Christian clapped Niko on the shoulder. “Aye. That’s what makes it interesting. Do me a favor: don’t tell Raven we had this conversation.”
Niko tilted his head to the side. “What conversation?”
Chapter 5
One interesting aspect of living with Keystone was watching how the others interacted with humans. My teammates didn’t spend time around them, and aside from Christian and Niko, who had once been human, the rest had likely grown up around their own kind. When you isolate yourself in the Breed world, the rules—or lack thereof—rub off on you.
So Shepherd lighting up a cigarette inside a shoe store was a normal affair for him, but the salesman looked like he was on the verge of a conniption.
“Sir, please don’t make me call security.” The slender man adjusted his wire-rimmed glasses, a vain attempt at signaling who had the authority in this situation.
Shepherd rested his arm over a shelf after putting out the match and dropping it on the floor. “If it’s all the same to you, I’ll finish my smoke. Cigarettes aren’t cheap anymore.”
Shepherd didn’t do things to be deliberately rude, he just didn’t respond to anyone rebuking him for what he perceived as a given right.
As I approached the man, I flicked a glance at his name tag and lowered my voice to make it seem like we were on the same team. “I’ll take care of it, Roger.”
His beady eyes darted between Shepherd and me before he flounced off.
I took the cigarette from Shepherd’s hand and stubbed it out on a Brannock Device used for measuring someone’s shoe size. There wasn’t a trash can or empty cup anywhere around, so I had to improvise. “I’ll buy you a new pack. You need to follow the rules.”
He blew out the smoke he’d been holding in his lungs. “Too many damn rules in these places. A man needs to kick back and relax. Who gives a fuck if I smoke in a shoe store? It smells like cheap rubber in here anyhow.”
“Secondhand smoke causes cancer.”
“To humans.”
“We’re in a mall.”
Shepherd squinted at me. “You think that salesman was human? Think again.”
“Why are you even in here? I thought you guys were in the toy store.”
“Shh.”Shepherd glanced over his shoulder at Hunter, who was sitting on the floor, attempting to lace up a pair of shoes. “I let him run around in there and show me what he liked. Then Viktor stayed behind to buy all that shit with my money. They’re gonna be his birthday presents.”
I furrowed my brow. “I thought Breed didn’t do birthdays?”
“Some do, most don’t. My kid’s never had a party, and he still doesn’t have any toys in his room. A few plastic cars and finger paint isn’t enough. I want him to pick out his own toys. He doesn’t realize you can actually buy this shit and take it home. Patrick never bought him a damn thing.”
“Are the sneakers part of the surprise?”
Shepherd ran his hand over his short brown hair. “Nah. He’s outgrowing his shoes, and I wanted him to pick them out. He’s been trying them on for a half hour, but he’s never had a choice before, so I guess he’s trying to figure out what he likes.” A smile crept up his face. “What did you buy?”
I lifted the two bags in my hands. “You don’t wanna know.”
He chuckled darkly. “Work clothes, huh? Better you than me.”
I noticed Shepherd had on his Sensor gloves. They were a thin, breathable fabric—the same as what Hunter was also wearing. Both pairs black.
“Where is everyone?” I asked.
Shepherd gestured toward the front window. “Wyatt’s in the arcade on the other side. I don’t know about the others.”
I strolled to the open doorway. We were on the second floor, and customers down below were shuffling into a popular clothing store for a half-off sale, lured by the signs in the windows. The arcade across the hall was dark, but I could make out Wyatt’s back. He was standing in front of a machine called Asteroids.
Shepherd whistled with his fingers, and it gave me a start.
Wyatt gave him the finger behind his back.
