“Nah, I’m not really interested in what you guys have to say. Anyway, I want to go and look around and cause havoc somewhere else,” I tell them, jumping down from the desk. I walk past them both, ignoring them staring each other down. I guess Meredith isn’t only one with a history with Reid.
I open the door leading to the hallway, calling over my shoulder as I exit, “Play nice.”
I just hear Reid telling me he’ll come and find me when they’re done before the door closes behind me.
Chapter 21
Which One of You Am I Shooting?
I walk down the empty corridor, the clicking of my heels the only sound. When I emerge into the entrance hall, like when we arrived, it holds a scattering of people going their own ways. Unlike earlier, I find that there are children amongst the men and women. My mind flashes back to the boy that I let go to Olympus before I left. The device said that he would be going to Hell for gang activity. Did he have anything to do with this one?
I look around, trying to decide where to go. Thinking it would be best to start from the top and work my way down, I amble to the stairs. I take the steps up until they split, wondering which way to take first. Purely because I was standing closer to it, I decide the left side is the wing I am going to be nosy around first.
I don’t see any more steps leading up, so I assume that they will be at the end of the hall. I start to wander down the hall, listening to the rooms behind the doors, trying to find something interesting and snoop-worthy. I walk past countless people having conversations which don’t pique my fancy until I get to something that does.
Leo, Liam, and Jake are talking quite heatedly on the other side of a door nearing the corridor turning to the right. I pause in my wanderings and listen closer. What can I say? I’ve always been nosy. I always listen into people’s conversations at home; you never know what kind of information you could glean from it. My favorite kind is an argument, and it seems that Jake, Leo, and Liam are debating about something.
“I wonder if that’s what Hunter’s talking to Reid about,” Liam ponders.
“I don’t think so…Hunter would get his balls chopped off and shoved up his ass if he told him,” Leo counters.
I have to hold in a laugh. What would cause Reid to be so angry? I think for a second about compelling them to tell me, but a mixture of doubts about my compulsion working, and it being no fun, makes me push the idea out of my mind.
I now regret not staying behind and seeing what Hunter had to tell Reid. I walk slightly closer to the door involuntarily, wanting to hear more. Unfortunately, they move onto a new topic: yours truly.
“I wonder how little devil and Reid met,” Jake says.
“She told us about meeting Reid after the party, remember?”
“Oh yeah.”
“Did you see her face when Reid said about her being his girlfriend?” Liam asks.
“Yeah, she looked as if it was new to her as well,” Leo answers. I must have not been quick enough to hide the shock. But is that such a bad thing? What they say next confuses me and has me rethinking my last statement. “Do you think?” Leo continues.
“No. Let’s not go there,” Liam says, putting an end to that conversation.
I sigh when they move onto something more boring. It was more interesting when they were talking about Hunter and Reid. I turn, deciding to see if I can catch the end of Reid and Hunter’s conversation when the door that I was just listening at opens. I jump down the corridor, landing ungracefully on my heels. My hands fly out and press against the walls, holding myself up.
“Little devil?” Jake asks, mirth in his tone.
I straighten up and turn, giving them an innocent smile.
“I was just coming to find you three,” I say, telling them a half-truth. Liam looks unconvinced as he raises an eyebrow.
“Well, here we are,” he says. Leo claps his hands loudly. He strides toward me, taking my arm, and dragging me down the hall after him.
“You are going to come with me. I want to see if you are worthy.”
I shoot him a confused look and then a pleading one to Liam and Jake behind us. They just chuckle.
“I’m not going to miss this,” Jake says, Liam agreeing with him.
“Worthy of what?” I ask.
“Worthy to be Reid’s girlfriend,” he explains as he continues to drag me.
“I’m coming willingly. You don’t need to abduct me,” I tell him, ripping my arm out his grip.
“Aw, and I had the blindfold all ready,” Leo says with a pout, shooting me a wink over his shoulder.
