The week passes without incident. I fall into a routine with Dorian; breakfast together, classes, then back to the House of Horrors. OnThursday night, we officially get the keys to the apartment he rented, but decide to hold off on moving in for a couple weeks. I’m not quite as opposed to living in his house as I once was; not now that Connor seems to tolerate me.
Seamus disappears every night for a booty call, and I keep the growing suspicion that he’s hooking up with Valerie to myself. On Friday, I have another girl’s night; Seamus and Dorian once again crash it, while Connor bows out. The tension between Val and Seamus is palpable and electric, but they don’t make any moves to act on it. Seamus spends long stretches of time just staring at Val, but she seems content to ignore him altogether.
On Sunday, the first day of November, we have a house meeting. Dorian, Seamus and I all take seats in the living room and talk strategy for the showdown that’ll take place in my hometown. Dorian and I have domain over the couch, while Connor and Seamus take their positions on armchairs.
“It’ll be tough,” Seamus says, resting his chin on his hands. “It’s not on our territory, which puts us at an instant disadvantage.”
“We can overcome that with enough firepower,” Dorian murmurs, wrapping his arm around my waist and pulling me onto his lap. I go willingly, relaxing against his chest. “We have training, discipline, and loyalty that doesn’t just hinge on money.”
“Sergei’s bringing five men,” Connor grunts. “That puts us at nine fighters.”
“Ten with Mira,” Seamus says, gazing at me. “You know how to handle your guns, love. If you’re at the meet, we’ll want you armed and armored, ready to attack or defend.”
“Don’t tell her what to do,” Dorian snaps. He kisses the shell of my ear. “If you want, you can sit it out. Pretend to be sick. You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to, baby.”
“I want to help,” I say firmly. “I want Clyde and Carver dead.”
“Never knew you were so bloodthirsty,” Seamus says with a grin.
I raise my eyebrows, giving him a droll look. “I’m not a mean person, but I can be vengeful. Clyde and Carver are the reasons my mother is dead. They’re the reasons I have scars that will never go away, on my skin and in my soul. If you don’t think I want them dead, you’re crazy. I’ll pull the trigger without losing a moment’s sleep.”
Seamus whistles. “Well. With that sort of endorsement, you’ll certainly be useful.”
“Not if you’re acting out of anger or vengeance,” Connor says seriously, leaning forward and pinning me with a hard gaze. “If your approach is emotional, then it’ll be volatile. If you’re volatile, you become a liability. If you become a fucking liability, you can make mistakes that get us all killed—”
“Give me a little credit,” I cut him off. “I know how to control my emotions. I think I’ve already proven that.”
Connor examines me with drawn brows for several moments before giving a nod. “Fine. You can come.”
“Thank you, oh benevolent overlord,” I say drily. “I wasn’t asking for your permission, jerk.”
Seamus and Dorian chuckle; Connor shoots me a glare, but his gaze is devoid of any genuine rancor or anger.
“Sergei did say that he has a problem with sneaking sufficient firepower into the states,” Dorian says. “We can only take so many weapons; we onlyhaveso many weapons, and getting each one into Pennsylvania means shelling out cash for copious bribes.”
“There’s gotta be a place we can raid near the town,” Seamus says thoughtfully. “I’m sure there will be gun stores we can rob…”
“That won’t be necessary,” I interject. “I still have one friend in my hometown. He owns a shooting range.” I swallow, feeling an oddmixture of sadness and affection swirl in my chest as I think of the one man who showed me kindness and care when nobody else did. Asher Calder. His love for my mother extended to me in her absence, and he took care of me as best as he could. I was at his range nearly every day after school, sometimes because I simply didn’t want to go home, and he was kind to me. Gave me food, taught me to handle my guns, and gave me basic self-defense lessons.
“The bloke who taught you how to handle your weapons?” Seamus asks.
I nod, recalling the night when I had to tell these guys everything. It was under shitty circumstances, but I’m glad I don’t have to rehash it all now—they already know the relevant details of my past. “His name’s Asher. Asher Calder. If I ask him for help, he’ll give it.”
“How are you sure?” Connor challenges. “You haven’t seen this person in years, I assume. Have you spoken with him? Kept in contact?”
I swallow. “I haven’t, aside from phone calls on my birthday. I know he’ll help because my mother was the love of his life, and he’s wanted to kill the fuckers who led her to a horrible death for years. He just hasn’t had the right opportunity yet. If I talk to him, he’ll help.”I think. No, Iknow. Asher had my back then, and he’ll have my back now.
“Right, then the issue becomes evading detection while we get his help,” Seamus says. “I assume that Carver will have eyes on us the second we step into town.”
“The shooting range is about thirty minutes outside of town, well out of Carver’s jurisdiction,” I say. “It’s a different county. If he even bothers to put people there, I don’t think it’ll be very many.”
“Fine,” Connor nods. “We go two days early, which means we leave Wednesday, and find a motel in driving distance to the range.”
“I’ll take care of getting the guns alongside Mira,” Dorian says. “We can go visit her old friend and mentor together.”
“I’ll tag along,” Seamus offers. “You’re too hotheaded and protective of your girl; you might say the wrong thing. I’ll be there to smooth things over if need be.”
He makes a good point. My man can be a bit over the top when it comes to me; I can barely walk around campus with Dorian without risking him threatening any guy who looks at me twice. Asher has no interest in me romantically; I think he sees me as a daughter figure of sorts. He and my mom had a passionate affair a few years before I was born, and though things didn’t work out for them then, I know they loved each other very much.
