Page 29 of Lawless
My attention returned to Jandro and Shadow, lounging by the grill as they drank and the handsome Latin man served up corn. While Jandro did most of the talking to his tall, dark friend, I did spot Shadow's lips moving as well.
So he's not completely silent, I thought as I chewed my steak.He must just be highly selective as to who he talks to.
Keeping this in mind, my eyes drifted over the pool just as a figure lifted himself out with a powerful push of his arms.
My chewed-up steak nearly fell out of my mouth at the sight of Reaper's lean, chiseled form rising out of the water. The grinning, horned skull of the Steel Demons emblem decorated his chest, accented by flames and smoke licking across from his collarbone to just below his pecs. His abs flexed as he stepped onto the pool deck, a tiny river of water running down between the ridges of muscle before he toweled himself off.
As if that sight wasn't enough, Gunner jumped out right behind him. The blonde, blue-eyed demon looked like a surfer, but coming out of the water, he could have been Poseiden himself. His long, golden locks slicked back, his physique was leaner than Reaper's. His muscles were just as prominent, but longer and with slightly less bulk. The V in his slender hips cut deep and defined, his swim trunks hanging dangerously low.
"Still think you're not Reaper's girl?" Tessa interrupted my ogling with a playful jab to my ribs. "Mr. President sure is easy on the eyes."
"Shit, two-thirds of the men here are," Noelle laughed. "That's the real torture, Mari. Being surrounded by all this eye candy."
My eyes bounced back and forth between Reaper and Gunner accepting drinks as they toweled off, a small crowd gathering around them, and Jandro and Shadow keeping quietly to themselves across the patio.
"Tell me something," I said to no one in particular. "I thought Jandro was Reaper's VP."
"He is," Tessa confirmed.
"So why are Reaper and Gunner always together, and Jandro's always with Shadow?"
My two companions exchanged glances and I wondered if, like the Daren business, this was something I wasn't supposed to know.
"All four of them are close. Best friends, basically," Noelle said, choosing her words carefully. "But Shadow is kind of a black sheep, as you can tell."
"He's not right in the head," Tessa added in a whisper.
"Well, something happened to him," Noelle explained. "I don't know exactly but whatever it was, Jandro knows best how to deal with him."
"He's like a service dog," Tessa nodded. "A service human, I guess."
"And Gunner is the club's arms dealer and captain of the guard," Noelle said. "He's basically the one in charge of bringing in all the goods to our community, so he always has Reaper's ear."
"I see." I bit off more steak and chewed it thoughtfully.
"Jandro's a good VP," Noelle mused. "He's one of those who considers all options, while my damn brother is more of a hot head. They balance each other well. It's just Jandro's usually stuck babysitting Shadow."
I hung onto every word she said, carefully filing the information away to use later.
For when I finally could escape without losing my life.
Eleven
REAPER
Gunner was only better than me at two things in life—negotiating weapons deals and holding his breath under water.
My lungs burning, I burst out of the water first. Again.
"Son of a bitch's tit," I muttered, pulling myself up out of the pool.
"Whooo!" the blonde asshole hollered, raising his fists as he flipped his hair back like a fucking mermaid. “I win again! I’ll take my steak medium-rare, boss."
"You'll take my balls on your chin nicely, too," I shot back, snapping a towel at him with a grin. "Give me a second to dry off."
"Oh, I got all fuckin' night." He rubbed a towel over his head, making his hair stick out in all directions like a lion's mane, before grabbing a beer from an ice bucket and heading off to mingle.
After thoroughly drying my torso, I wrapped my towel around my waist and took a seat in a chair near the pool. I took a moment to soak it all in, the atmosphere and the energy. These were my people, and I was responsible for them.