Leo leads our group down the stairs I came up, through the entrance hall, and to a door hiding another set of stairs going down into the basement. We all tread down them, going through the open door at the bottom and into a gym-like area.
Lying in the middle of the room is a mat, where two men are currently fighting. Weight and exercise machines are placed around the edges of the room, interspersed with punching bags. Running along one wall are different types of weapons and training implements.
“What do I have to do show I’m ‘worthy?’” I ask, surveying the room, noting the different things. Whatever they want me to do, I’ll be able to do with ease. My dad, with help from Kyle, has been training me ever since I was able to walk.
“Oh, we’re not using this room,” Leo says as he continues past the men on the mat, who are ducking each other’s swings, and to a door on the other side of the room. He pushes it open, and we enter a long, narrow room only holding a trunk next to the door.
I look around puzzled, finding my answer when I see the four doors flush to the opposite wall, painted the same color as the rest of the wall to disguise them. I listen closely and hear muffled gunshots. You can’t trick a demon with soundproofing. I realize what they want me to do; they’ve brought me to a firing range in their basement.
I raise my eyebrows, extending my hands out from my body.
“Is this it?” I ask, not letting on what I’ve seen or heard. Jake chuckles and shakes his head. Liam opens the trunk next to the door, grabbing four noise-cancelling ear protectors and protective glasses.
“Wow, that makes things so much better,” I say sarcastically as I take the pairs that Liam is holding out for me.
“Right?” Leo agrees, putting his pair of ear protectors on. “Now, we won’t be able to hear each other!”
I snort as Leo pulls them off his ears with a grin.
“I’m sure you’ve worked out what we want you to do,” he says.
I nod. “So, which one of you am I shooting?” I ask, looking at them with a serious look on my face.
“What? No!” Liam says loudly, looking slightly scared. “There are targets behind that wall.” He motions to the wall I noticed when we arrived.
“Oh,” I say, acting disappointed. “You should make that clearer next time. Don’t get a girl’s hopes up like that.”
“It’s meant to be hidden so if anyone were to enter the house and come snooping, say a police officer, they wouldn’t find them,” Liam explains.
“You don’t want them to find the shooting range, but you have weapons on show in that room,” I say incredulously, motioning back to the gym.
“It’s always covered whenever the room’s not being used. There’s a sliding partition,” Liam explains as Jake begins to walk down the room, opening the hidden doors quietly to check if it’s occupied. When he hears gunshots, he closes it and moves onto the next one.
“Have you ever shot a gun before?” Jake asks as he leaves the door to the third open, turning back to me.
“Of course!”
“How stupid of us! Of course, you have!” Leo says, mimicking my tone.
I laugh as I walk past him and to Jake who is holding his gun in his hand, pointing the grip in my direction.
“Come on then, little devil. Show us what you’re made of.”
I take the gun off Jake and enter the shooting range. Like the room holding the secret
entrance, this one is long and narrow. The walls on either side of me are thin, allowing me to hear the others occupying the cubicles. I walk to the counter, resting the gun down on it. I hear Leo, Liam, and Jake enter behind me, and it holds us all comfortably.
As Leo gets the mechanical track to pull in the target paper which has already been shot, I check the gun for bullets. Happy that’s it’s loaded; I slam the magazine back into the gun. I look up and see that Leo has placed a clean target at the end of the space.
“Whenever you’re ready,” he tells me as he steps back behind me.
Placing my ear and eye protectors on, I lift the gun back up. I pull the slide back, loading the gun before flicking the safety off. I lift it up and aim it at the first point marked on the target.
I take a deep breath as I move my feet apart and lift my other hand to hold the gun also. I let it out as I pull the trigger; I watch the bullet making its way to mark, piercing the paper in the middle of the target on the head of the drawing. I move my aim, hitting my mark with each pull of the trigger. Once the cartridge is empty, I push the ear protectors off; I place the gun down and turn to Liam, Leo, and Jake whose jaws are all hanging slack.
