Page 62 of Heartless
“And how long will this assignment be?”
“As long as it takes,” Reaper answered flatly. “Until we have enough information to invade Tash and wipe him out. Could be months, could be years.”
“You’re not going.” Jandro cut Slick off from asking another question.
The youngest Demon’s mouth flapped open. “Sir, I’m—”
“You’ve prospected for us long enough for one of Tash’s inner circle to recognize you. Really, that goes for just about everyone rolling with the Demons, whether they have a patch or not.” Jandro nodded his head toward Larkan. “Same for the Sons. Too recognizable.”
“But not their women,” Mari pointed out.
All four of us at the table whipped around at the same time. “You arenotgoing,” Reaper snarled. “It’s completely out of the question.”
“I know.” Mari folded her hands demurely. “Tash’s guards would recognize me from the Sandia outpost.”
“What she says is true, though,” Gunner piped up. “A woman might be our best chance of getting close to Tash and arouse the least suspicion.”
Reaper made a noise of disagreement. “I don’t like it. It’s fucking dangerous.”
“It’ll be just as dangerous for a man,” Gunner replied. “If not more so, because he’ll be more likely to be interrogated the moment he steps foot in the territory.”
“I’ll do it.”
Everyone’s heads swiveled to the woman who spoke. Andrea, Dallas’s widow, stepped forward, her face a calm, blank mask.
“Drea, no.” Behind her, Tessa’s face was white as a sheet, her arms holding her infant daughter starting to tremble.
“Andrea.” Reaper’s voice was heavy as he addressed her. “Not you. Tessa’s right.”
“You’re both wrong,” the woman retorted. “None of Tash’s people have ever seen my face. I can charm his soldiers and make them tell me their secrets. It was what I did before Dallas and I got together. I’m the best person to do this, president.”
“Your children need you,” Reaper argued. “You’re all they have left. It’s not right for their mother to just leave them for months, if not longer. And that’sifwe get you back after this is over.”
“They’re big enough to get by without me, and to remember me if I don’t return. The Steel Demons will look after them.” Andrea remained tight-lipped, insistent. “Or did you forget that this club is a family, Reaper?”
A few beats of silence fell over the room, no one daring to interfere.
“No, I haven’t forgotten,” Reaper answered. “But they just lost their father, Drea. To lose their mother right after—”
“AndIlost my husband,” she cut him off. “One of your best, and the love of my life. He wouldneverbe hanging back, never have a second thought about hitting Tash where it hurt. If you called for battle, he’d be leading the charge.”
“I know.” Reaper closed his eyes, his shoulders sinking with the weight of Dallas’s death. “I know, Drea.”
“He wouldn’t want me to hang back either,” she added. “To sit here waiting for news, when I could be doing something for the good of all of us. When I’m theonlyone who can.”
“There could still be someone else,” Reaper protested.
“There isn’t. All of your men will be recognized. The other women either don’t have the skills I do, or their children are too young. I’m prepared, and I—” Her voice shook for a moment before she steeled herself with a breath. “I’m ready to avenge my husband.”
Reaper didn’t respond, the silence stretching on long and uncomfortably. Finally, he sighed and touched the handle on his gavel. “Are there any objections to Andrea carrying out the mission?”
Noelle and Tessa each held one of Andrea’s hands, their faces twisted up in grimaces as they tried not to cry. The men in the room looked worried, some of them shaking their heads, but no one spoke up to object. Even Governor Vance and General Bray just observed the room silently.
As the seconds ticked by with no objections, Reaper lifted the gavel and brought it down with a firm crack on the table. “You honor us, Andrea,” he said solemnly. “You honor your husband and your whole Steel Demons family.”
The woman nodded sharply and stepped back into the crowd. “Just tell me when to go.”
Reaper nodded, folding his fingers on the tabletop. “That brings us to the next step in our plan—getting you inside. At least one person should go with you, to ensure you get to the border with no issue and report back that you got safely inside. After that, you’re on your own.”
