Page 47 of Heartless
“Smart,” Vance praised, scratching him more boldly before glancing up at me. “Is it true he runs alongside your bike for hundreds of miles?”
“Dobermans are athletic dogs. They have good endurance,” I answered casually before returning my focus to the maps. “Shall we get started?”
“Please.” Vance took his seat next to Josh, folding his hands while he waited for me to begin.
“We’ve decided on three main points that would provide enough cover for scouts around General Tash’s territory.” I pointed to the markers on the map. “Because there’s a lot of flat ground between here and there, we are recommending sending them through these valleys and canyons. It’ll add time to the mission but will prevent them from being seen. T-Bone and Gunner will send their trained birds to assist as well.
“What exactly do these birds do?” Josh peered over his glasses, his hand paused in his note-taking.
“They’ve been trained to give certain signals if they see certain movements or groupings of people,” I said coolly. “We’ll teach all the signals to the scouts.”
“And what about Blakeworth?” Vance’s eyes narrowed at the territory a few hundred miles north.
“It’ll be easier to get into, because their focus is on flashing how rich they are, not military tactics.” My dad took over, stepping up next to me. “They’ll be more alert since Kyrie’s rescue, but our scouts heading there can use the same strategy as the Sons did. It’ll be as simple as dressing like one of their elite and faking documents.”
“You’re sure that’ll work a second time?” Vance sounded skeptical.
“They’ll be checking at every entry-point into the city, but they’re an extremely superficial people,” Dad said with more than a hint of sneer. “As long as our guys look and act entitled enough, they should get away with it. It’s those who appear to be poorer that they’re going to take a closer look at.”
The door opened and I caught a flash of Eduardo’s camo uniform in my peripheral vision. My dad beckoned him over as I continued with the presentation. “Now, we should carry out these missions roughly two weeks apar—”
His life is yours to take.
The once-comfortable room temperature dropped to an icy chill, making every hair on my body stand up. Stunned, I looked at Hades. The dog’s whole body was tensed with alertness, his nose pointed directly at my dad’s young recruit.
The god had awoken.
“What?” I whispered, fear and confusion locking up my limbs.
Reap what has been sown. His life is yours to take.
“Ah, Reaper?” Vance and Josh peered at me, the puzzlement on their faces a clear indication they didn’t feel the cold heaviness of this god’s command. “Are you alright?”
My gaze shifted to Eduardo, the skinny teenager staring back at me blankly.
You will carry out my command,came the voice of Hades.Take his life. Now.
“What the fuck?” I said numbly, fully aware that I appeared to be talking to myself like a maniac. “Him? He’s just a kid—”
You are a human instrument and you do not question me. You obey. Reap. Him. Now.
“He hasn’t even done anything! Why would you—”
Eduardo moved faster than I could blink. I only saw the silver flash of a blade before he buried it in my father’s gut.
My dad wheezed, his breath laced with pain as he clutched his stomach, eyes wide with disbelief.
“No—”
Either from shock or disbelief at what was happening, I moved too slow. And Eduardo, too fast.
Sharp pain sliced through my ribs, blooming out from a central point as the blood spilled over my palm and fingers. Eduardo’s eyes, right in front of mine, were empty, soulless, his face devoid of any emotion as he withdrew the knife from where he had stabbed me.
“Help!” Josh yelled. “Protect the governor! Where is security?”
My knees buckled, head already swimming as I saw Josh scramble over the table to shield the governor from getting stabbed. Eduardo jumped on the conference table, boots stomping over our maps as he walked across the surface and slashed down.
The blade caught across Josh’s forearm as he held it up to shield his face, his cry full of fear. My vision blurred, something solid hitting me, which I realized was the floor. Blood soaked my hands and clothes, staining the floor and filling my nose with the smell of copper. Dad had fallen too, his blurry form leaning against the wall with his hands pressed over his wound.
