Page 13 of Dead End

What kind of good deed took place in a warehouse?

Another explosion shook the dirt from the rooftops. I bolted across the courtyard and joined Posy at the door.

“What’s the good deed?”

She adjusted her pink hairband. “I knew you wouldn’t be able to resist. I’m going to destroy Paradise, and I want your help to do it.”

I squinted at her. “Another trick? Really?”

“Listen, sweetie. If I wanted to fool you, it would be a far more elaborate ruse. The truth is that I didn’t get the promotion I wanted. Didn’t even get the office I wanted.”

I didn’t need to ask for the reason; I already knew. “Because you’re a siren.”

“I could’ve delivered heaven itself on a platter and they still would’ve relegated me to the cheap seats. They were never going to value me the way they value someone like you.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. My pain is your gain.”

“I know, but still.”

“Stop that.”

“What?”

She pointed to my face. “That. I don’t want it.”

I touched my cheek. “Good, because I wasn’t offering it.”

“Not your actual face. The look that’s on it. Pity. It makes me feel pathetic.”

“It’s empathy, not sympathy.”

“This is how you lured Aite over to your side, isn’t it? Manipulated her emotions.”

My sigh felt heavy, yet I felt no lighter upon releasing it. “Is it too hard for you to believe that I genuinely care?”

“I tricked you. Got your boyfriend tortured. Gotyoutortured during Lucifer’s trials. Why in Zeus’s name would you care about me?”

“Because nobody deserves to be treated as less than. As other. You can’t help being born a siren any more than I can help being born a goddess.”

“You have such a bleeding heart; I’m surprised you don’t leave a trail of red wherever you go.”

“What’s in the warehouse?”

“My revenge dish that I intend to serve icy cold.”

“There are a lot of employees here and not all of them deserve your wrath.” Libitina, Kami, Nabu… No doubt there were countless others.

“I’m not interested in them. I want to take out the leadership. If I can kill Bossu, my odds of success increase exponentially.” Her smile was sharp. “Payback is a bitch called Posy.”

“I don’t think I’ve met him.”

“You can’t miss him. Three horns. Head like a bull. According to my intel, he’s the driving force behind the Board of Directors. I take him out and I’ll create a power vacuum.”

“A power vacuum that you’ll happily step into, I presume.”

“Oh, please. The gods have proven they’ll never answer to a siren. My only desire now is to destroy what they’ve built. Take advantage of Apep’s invasion and cause as much chaos as possible.”

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