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“We did do things quietly,” Brayden protested. “It’s not my fault that some random person decided to play hero. She even said she was an assassin, as if any mere assassin would be a match for Reapers like us. Can you believe that?”
He laughed, and the rest of his crew joined in with his hearty chuckles. Anger surged through my body, and my hands clenched into fists again.
Winifred kept glaring at Brayden, not at all amused. “Well, I don’t care who she is, little brother. Only that you messed up—again.”
Little brother? I glanced back and forth between Winifred and Brayden. Same blond hair, same dark brown eyes, same straight nose and pointed chin. The resemblance between them was obvious, and I mentally kicked myself for not seeing it before.
The Protectorate had compiled a detailed file on Brayden Vitales, just as they did on all known Reapers, and I remembered one of the documents mentioning that he had an older sister, an Amazon, with the same sort of amazing speed that he had, although I hadn’t thought much of it at the time. But of course, his sister would be just as evil as he was, and apparently, she was the brains behind the Dolos Crew, its actual leader. Smart of Winifred to let her brother be the front man and thus the focus of the Protectorate investigation, while she stayed safely hidden in the background.
Brayden waved off his sister’s harsh words. “I didn’t mess up anything. Yeah, we had someone try to play hero, but she’s dead now. Problem solved.”
Winifred shook her head in exasperation. “Problem solved? Please. I had to swoop in and clean up your mess, just like I always do. Why, you wouldn’t have even realized that the Protectorate had found your little mountain cabin if I hadn’t set up those security cameras in the woods. You’d all be twiddling your thumbs in Protectorate custody right now if I hadn’t gotten an alert on my phone and warned you to leave the artifacts behind and get out.”
At her sharp, chiding tone, the other three Reapers dropped their heads and shifted on their feet, but Brayden huffed and rolled his eyes.
“And I have thanked you for that, numerous times,” he snapped. “Now, let’s get what we came here for. Agreed?”
Winifred shot him another angry look. The two of them might be brother and sister, but there was little love lost there. Yeah, I was totally Team Winifred, and I would have gotten tired of keeping Brayden from screwing up too.
“Fine,” Winifred muttered. “I’ve searched the depot. There’s nowhere to hide the artifacts in here, so she must have stashed them on the train. Let’s go. Quietly this time. We can’t afford any more mistakes.”
Brayden rolled his eyes again, but Winifred ignored him and waved her gun at me. “Get your bag, Champion. Now.”
I didn’t have a choice. She could easily shoot me before I managed to get my hands on Vic. So I slowly leaned down, grabbed my messenger bag from the floor, and hoisted the strap onto my right shoulder. The bottom of the bag bumped against my hip, along with the box inside that contained Minerva’s Dagger.
It was only a matter of time before the Reapers searched my bag and found the weapon and Winifred figured out that the other artifacts were stored in the train’s baggage car. I had to figure out a way to escape before the Reapers realized that I was utterly expendable, or Gin would have died for nothing.
“We’re going to get on the train, and you’re going to tell us exactly where the rest of the artifacts are,” Brayden said. “And if you’re still feeling a little reluctant, well, just look at your new friend lying on the floor.”
He gestured over at Gin, and my heart squeezed tight again. She’d been so strong, so calm, so confident in herself and her skills. Had she really been an assassin? I would probably never find out.
I frowned. Wait a second. The last time I’d looked at Gin, I could have sworn that her right hand had been flat on the floor. But now her fingers were curled inward, almost like she was hiding something in her palm, although I didn’t know what, if anything, that meant. Winifred had shot her in the chest, and not even a Spartan like Logan could survive something like that.
“You two, stay behind and get rid of the body,” Winifred ordered, pointing at the two men. “Dump our would-be heroine in the woods at the edge of the depot, then get on the train. With any luck, the animals will come and pick her bones clean. I’ve heard rumors that there are some wild Fenrir wolves in the area. Maybe even some Nemean prowlers too.”
I shuddered at the thought of the oversize wolves and panther-like prowlers tearing into Gin’s body, but there was nothing I could do to stop the Reapers.
The two men nodded and slid their swords back into the scabbards on their belts, but Brayden brandished his blade at me again.
“Let’s go,” he growled.
I managed one more guilty glance down at Gin, who was still lying on the floor, before he shoved me forward and forced me out of the storage area.
We marched down the corridor back toward the main part of the depot. Brayden and the female Reaper sheathed their swords and stored the weapons under their long black overcoats. Winifred also shoved her gun into her pants pocket, hiding it from sight.
We quickly reached the lobby. The luncheon was over, and folks were heading outside to the wooden platform that lined the back of the station.
Brayden clamped his hand around my upper arm. “Come along quietly, and don’t make a fuss,” he warned. “Or we’ll start killing the passengers.”
His eyes gleamed, and a cruel, sadistic grin creased his face. “Actually, make a fuss if you want to, Gwen. I wouldn’t mind cutting down a few mortals. Staying off the grid and planning heists is pretty boring. It’s been a long time since I’ve had any real practice—or fun—with my sword.”
I glared at Brayden, who just cackled in return.
Once again, I didn’t have a choice, so I let him steer me past the stragglers, who were all still cluelessly talking, laughing, and taking photos with their phones. Brayden gestured for me to open one of the glass doors, and we stepped outside, crossed the wooden platform, and boarded the train. Winifred and the female Reaper followed us.
“I have to keep up appearances as the conductor,” Winifred said in a low voice. “Brayden, you stay with Gwen in here. Rosie, you keep an eye on them, and make sure the girl doesn’t try to bolt or warn the other passengers what’s going on.”
Rosie, the other Reaper, nodded and dropped into a nearby seat.