“I told you I can shoot a gun,” I tell them, putting one hand on the counter and the other on my hip.
Liam nods in amazement and approval. I smile.
“Okay, little devil, how are you with moving targets?” Jake questions.
I turn back to the counter. “Set it up,” I instruct him. I reach into the box of bullets that one of them placed beside me, refilling the magazine.
“It’ll start in two minutes,” he tells me.
I push the ear protectors back down over my ears and lift the gun again, waiting for the first target to appear.
The first one comes from the right and moves slowly into the space using tracks on the floor. I don’t let it get far as I shoot the picture of the man in the head. As I shoot each one, they begin to get faster, and I’m thankful for my quick reflexes.
As I see the fifth one appearing from the gap in the wall, I feel the air shift and smell that Hunter and Reid have joined us. I feel the heat radiating off Reid as he moves up behind me. I fire off the last bullet, placing the gun down on the counter.
Hands fall to my hips, resting there as I feel a pair of lips touch my neck. I smile; at least my dad didn’t stop Reid from doing that. I turn around in his arms, meeting a pair of piercing blue eyes which are full of admiration. I press my lips together as he leans forward, whispering so only I can hear, “You’re sexy when you’re shooting things.” His lips go to fall onto mine, and before I can pull away, Reid lets out a loud cluck. I groan, silently cursing my dad.
The room stays silent for what feels like an age as they try and work out what just happened. When they finally come to the conclusion that it did actually happen, they all start to laugh loudly. I press my lips together again, trying my best to suppress my laugh which is threatening to bubble up and out of my lips. Tears start to form in my eyes at the suppressed laughter.
“Did something happen that I missed?” Reid asks, looking down at me confused.
I am about to deny that anything happened, but Hunter beats me to it.
“Dude? You were clucking like a fucking chicken,” Hunter says and continues to laugh. I look over Reid’s shoulder, at Hunter. He looks like he still has his balls in the right place; maybe he didn’t tell Reid what his friends thought he would. I look back to Reid who has a furious look on his face.
“No, I was not!” he grits out.
I squeeze Reid in a hug, trying to calm him down.
“So, how did I do? Am I worthy?” I ask, trying to change the subject and get the attention of Reid who looks ready to kill someone.
“Yes. You did better than Leo and Jake,” Liam replies, his laughter dying down now.
Once the laughter has died down completely, the atmosphere in the room starts to get tense. I can feel Reid’s grip is tightening on me, and when I look up at him, I see that he and Hunter are avoiding each other’s gazes, annoyed looks on their faces. Now I really regret not being there for their conversation.
“Who pissed in your cereal?” I ask.
“What the hell are you going on about?” Hunter asks, giving me a weird look.
“You and Reid both look like someone pissed in your cereal. What were you talking about?”
“We were talking about the…weather,” Hunter answers.
I don’t even need to have my extra hearing and sight to know he’s lying about that one.
“The weather? You wanted to talk to Reid about the weather without me there?”
“Yeah,” Hunter says, sounding unsure about it himself.
“Okay, so what did you guys think about the weather that got you so annoyed?” I ask Reid.
He balks at the question but answers, “We thought that it was… um…too hot.”
“Right,” I say, patting his chest as I step back. “I think it’s time that I go home.”
“I’ll take you,” Reid tells me.
I smile at him in thanks.
“Bye, boys. I’ll see you on Monday,” I call back over my shoulder as I walk out of the small room. Reid follows closely behind. I just catch Hunter talking to the others before I enter the gym area.
“Was it just me who thought that she was extremely hot when she was shooting the gun?”
Chapter 22
I’m Clucking Mad About You!
Reid drives me back on his bike to where I parked my car at the beginning of the day. As we ride, the sky gets gradually darker. It’s a phenomenon that I am not used to. At home, the light barely changes; it’s just constantly a glowing red from the fire pits being the only light source. The only time that Earth is like Hell is at sunset. The sky then can go the same color of the sky at home.
