Page 89 of Warrior

I nod. But…

Well.

I pick her up, keeping us connected, and take her seat. Her knees land on either side of my hips, seated on my lap, and I smile up at her. Ismile. Something must truly be wrong with me.

“Better,” I say.

She hums.

My gaze locks on the scales of justice. Balance. But also… more than that.

Sheisthe justice in this town. The moral compass her brother has always followed, unknowingly or not.

I can only hope she’ll guide Kade’s Cyclopes the same way.

21KADE

Nathan Bradshaw meetsme at the reservoir after his shift. The roll of his cruiser’s tires on the dirt lot reaches my ears at six o’clock on the dot.

We’re not at the falls, where we had previously met. This time, I picked the location. I arrived early, scouted ahead. Artemis spying on my meeting with him—and to learn of it later—wasembarrassing. I should’ve kept my eyes open for that kind of thing. Should’ve known that she would be suspicious of the sheriff.

He’s pushing too hard.

I think he has a habit of leading with his greed, not his brain. Not a desirable trait in a stand-up sheriff, but acceptable for what I need of him.

I stand with my hands in my pockets on the rocky shore. The gun in its holster at my hip shouldn’t surprise the sheriff, but I can practically feel his intake of breath when he spots it. I don’t look back, but I picture his hand landing on his weapon. Not necessarily to draw it, just out of habit.

Because he doesn’t trust me, and I don’t trust him.

Keeping my back to him is either an act of stupidity or power.

The reservoir, which supplies water to Sterling Falls, stretches out ahead of us. It’s a protected body of water. No boats. No fishing. No swimming.

“You called?” the sheriff drawls.

I smirk to myself but drop it when I face him. “Tell me about the body at Olympus.”

He wears his uniform, the dark-green helmet-hat hiding his red-brown hair. Sure enough, his hand is balanced on his holstered weapon. He seems at ease on the rocks, however. So he’s either a great liar or he doesn’t think I’m a threat.

“Why should I do that?” he replies.

I scoff. “We have a quid pro quo relationship, Bradshaw.”

“Oh? And what do I get out of this?”

“You get a warning.”

He raises an eyebrow. “Not sure I buy that, Laurent.”

I sigh. Getting him to turn over Reese’s mother’s phone records was easy. I should’ve expected him to pump the brakes once things got too real. Too much like the war zone Sterling Falls once was.

I wish I had been around to see it. It would help me understand Artemis and Saint a little more. They’re both gun-shy about the Cyclopes.

Who wouldn’t be?

“The Hell Hounds’ compound bomb was a warning, too,” I say. “But the wrong kind. They didn’t listen to me at first. We had to send a stronger message. Do you understand what I’m saying?”

For a second, he doesn’t know what to do. His mouth opens and closes, his face reddening.

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