Page 80 of Powerless
She smiled in a way that made her eyes close slightly at the far corners as she gave me a small wave.
"See you around, Shadow."
"I'll see you, Mariposa."
Twenty-Nine
GUNNER
Ibore down harder on the accelerator, pushing my bike to its limit.
The wind whipped past me so fast, it felt like fingers clawing at my face. And I still wasn’t going fast enough.
Horus nagged at the back of my brain just as I was leaving Uncle Jerry’s. My consciousness slipped into his body just in time to see his talons dig into the neck of someone I didn’t know.
The rider screamed, clutching at his neck as blood spurted out while trying to bat at my falcon with the other hand. Horus flew away, the rider’s jugular already severed, and gave me a bird’s-eye view of the mayhem.
There was Sheol, our home. And a battle waging just outside our gate.
Tash, you piece of shit motherfucker. Wait, where’s Mariposa?
Horus flew over the battlefield, soaring high but showing me every detail. Shadow stood in his seat, firing two guns at bikers coming straight toward him. Reaper was on someone else’s bike, not his own, Hades running alongside.
My worry spiked as the one person I was looking for didn’t appear. All the bikes kicked up shit tons of dust and even with Horus’s eyes, visibility was shit.
Come on, baby girl. Where are you?
There!
I didn’t see her at first because Jandro sat her in front of him—smart man.
A shot hit him in the shoulder and he jerked forward. Mari went to put pressure on his wound and he yelled something at her, probably to keep her hands hidden.
That was two days ago. I’d been riding all day and night, stopping only for piss breaks and to refuel, but I was still too fucking far away.
I’d seen through Horus since then, and everyone seemed okay. But it was wrong for me to not be there. Especially after finding out where Uncle Jerry’s true loyalties were—wherever he would benefit the most.
I thought I could play the family card on him, even though I didn’t give a shit about it. He harped about it ever since I was kid.Take pride in your family name, Gunner. You’re a Youngblood, one of the last truly powerful American families. No matter what happens, you’ll always have your family.
I always knew it was a crock of shit, but he harped on it so much I thought he actually believed it. But now I had to be the bearer of bad news to Reaper—my trump card got us a steaming pile of nothing.
The night grew darker and I switched on my headlight. Any minute now, I should be able to see the Steel Demons flag calling me home.
I wondered how much had changed in the time I’d been gone, if anything.
Who are you kidding, Gun? You’re just wondering if Mari missed you. And if she still wants swim lessons.
My light picked up small bits of debris strewn in the sand, which I carefully swerved and maneuvered around. This must have been where the battle hit. The big pieces must have all been cleaned up, though, which probably meant plenty of work for Jandro.
The sky was turning deep purple and navy blue, allowing me to barely make out the black flag high above the gate. I felt more of a sense of comfort and longing for my home here among these “thugs” than I ever did at any of my family’s mansions. This was my real home.
As I drove closer, I pulled out a rifle strapped to my back in preparation for the gate signal. But something caught my eye.
Around the side of the wall, I saw a figure with a motorcycle standing in the darkness alone.
Curious, I veered off in that direction. There was nothing around Sheol for miles, and no reason for anyone to be outside the gate by themselves. It was probably nothing, but my captain of the guard instincts kicked in and I followed the urge to investigate.
I drove up slowly. They’d hear my engine at any moment now, so it wasn’t like I was sneaking up on anyone. As I got closer I saw another person, this one standing with their back to the wall, apparently talking to the person on the bike. It was too dark to make out faces, but my gut screamed at me that something was fishy.
