I get up to take my turn, eyeing the table for a solid-colored ball to hit. “And your brother Alex decided to join with you?” I ask, glancing up at Alex, who is standing with Aurora, apparently arguing over the antique jukebox about what song to select next.
“He did later. That’s when we both decided to start training to be on active missions,” she says.
I hit the ball, knocking it into the right corner pocket. “Yes!” I breathe, looking over to smile at Malachi.
“Nice shot,” Malachi says, smirking. “You’re a natural.” Just as I miss my next shot.
“Don’t get cocky yet,” Dante warns as I hand off the stick. “Nasha’s about to show you how it’s reallydone.”
Nasha chalks her cue stick. “Why don’t you tell Kat how you ended up here?” she says, nudging Dante out of the way.
“My brother worked at a hospital in the Western District. He was a new doctor there, and he really cared about his patients and wanted to make a real difference in the world. I think he went down the wrong career path for that,” Dante says, moving to chug some of his beer, and then walking around the table closer to me.
“He told me about a group of other doctors that were moving patients, and he didn’t know what was happening to them. They would simply disappear one day. He finally got one of them to admit they were following orders from Marco Volkov.”
His eyes meet mine, and it’s the first time I realize we have an odd connection.
“He was trying to uncover what was happening and expose the whole thing. Then one day, I get a call that he fell down the stairs at work and died,” he says, and I swallow hard.
“Fuck, I’m so sorry,” I say, wanting to reach over and comfort him but not knowing how.
“It was a long time ago, but I know my brother didn’t fall down the fucking stairs, and if he did, that certainly wouldn’t have killed him. He was asking too many questions, and they wanted him out of the picture. I went to question the doctor he told me had given him information before, and believe it or not, that’s when I ran into this asshole,” he says, shoving Cade in the shoulder as he comes up and pulls out a stool for Aurora to sit and watch us.
“What are you all talking about? Me? I’m the asshole?” Cade puts his hands up, and Dante shakes his head, laughing.
“This was years ago now, but you can imagine the surprise when I go to question a doctor and I see this guy beating the shit out of him,” Dante says, and my eyes snap to Cade’s as Istart putting the pieces together. Cade does the slightest nod of his head to confirm my thoughts.
Dante’s brother worked at the hospital I had been in, and his brother’s friend was my doctor. What are the odds?
“So we’re all sickly united by our hate for Marco Volkov,” I say with a lurid smile.
“Dante and I have worked together ever since. Once we met Malachi, it was only natural for us all to team up,” Cade says, and I want to know more about that story, but then the jukebox blares to life playing “Another One Bites the Dust,” and we all start laughing.
“I have an idea. Let’s play Blackout List. It’s only fitting, given the name of this dive,” Aurora says as she slides back from the bar, Alex following behind with fresh drinks for all of us.
It’s kind of nice having the whole place to ourselves. For a second, I glance over at the bartender, guilt tugging at me for not including her, but she’s tucked away with a pair of bulky headphones over her ears, nose buried in a paperback. Her posture screams leave me alone, and I figure she likes it that way.
We shove a few of the cocktail tables together, the lamps wobbling until Malachi steadies them, and I climb onto a stool beside Aurora. Everyone else gathers around, some sitting, some standing, each with a fresh drink sweating on the wood in front of them.
“What’s Blackout List?” I ask.
Cade leans one shoulder against the table, swirling his glass. “A depressing game, if you ask me.”
“It’s a way for us to know each other better,” Aurora says, bumping my arm with hers, her grin bright against the gloom. “Come on. Build that team camaraderie you’re all always preaching about.”
“Each person shares one thing they’ve lost since the worldfell apart,” Malachi explains, his beer already half gone. “Then we drink to it.”
“Sounds simple enough,” Nasha says.
“Great. By all means, you go first, then,” Dante says, giving her a little nudge. He drops onto the stool beside her, and she squares her shoulders like she’s about to step into battle.
She lifts her drink, a blended, violet concoction. “I lost the line between mercy and cruelty,” she says, her voice quiet but sharp. “I can transfer pain, but I can’t always tell if I’m saving people or punishing them.”
This is starting off more serious than I thought. We raise our glasses in unison. My cider is crisp and sweet at first, but there’s a bitter note that lingers on my tongue as I take a long chug before slamming my glass down on the table.
My eyes flick to Dante, sitting next to her, and I assume we’re moving clockwise. His hands rest on the table, fingers drumming against the wood like he’s debating what to share.
“I lost a bet to Cade once, and I’m still suffering for it,” Dante says, smiling. His laugh is rough, but Nasha shoots him a sharp look that wipes it right off his face.
