Page 13 of Powerless
"For what?"
His eyes flickered up to meet mine. "For trusting me."
Five
REAPER
Never before had I ever seen my club so divided.
I was so careful to make the Steel Demons an army ofmen. A brotherhood that could trust each other, who could work seamlessly as a single unit. Now, someone I vetted and trusted was a backstabbing piece of shit. Someone in this dining roomknewGeneral Tash wanted to fuck us, and told that slimy shit bag we were coming.
And I had no idea who.
At dinner, people broke off to eat in pairs or by themselves, eyeballing everyone else with suspicion. No one received more stink-eyes than Gunner.
On the surface, he appeared to take it all in stride. He met the stares with defiance and never gave off a hint of guilt. But I knew it ate him up inside that his brotherhood, his chosen family, suspected him of betrayal so quickly.
He took up one of the low couches with his chicken burrito, pitcher of beer, and loyal falcon at his shoulder. His feet stretched out on the coffee table, crossed leisurely at the ankles. He was making it clear he belonged here and it was one of these other sneaky fuckers that didn't.
Only Shadow sat near him, devouring chicken tacos in between swigs of vodka. They didn't speak, but I knew without a doubt Shadow's presence close by was a silent move of solidarity. Those two weren't the closest in the club but the mutual respect between them was strong.
A plate clattered near my beer, followed by Jandro sliding into the seat next to me.
"You trust Gunner?" he asked before taking a large bite of his chicken taco.
"Yes," I answered without hesitation. "You trust Shadow?"
"Yes." He washed his food down with my untouched beer. "So it's safe to assume the weasel isn't one of us four?"
"I'm certain it isn't." I'd known Jandro nearly my whole life, and Gunner only a few years less. I knew Shadow the least of anyone, but if Jandro trusted him, that was all I needed.
"I asked Gun to have Horus keep a close eye on everyone," I said. "Including me."
"You?" Jandro scoffed. "Why?"
"I guaran-fuckin'-tee you someone thinksI'mthe cause of this. If we're gonna have a witch hunt, no one can be exempt."
"Does that include Mariposa?"
I leaned back against a column, taking note of her absence in the dining room. Why wasn't she here? More specifically, why wasn't she lying back on this table, serving me up that sweet pussy for dessert?
"No one suspects it's her," I answered. "She has no power in the club and hasn't been with us long enough to know about our dealings."
"Is that whatyouthink?" Jandro's gaze on me was heavy. "Has she really embraced being with us or is she still trying to find a way to escape us?”
I didn't have an immediate answer for him and he noticed.
"She's been with us a couple of weeks now," I sighed, rubbing my eyes. "And in that time, I haven't asked her whatshewants."
Jandro tilted his head at me. "Whether or not it has anything to do with this, that might be worth finding out."
I foundMariposa in my suite, which delighted me immensely. But rather than naked in my bed, she was dressed in a pair of shorts and a tank top, sitting in an armchair in the entry room.
Hades went to her immediately, forcing her to put her book down as he practically jumped into her lap.
"Hey, good boy! How are you?" she cooed, rubbing the sides of his face before placing a kiss on his snout.
"You're going to spoil him rotten," I groaned, kicking my boots off in the doorway.
