the strip club with a single punch. How did that guy turn into something so small?

Apparently, I wasn’t the only one struggling with what ever the fuck was happening right now.

“How the fuck can that be Paulie? My dick is bigger than he is!”

Marco hissed out a laugh and put his gun away. Then he sat back down, and so did I.

Judas was doing that fucking Yoda shit, looking completely zen about the whole thing. Fucking asshole. “You better explain.”

---