Page 138 of Fallen Omega

Because Reaper’s shouting at us. It’s so loud it shuts me down flat.

Yet he hasn’t uttered a word. Not really.

He stands there, still. Then he shifts his gaze from Dante to me. And when we listen to that silent noise, he studies his unlit cigarette.

“The job went well, mission accomplished. Message received by those who needed to hear it. I also won back the money.” He pauses. “It was very high stakes.”

“You play poker?” I ask.

Dante looks at the heavens. “He’s one of the best. Rarely plays.”

“After the game and the job, I sent Julien home with the winnings. It’ll be in the safe. Then I went to an after-hours titty bar.”

“Thanks for sharing your quirks, but?—”

Again, I shut up. He doesn’t look at me this time.

“You learn things at those kinds of places. People also come to talk. Drinks are cheap. Ghost’s definitely back in town.”

There’s a beat.

“Way to bury the lede,” I say, picking up the rum and sloshing a little more in my glass.

“You sure?” asks Dante.

Reaper nods, just a slight movement of his head. “I saw him.”

I’m so intrigued and uneasy I pick up my glass and put it down, forgetting to take a sip. “What did he say?”

“Nothing. We didn’t speak.”

“Did he see you?” Dante asks.

There’s something in his tone that makes me sober up a little.

Liz—she’s safe. And Ghost doesn’t know about her. Even if he did, why would he care?

“I caught a glimpse. So, yes.”

“Maybe he didn’t know you were there,” I say.

“Ghost is like me. He’s only seen if he wants to be. He chose the name Ghost for a reason. Me seeing him is deliberate. He wants something. Or it’s a warning.” Reaper stops talking.

“Or,” Dante says, “he’s with the Council and after Lizette.”

“A little bit overkill. She’s just one of many omegas,” I say.

Dante snorts. “Youthink she’s special.”

“To us,” I say. “But yeah, it’s weird. I thought he was long gone, and wouldn’t dare step foot in Starlight City again.”

“He does what he wants,” Reaper says. “As for Liz? I don’t see the connection. Yet.”

“We need to work out what he wants. And why. And who for. I’m going to take it as a message for us.” Dante rubs his eyes and sits.

As Reaper picks up the ashtray and the purloined rum, he gives me a questioning look, but I’m not going to join them.

I’m not strategy. They are. I can do it, but my skills lie in other arenas. I like to use my gifts with tech to find secrets, paths, information. Then I can construct my own strategies or take that to the table and sit with them.

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