Page 102 of Hell and High Water

“I was a mercenary for fifteen years, doing jobs for cash drops and shady shit all over the world. So I won’t criticize you guys for doing it, but I didn’t want to do it again.”

“So instead, you became a body disposal guy for a war between a biker gang and a drug cartel,” Evan drawls, a slight curl to his lips.

“Yep. Like I said, no room to talk. Had to make a living somehow. I think I wanted to believe I was flying under the radar by playing both ends against the middle.”

Hellena watches me, her eyes soft, full of tenderness. Not an ounce of judgment. It’s enough to make me want to scoop her up right there, kiss her, and hold her.

I’m a fucking sap.

“Turns out, I was working toward the cause all along, and even more so when Rachelle sent Hellena to me for protection.”

“You think that was all part of the plan?” Hellena ponders, digging into her meal.

“We won’t know until she wakes up.”

A brief moment passes in silence as we eat, enjoying the peace after a heart-pounding morning.

“Well, if we had any question before, this certainly confirms that the Sinful are a bunch of drama queens.” Tell flips his computer screen around, showing us a diagram, a seven-pointed star with a name at each point.

“You’ve got to be kidding me…” I almost snort my beer.

Helena pulls the computer toward her, zooming in to read. “Yep. Hubris, a.k.a. Pride. Ire, a.k.a. Wrath. Spite, a.k.a. Envy. Avarice, a.k.a. Greed. Voracity, a.k.a. Gluttony. Ardor, a.k.a. Lust. Inertia, a.k.a. Sloth.”

“At least they went all in, right?” Tell laughs. “The Seven Deadly Sins running a town. Who’d have thought?”

“I don’t know, I like it. You have to remember when this organization was established, it was almost 300 years ago. This stuff was a lot more a part of everyday life. Fascinating. Terrifying, even. Ancient texts and lore were taken a lot more seriously. They have apocalyptic references all through their old files.”

“What, like they were creating a town as a safeguard against the end of the world?’

“They thought they were preserving humanity. Their people, anyway. Regardless, this town was built here for a very specific reason. I just haven’t figured out what it is yet.”

Cracking open another beer, I let my thoughts wander, musing at the possibilities. “I mean, the land’s premium. It's hidden. It's a perfect place to hole up. It's almost impossible to invade.”

“Apparently, not for Marco and his men,” Hell snips.

“Someone clearly let them in.” Evan flicks a gaze at Tell.

“Don’t put my dad’s idiot choices on me,” he argues, putting his hands up.

“If we needed to lock down the town, it wouldn’t take much, though. Only a few ways in or out. Might play in our favor if we can get some people on our side.” I realize what I’m saying as the words leave my mouth.

A fight. That’s what this is, whether we like it or not.

We just haven’t faced the facts of it yet.

“Let’s leave that daunting little fact for another day, huh? What else do we have, aside from a list of codenames and money trails?” Hell sighs, running her fingers through her hair. It’s distracting. The scent, the curling locks draping down her back.

“They have to have some hierarchy or roles in the town. Some sort of coordination.”

“Tell and I were just talking about that the other day. What each of the members oversaw. Not to mention, the choice of wording. They didn’t call themselves the traditional titles or the sins. I think that serves a purpose.”

“And the fact that Rachelle made it sound like my dad was like, more important than the rest of the group, or the final word on decisions. Sounds more or less like the head of the board. Traditionally, the “greatest sin” was always Hubris, Pride. Thank Marco for making us go to mass once a year for that tidbit.”

My hand slides over her shoulder, offering what comfort I can.

“So, was that him? Hubris?” Evan looks intense, with good reason. The implications of Damon calling the shots for Evan make my stomach turn. Like he was setting all of this up somehow.

“No, I don’t think so. I’m still reading, but I spotted a few references in his journal to Inertia. He mentions it as Acedia, and later on, he even calls it out as his failing, succumbing to “Sloth.” Something about letting his complacence get the better of him.”

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