Page 99 of Martyr
But checking seems like bursting this quiet bubble, and I hesitate.
It chimes again, which is probably not very Tem-like, at all. I’m not actually sure Artemis knows where her phone is.
I groan and flip my phone screen-up, tapping to wake it up.
Ouranos.
My eyes open, my body waking up. “Fuck.”
I shove myself up and swing my legs over the edge of the bed. Saint’s hand falls away, but I ignore him to hunt for my underwear and jeans. I slide them on, then my shoes, and fumble for a shirt.
Pretty sure it’s Saint’s shirt, but whatever.
“It’s not Tem,” I say. “I’ll be back.”
Phone in hand, I hastily exit her apartment and jog upstairs. I pass her office, then Antonio’s, and am in the kitchen when my phone starts trilling with an incoming call.
I slip out into the open rooftop bar and answer it.
“Your message was received loud and clear,” Ouranos says without preamble. His voice is deep, but he doesn’t sound annoyed, exactly. “My Cyclopes were discovered outside of Bow & Arrow, which I assume you’ve taken over.”
I cock my head. Why isn’t he mentioning the seven cars’ worth of men we killed last night? We did a great job cleaning up the mess, but you’d think he would’ve noticed that many gone.
Well, actually, his Cyclopes never checked in with him. It was always me or Gabriel who they reported to… Would he have been able to reach everyone?
Perhaps this is just a delay. A delightful delay in him receiving information.
“Kade.” His voice shifts into something darker. “Are you going to deny it?”
I straighten. “No, I don’t deny it. We’ve taken over the club… and everything below it.”
He lets out a laugh. “You think you can hold that space? My men are all across the city. I might not want it today, Kade, but Iwillbe coming for Terror.”
He really doesn’t know.
A thrill goes through me, but I’m not about to be the one to reveal it. I’ll let that honor go to someone more deserving. Artemis, perhaps. They haven’t ever come face-to-face, but I think she might relish telling him a chunk of his army was wiped out with one hastily built plan.
“Does this have to do with Artemis or Reese?” He pauses. “Or is it Saint Hart? I saw your expression when I mentioned him before.”
Is there a nice way of sayingall three?
He sighs. “Oh, Kade. You’ve always had an issue leading from your heart instead of your brain.”
“I—”
“Here’s the deal,” he continues as if I hadn’t tried to speak. “I don’t really give a shit about you. Your leadership skills were good in Emerald Cove, but I’m looking for a bit more. Who Idowant is Gabriel. So, you tell me where he is, and I won’t send every single fucking person under my command to North Falls and burn the whole club to the ground.”
There it is: the reason for the call. He knows I’m not on his side, but he still thinks he can get another ounce of information from me.
Gabriel and I are connected through Lyssa. That’s been the one thread keeping us connected. She’s awake, and the guy who calls me his brother has no fucking idea. She’s hidden under adifferent name, relearning how to live again. To use her muscles. To walk. To eat solid food.
She’ll be okay. My dear sister is going to live.
Will Gabriel?
I thought I could trust him, but he attacked Saint…
“He’s no longer with us,” I say evenly. “But I’m pretty sure I know where he is.”