The sun has set fully when Reid finally pulls into the parking lot. I am happy to find that my car is still where I left it. I push down on Reid’s shoulders as I get off. Standing next to his bike, I pass my helmet to Reid, who is still on his bike.
Thinking back over the day, I let a smile come to my lips. When I think about Jake, Leo, and Liam, the question which was nagging at me resurfaces. Who was the girl, and what were they going to do to her?
“Do you remember how we met?” I ask him.
He places the helmet down on the bike between his legs.
“Yeah, it wasn’t that long ago,” he responds.
“You were kidnapping a girl…What were you going to do with her?
“Oh,” he says, his hands resting on the top of his helmet. I can see that he is realizing what I am referring to. I don’t mind most things, but when it comes to hurting children, I am hesitant.
“We weren’t going to rape or sell her if that’s what you mean. She was a daughter of one of the members of the gang, and she has run away,” he says. For the first bit, his heart stayed steady, but for the last, his heart sped up. I cross my arms.
“Did the leader and a group of men have to go and get her, causing her to be scared?” I ask sarcastically.
He looks hesitant, but the next time he talks, his heart is steady.
“Her mom is Meredith. We were going to use her as bait,” Reid relents.
“She was ten!” I exclaim.
“She wasn’t going to be hurt…I wouldn’t let that happen. I would never hurt a child,” he says, trying to reassure me. “I turned the men in who were helping me that day, as they let the girl go for you, but I don’t regret them doing that. I’m actually thankful.”
“Well, I’ll see you soon,” I say, turning to walk to my car. Before I can get very far, Reid pulls my arm. I spin, stumbling toward where he is still on the bike. He goes to kiss me, and I unhappily pull away. I really hate my dad right now.
“Why won’t you kiss me? What have I done?” he asks, his voice full of hurt. I close my eyes.
“Nothing, you’re just clucking mad,” I tell him, leaning down to kiss him on the
cheek. I pause, not knowing if he will react, but when he doesn’t, I continue to his cheek, letting my lips touch the stubble.
“Goodnight,” I mutter before straightening and stepping back. Reid, now with a satisfied smile, lifts the helmet to his head. Once his face is covered, he kicks down, starting the bike, and pulls back out of the parking lot.
As I walk to my car, I bring out my keys and click the button to unlock it. I pull the handle, pulling the door open before sliding down onto the seat. I let out an annoyed sound as I hit my head against the headrest and my hand against the steering wheel repeatedly. Why is my dad such a pain sometimes?
“Finally!” someone says.
I scream, and the person screams too. Without thinking, I let my demon features take over, my horns extending as well as my fangs, my eyes changing to the red flickering with the fire inside me. I grab the person in the passenger seat by the neck.
Meredith
I’ve seen that girl before, but where? I know I have. I turn on my pacing route again, ignoring the curious eyes of my daughter. I groan, deciding I need to get out of here and clear my head. I think better in the night air.
“I’m going out!” I call, knowing one of my members will look after my daughter.
I don’t know how long I have been walking when I find myself going through a park. The roar of a bike’s engine fills the quiet night air. I look up and recognize the black bike as being Reid’s immediately.
My eyes light up when I see the girl is sitting on the back. Maybe if I get a glimpse of her face again, it will jog my memory. I step behind the closest tree, not wanting to be seen by them.
I watch the girl get off the bike. A conversation, or a small argument, follows. Reid tries to kiss her, but she pulls back. Interesting. Instead, she kisses him on the cheek. Maybe their relationship isn’t strong.
After Reid rides off, the girl turns and starts toward a white car a couple of spaces away from me. I study her face, trying to get my memory to start working, but nothing. I move my attention to the car, noticing that someone is in the car already, waiting for her. Is she cheating on Reid?
Hades’ Daughter (The War of Fate) Page 18
