Page 34 of Hell on Wheels

“It’s not surprising you two are having trouble. I mean, every one of youexceptme has wings. They’re all different and worldly differently when you take off. But doing with a machine versus your body has to be fucking strange.” The lion shifter shrugs and as his words hit me, I realize why I haven’t been able to master the damn simulator well enough to try the real thing.

“Archer Levi Glaser, you’re agenius!” He blinks and I beam excitedly. “I’m trying to fly likeI’mtrying to fly. I couldkissyou!”

His eyes widen. “Uh, no thanks, bro. You’re hot and all, but I’m just not that into you.”

This time Damon chokes on his drink and the rest of us laugh. I’ve missed having time with them that isn’t filled with strategic race planning or hushed discussion about our research about the assassins. Every time Rogue left to come to practice for thismatch, we pulled out all the shit we’ve found so far and divided up the next tasks in our covert investigations.

“We didn’t know your door could swing in that direction, buddy.” Angelo holds his fist out for my best friend to bump and Archie blushes as he knocks knuckles with him.

“Maybe someone pointed some things out. I dunno.”

Javi arches a brow as he looks at me. The Gemini have always been an entity of their own, but they’ve been weirdly friendly with our laid-back shifter. It bears further consideration, but before I can ask, a screech echoes in the arena. One of the blockers on the Mollies has Drusilla by her long braid, using an illegal hold to keep her from protecting our girl’s flank.

Now a purple-haired chick is heading for my stepsister with murder in her eyes. It must be their jammer, but the look on her face looks more intense than regular competitive rage. I watch my sister pick up speed, heading for the pivot line like a Fae possessed. She’s not using any enhancements, just her adrenaline, and she might make it.

A flash of silver catches my eye, but before I can say anything to my sister, she whirls around. Skating backwards towards her goal, she keeps her eyes on the would-be contract killer. The girl has no idea how to take that—humans are so ridiculously cowardly that the upfront confrontations of the supe world shock the shit out of them.

“She’s got a weapon, ref!” Archie’s shout surprises me.

I don’t think he’s doubting my showboating sister; he seems more concerned about getting the knife-wielding bitch off the track. “Rogue is healed, dude. She can handle herself on the track without us.”

He snorts. “Of course she can. I want the entire team tossed before another one of them mysteriously ‘finds’ their blade.”

“Uh, okay.” I toss back another gulp of Javi’s magic mix and scan the crowd on the other side of the arena. Mina’s not there, but there are a couple of familiar faces—second stringers from the Sickos. “SC sent their backups to watch. That one girl is pretending to be bored, but she’s recording with her phone.”

“On it,” the Geminis grunt.

A loud yelp precedes the dark-haired lackey jumping up from the bleachers. Her fit unseats the small yappy dog in her lap and when I squint closely, I can spot the tiny flicker of hellfire on her hands.

Ouch. They mean business.

“You aren’t usually so… obvious.” I raise my brow and jerk my head at the girl as she rushes out the doors with the terrier on her heels.

“Dad always says if your enemies can disrespect you to your face, your power isn’t what you think it is. Mina and her bumbling fools have to know Rogue is living with us.” Angelo looks over at the derby girls with a stony glare. “Which makes every act of defiance an affront to the Gemini organization.”

Damon shrugs. “Luca would lose the plot if we didn’t teach them a lesson.”

“You guys never cared about that shit before,” Javi observes. “In fact, I remember you suggesting that it was someone else’s problem until you take the helm.”

Good point.

Angelo stands as the match ends, noting the Bombers squeaked out a victory without the Mollies forfeiting. “Everyone grows up, Reb. We protect what’s ours.”

“Truth, dude,” Archie says as he rolls to his feet. “Let’s go get Rogue before her girls talk her into some dangerous AF celebration that we’ll have to listen to you two bicker over.”

I groan. “Fuck, I didn’t consider that. If they’re headed to the bar, she’ll insist we take her.”

***

Taking the Jameson from Rogue’s ex-mattress bunny, I survey the crowd. I’m not happy we’re here and I hate that she convinced the others she’d be safe if we all came along. I can see her multi-colored hair shining under the lights where she’s dancing with Anita, Dru, Betsy, and the new girl. The twins are perched on opposite balconies, Javi is camped out at a side table, and Archie is mingling. That should calm my nerves, but it doesn’t.

Sheshouldhave been safe the last time we were here.

The crowd is full of regulars and fans of the Bombers. When they play supe teams, it’s a good mix, but humans aren’t invited to the barbecue. No one told the Mollies or their cheering section where the afterparty was being held. It’s one thing to compete against them in the league and quite another to have to keep our true selves hidden while we party.

At least I’m not worried about the purple-haired bitch with the knife showing up.

Rogue is still wearing her skates, as are the rest of them. That’s another tradition she brought to the table when she took over. They celebrate as a team and they don’t change. Winnie had to replace the floors in a remodel to accommodate the derby teams or she would have lost all of their post-match business. The five girls are spinning and taking shots as they show off fancy moves they can’t do during matches, as the crowd cheers.

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