Page 71 of Powerless
She peered up at me curiously from the bed. "What's that?"
I leaned over and kissed her again, powerless to resist those lips.
"Come to church with me."
Mari finally agreedafter some cajoling, but still had to stop by her medic's office first. Something about heartburn medication for Tessa.
In any case, it worked out because I had a hunch a certain man wouldn't have the balls to apologize to me with a woman in the room.
The conference room was empty when I arrived, save for Shadow.
"President," he stood from the table immediately. "May I have a word with you in private?"
"Certainly." I locked the door behind me then came around to the chair next to his. "Sit down, Shadow. What can I do for you?"
The big man didn't appear visibly nervous, but I knew this was difficult for him. Being alone helped, along with the fact that he trusted me almost as much as Jandro. Still, speaking didn't come naturally to him.
"I want to apologize for my actions the other day," he said. "I meant no disrespect to you or your woman."
"You can call her Mariposa," I said.
"Mariposa," he repeated softly, his fingers twitching in his lap for a moment. "On top of misunderstanding what she asked me, I didn't know she was yours. But Jandro explained it to me, and I know better for the future." His odd-colored gaze met mine straight on. "I promise you it won't happen again. I'm sorry, Reaper."
"Apology accepted." I clapped him on the arm. "You're a good man, Shadow. I know you didn't mean anything by it and I'm glad you're able to learn from this."
He nodded, now looking visibly more nervous. "I still have to apologize to her—Mariposa—directly."
"You shouldn't have any issue with that." I got up to unlock and open the door. "I think you'll find her forgiving."
"Women are not forgiving in my experience," he muttered.
"To be fair, Shadow," I sighed, rounding the table to my seat again, "your experience is the exception, not the norm."
"That is what everyone tells me," he said. "But I have nothing else to compare it to."
"You will one day," I assured him. "Maybe even with Mari's help."
He looked at me with a puzzled expression. "How?"
"No idea," I shrugged. "But she's smart. And she's kind. She only ever wants to help people."And be an adorable pain in my ass by calling me Rory.
"Those are good qualities."
"They are," I agreed. "If there's a way to help your...condition, I'm sure she'll find it."
"She won't want to help me," Shadow grumbled.
"You might be surprised."
The club started filing into the room and for a moment I was proud to see a room full of Steel Demons again, instead of only the usual faces from the road. But the thought of someone in this room betraying us, putting us in danger, quickly soured my mood and made my blood boil.
I smacked the gavel on the table the moment the room filled up and the door closed. All murmurings died down to hushed silence.
"I'll get straight to the point," I said. "General Tash betrayed us and has tried to take us out twice now, thanks to insider information. And one of you is the general's little bitch."
I allowed a pause to let that sink in. Everyone kept their eyes straight on me, no side-eyes to the man next to him.
"One of you," I went on, letting my eyes linger on every single man in the room, "has desecrated the Steel Demons patch. Every time you put it on, you do so under false pretenses. You're not loyal and you're a dishonest piece of shit. I have no room for the likes of you in my club. And when I find out who you are," I couldn't resist the cruel smile spreading across my face. "I'll feed your balls to my dog. And I'll make you watch."
