Page 8 of Powerless
Fucking motherfucker of all fucking fucks. We were utterly and completely fucked, and not in the good way.
I barely took note of everyone filing into the conference room for church. My thoughts were too fucking loud. If what Fischlin's guard said was true, the entire wellbeing of the club was at risk.
No, not just the club. Sheol. Our home, the women and kids, everyone. And it all fell on my shoulders.
I trusted General Tash. Every deal we ever made had gone smoothly, no bumps or issues. He seemed like a fair guy, never asking for too much, nor trying to undercut us on our goods. The agreement we had seemed to be mutually beneficial. So why would he turn around and try to fuck us with a cactus? None of it made any sense.
A hand clapped down on my shoulder, jolting me out of my hamster wheel of thoughts.
"Not your fault, man," Jandro muttered as he sank into the chair next to me. Shadow slipped into the one on the other side of him without making a sound. "We'll figure it out."
"I need a fucking drink, bro," I sighed, dropping my forehead into my hands. "This is such bullshit."
"It's gonna be all right," he patted my back. "Plenty of other generals are looking for black market supplies. We have plenty to choose from."
"Tash was supposed to be one of the trustworthy ones," I groaned. "How many did we vet before going with him? A fuck-ton."
"Where the fuck is Reaper?" Jandro swiveled his chair to look around the room, only to be met with shrugs.
"Probably getting his dick examined by the medic," Big G snorted from across the table.
"She has to find it first," Dallas added, earning him chuckles from everyone except me, Jandro, and Shadow.
Then again, I didn't know if Shadow could laugh even if he was given step-by-step instructions.
"Motherfucker," Jandro slapped his palms down on the table and rose to his feet just as Reaper came through the doorway with Hades at his side.
"Sorry I'm late. Swung by the kitchen for a bite to eat."
The smirk he wore as he took his seat at the head of the table was more than telling. An exchanged glance with Jandro told me he was thinking the exact same thing.
"Close the doors. Church is in session." Reaper struck the gavel on the wooden table once before setting it down to rub his forehead. "We've got a lot to unpack here, boys. Let's start at the beginning. Jandro?"
"We arrived roughly two-and-a-half days ago," the vice president recounted. "Gunner, Reaper and I went in with an offering of ceramic-tipped arrows in exchange for three days’ stay and the hopes of a future business relationship."
"How did Fischlin receive us, in your opinion?"
"As expected," Jandro shrugged. "He seemed surprised by our visit, and not pleasantly so. But he came around after seeing what we offered and the deal went smoothly."
"Gunner?" Reaper turned to face me. "Would you agree with that assessment?"
"I would, President. It wasn't until we stayed a full day that I noticed Fischlin's guards keeping an especially close eye on us. And they were already utilizing the arrows we gave."
"I went up to the lounge to smoke after Jandro and I went for a ride that morning," Reaper continued. "One of the kitchen girls fetched me saying Fischlin wanted to discuss something right then. On my way over there, the explosion knocked Hades and me into the ravine."
"We heard it and sent Mariposa over the wall before they swarmed in on us," Jandro picked up where he left off. "At the pool we had no weapons, so we surrendered and allowed them to lock us up. We remained there until Shadow let us out."
"Shadow," Reaper addressed the large, silent man to Jandro's right. "Where were you while this was happening?"
The whole table fell silent. Shadow's jaw ticked as his dark eye slid over to Jandro, who gave him a nudge and an encouraging nod. The big guy didn't like to talk, especially at the church table, so we waited patiently for his piece.
"I was in my room when I heard the explosion," Shadow began. "I waited there while they captured the rest of you—"
"Yeah, thanks for the help," Big G interrupted to scoff at him. "Hiding out while they rounded up your brothers and took us prisoner."
"Hey," Jandro snapped. "Unless you've got something useful to say, keep your fuckin' mouth shut."
"Both of you shut the fuck up," Reaper pounded the table with his gavel before nodding at Shadow. "Go on."
