Page 19 of Powerless
“Fuckin’excuse me?" Reaper whirled around on him at the same time. "Care to explain where the fuckthiscame from, Captain?"
"President," Gunner returned stiffly. "Can I have a word?"
"Can you have a word, just fuck me with a cactus already..."
Reaper stormed off grumbling. Gunner shot me an apologetic look before following his president to a private spot near the outside walkway. Now alone, I went straight for the food, not caring to stand around awkwardly by Reaper's men.
I piled a plate full of scrambled eggs with sides of potatoes and prickly pear fruit, then went on a hunt for coffee. Apparently I wasn't the only one.
Shadow towered over the drink counter, emptying a large French press into an even larger mug that was probably meant for beer. I came up next to him, grabbing the last coffee press that still had coffee in it.
"Good morning, Shadow," I greeted as I poured.
He responded with a flinch and a grunt, then slamming his empty coffee press down as he walked away quickly.
I watched him move swiftly through the dining room for a man his size. He sat next to Jandro, who was talking to another one of Gunner's men.
His behavior didn't offend me. I knew he wouldn't respond with typical behavior and was curious to see what that would be. At some point, I wanted to learn what it took to hear him say one word to me. I didn't even know what his voice sounded like.
Horus had apparently annoyed the two guys at the breakfast bar enough to make them move, so I set myself up a few feet away from the falcon.
"Hi, Horus. Can I sit with you?"
He looked at me, tilting his head a bit, then looked at my food before taking a few cautious steps forward on those menacing talons.
"Guess that's a yes." I slid into the stool, careful not to make any sudden movements.
Hades was one thing, but I wasn't foolish enough to think I could treat this bird like a dog. Horus seemed to tolerate my presence at least, eyeing me intently as I brought a forkful of eggs to my mouth.
Within a minute he seemed to grow bored of me, fluffing up his feathers to preen himself.
Every so often I glanced from the bird to Gunner and Reaper, who seemed to be having an intense conversation next to a column. Abruptly, Reaper turned away with his hands in the air as if exasperated. He marched to the drink table, apparently in search of coffee. Gunner came straight toward me, an uneasy smile on his face.
"You're really leaving?" was the first thing I asked.
"Yeah, baby girl," he sighed, reaching out to stroke Horus's chest feathers. "I don't want to, but important business has come up."
"Why's Reaper so upset?" My eyes slid over to the president cursing and gesticulating over the lack of coffee.
"I didn't exactly ask him for permission to leave,” Gunner smirked. "He doesn't like that I undermined his authority, but he knows how important this business is."
"Top secret club business?" I lifted an eyebrow.
"Kinda, but more than that," he said softly. "It's for everything we've worked for. It's making sure everyone back at Sheol is safe and secure."
"Sounds serious." I took in how armed he was. A gun at each hip, knives on his belt, bandoliers of ammo across his torso. And that was just what I couldsee. "And dangerous."
"Both of those statements are true."
Without thinking, I leaned forward and grabbed the edge of his cut, drawing him a few steps closer to me.
"Be careful," I whispered, suddenly feeling too bashful to look him in the eye. So I gazed at his lips. "I won't be out there to fix you up."
"Trust me, baby girl," he lifted my gaze with a finger under my chin, "whoever gets in my way is the one that needs to be careful."
My thumb brushed over the 2A patch on his cut. The now-dissolved right to bear arms was a philosophy he embodied deeply. I'd never seen him in action with a weapon so he was probably right. Every time I looked at the beautiful golden-haired, blue-eyed man, it was hard to reconcile such an angelic face with bloodlust and violence. For all I knew, he probably used it to his advantage.
"Just make sure you get back," I laughed awkwardly. "You have to keep me from drowning."
