Page 54 of Hades

Reaper pinches his brow. “Honk, you can’t keep protecting her. It might help.”

“I can keep helping her because she’s under our protection. Or did you forget that?” Honk spits.

Reaper levels him with a look. “Enough. Remember who you are speaking to. I let a lot of shit slide, but if I make the call, then you have to fucking listen to it. You keep reacting like you think we are going to waterboard her when you know we don’t hurt women. You know that’s not our MO.”

Honk runs his hands over his face, looking like the weight of the world is weighing on him.

“It’s not that I don’t trust you, but she just stopped having nightmares. You didn’t hear her scream herself awake with tears rolling down her face. I’ve seen a lot of shit in my time, but that’s in my top five things of being fucked up. I’ve only felt that powerless a few times in my life. If I can prevent her from taking three steps back in her recovery, I will.”

Pinky frowns. “That doesn’t make sense. I didn’t think he hurt her. Not bad enough to cause that type of reaction.”

Honk holds up his hands. “I’m just telling you what I’ve witnessed.”

“Let’s give Mav some more time and wait for things to start rolling in on Rebel’s front as well. We might get lucky and catch something on the camera that will blow this open without needing to bother Adalyn.” Reaper sighs.

“I gave cameras to Mav as well. As soon as he finds an opening to place one, I’ll turn it on,” Trigger tells the room.

“Knowing Mav, it won’t take him long,” I add.

Reaper picks up his gavel. “If that’s all, let’s call an end to this. Hades, if you don’t mind holding back for a minute.”

No one protests, so Reaper bangs his gavel. He and I stay in our seats while the room clears. Once the door closes, he turns toward me.

“How’s my sister doing? I’ve tried asking her, but she puts on one hell of a front.”

After Dansworth threatened her, I took her to the clubhouse the next morning to tell him everything. That was two days ago. She’s pulled back from the club a bit since, but not me.

She’s still been requesting Jonah join her every night in her bed. I think it shook her up more than she wants anyone to know.

Taking a deep breath, I lean back in my chair.

“She’s strong and resilient. It disturbed the hell out of her, but she’s dealing.”

Reaper’s jaw clenches. “I fucking hate that this is touching her. If I could send her away, I would.”

I shake my head. “We both know that she wouldn’t go, and besides, Dansworth said it himself. It doesn’t matter where she goes, she’s on his radar.”

“I should have killed that fucker when I had the chance,” he mutters.

I keep my mouth shut, even though I agree. How they’d let this slimy fuck slip through their fingers in the past is beyond me, but it’s not my place to judge. We are all capable of doing stupid shit when we have our blinders on and are distracted.

“What’s wrong with you?” Reaper asks, catching me off guard.

“Nothing. Why?”

“Man, don’t fucking lie to me. Something is eating at you, and I want to know what it is. Are you struggling with your old crew being here?”

“No, it’s not that.”

His eyebrows raise. “Did my sister do something? I know she can be a pain in the ass, but typically she keeps her shit together.”

Kissing her flashes through my mind and how right it felt. How I want to do it again and again.

“She didn’t do anything.”

He studies me for a moment. “Is there something going on between the two of you?”

I open my mouth but nothing comes out.