Page 37 of Hades

“You okay?” Colt asks as he sits down.

“I’m fine.”

“Did you hear that the guys from your old club are on their way? Or a couple of them are,” Wrath asks as he sits down.

“Can you keep your mouth shut for five minutes?” Reaper asks him as my heart races.

I woke up this morning to a text from Mav saying that he and Rebel are on their way. That more brothers would follow. My stomach tightens at the thought of facing them.

For the first time in years, I’ll get to see men that I considered my brothers, that I still consider brothers, but ones I know don’t feel the same way. Mav’s been solid, checking in when he can, but it’s not the same, and rightfully so.

Still, it’s going to be weird to see them.

Reaper bangs the gavel, pulling me out of my thoughts.

“Everyone ready?” he asks, making the brothers nod.

“Let’s jump right in. Two men from the Chicago chapter are on their way and will be in the area tomorrow. Elle, Midnight’s tattoo artist, has agreed to give them temp housing in her apartment building. Wrath and Colt confirmed that her building sits on top of some of the tunnels that run through the city. There is direct access in the basement, and that’s how we will enter to meet them. That way the men are never seen with us,” Reaper says.

“Do we need to worry about the tunnels flooding?” Kicks asks.

Wrath shakes his head. “This time of year we should be good, but depending on how long this lasts, it might become an issue. If that time comes, though, we will figure it out then.”

“And Elle is cool with it?” Pinky asks.

Midnight chuckles. “Yeah, she’s good with it. She’s happy to have tenants that she knows will pay on time and not destroy the place.”

“Now that we have that out of the way, Trigger, what can you tell us?” Reaper asks.

Trigger steeples his hands in front of him. “Mav passed the interview process and has officially gotten an offer to work for Dansworth. Hopefully it won’t take long for him to get in. Rebel has been hired to work at the mayor’s home. He’s supposed to be doing landscaping.”

“We have the guy coming all the way from Chicago to do landscaping? That doesn’t seem like the smartest move,” Pinky says.

Trigger shakes his head. “It makes sense when Dansworth has been known to have private conversations outside of his home. Apparently he likes sitting in the pool when he’s on the phone. Thinks the staff inside won’t overhear but often forgets that there are others who are paying attention.”

Pinky holds up his hands in surrender.

“Did you find anything on the missing patient?” I ask, looking at Trigger.

His jaw clenches as he shakes his head. “No, but I’ll find her.”

“What about Pembrooke? Find anything on him?” I press.

“Way to change the subject,” Honk mutters.

Reaper raises his hand. “It’s fine, Honk. Besides, these are things I want to know as well.”

Trigger adjusts his glasses. “Pembrooke is a little too squeaky clean. His student loans were paid off in large amounts that don’t match up with his salary. His emails, which I was able to access because of Evelyn and Hades, are filled with medical bullshit and a few personal ones here and there. There are some emails that don’t make sense that I’m looking at further.”

“What, like AI bullshit?” Colt asks.

“No, nothing like that. They read fine, but for some reason they stand out. I’m running them through code breakers to see if there are any hidden messages. As of right now though, he just looks like a creep who’s interested in a beautiful, intelligent woman.”

My stomach squeezes at his description of Evelyn. He’s not wrong, but I don’t like hearing him talk about how she looks.

I know I shouldn’t care, but I’m not naive enough to think that there aren’t feelings developing here. I know I care about her just like I know I need to keep those feelings in check. She doesn’t need me perving on her too.

“I’ll keep looking, though,” Trigger adds.