Page 86 of Reaper Flame

“Why didn’t you tell me who you were working with?” I asked Zander. “You could have slipped it into conversation, or were you planning on keeping me in the dark? Like you did last time.”

Zander flinched.

“That was upon my request,” the Blackbird answered. “After Hiram’s re-programming, I had to be certain you were on the right side before exposing myself. You made your intentions perfectly clear the last time I saw you.”

“So, you waited to see whether everyone came back off the boat?”

The Blackbird shrugged. “If you wanted to kill them, I knew everyone wouldn’t be sailing back.”

“What’s the plan now?” I said. “That’s why you’re here, right? To tell us what we’re gonna do next?”

“You’ve never been patient, Kitty.” The Blackbird talked down to me like a toddler. “It’s something Hiram always liked about you: your volatility, but it’s also your biggest weakness. There are people in Hiram’s ranks who feel the same way I do, but change takes time. You can’t knock down a tower of cards from the top, you have to disrupt the foundations first.”

My preferred approach would involve sticking dynamite underneath his whole rotten empire and blowing it up, but the Blackbird lived cautiously. He was a snake, lying in wait and readying to strike at the opportune moment.

“And you expect us to do nothing in the meantime?” Rocky wrapped his arm around my waist, sensing my rising fury. “If we do nothing, we’ll die anyway!”

“Dethroning Hiram is part of a collective movement,” the Blackbird said. His words sounded like the same bullshit you’d hear in a presidential debate. “You won’t be able to do it without my help. If you move too soon, you’ll fail. The timing has to be right.”

How long would it be until they came to burn us to ashes while we slept?

“I don’t like this as much as you do, C,” Rocky whispered. “But he’s the best chance we have.”

Did Rocky have a point? While I didn’t trust the Blackbird, he would never do anything to put his neck on the line. If the Blackbird sensed Hiram was starting to crumble, he’d have already latched onto a potential replacement. He’d be all over them like a bloodhound, especially if it meant benefiting himself.

I narrowed my eyes at the Blackbird, wishing my stare would turn him into a mushy pile of goop that I could ditch in a dumpster. “How do we know that you’re not double-crossing us?”

“You don’t,” the Blackbird replied. “But if I’m telling the truth and on your side, my coming here should tell you everything you need to know about how serious I am.”

The Blackbird stood up and brushed down his suit, which didn’t help with the creases. Had he never heard of an iron? If we killed Hiram and he was true to his word, I might have to treat him to one.

“I’ll be in touch soon,” Zander said briskly.

“Good to do business with you,” the Blackbird gushed in an almost simpering voice, then nodded at me and muttered sarcastically, “It’s always a pleasure, Kitten.”

“Easy, Pinkie...” West murmured as the Blackbird left unharmed and breathing, contrary to all the images swimming through my head.

Grudgingly, I had to concede that the Blackbird had a point. As much as I hated relying on anyone else, I was no amateur. We were fools to think we could take Hiram down alone, and having an ally on the inside would help. But, even if the Sevens may actually have a shot at this, I wouldn’t allow myself to hope. The Blackbird may be gone, but I wasn’t finished with Zander yet.

“I need to speak to Zander,” I said, crossing my arms. “Alone.”

“Good luck, man!” Rocky clapped him on the back. “I’ll call the clean-up crew if we don’t see you in an hour.”

“Do it,” I said, then smiled sweetly. “But there might be nothing left of him by then.”

West smirked. “Damn, our girl’s good.”

They closed the door behind them and left us alone.

“Well?” Zander asked. He sat on the edge of his desk, so I didn’t have to strain my neck to stare into his eyes. They sparkled, sensing a challenge. “Give me your worst.”

“You should have told me,” I replied. “If you’ve been talking to the Blackbird for months, how has it never crossed your mind to mention it to me?”

Whenever it felt like we were finally making progress with building trust, something else happened to set us back.

“We had an agreement.”

“Didn’t you think I had a right to know the full story about how you managed to pull off my great escape?”

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