Page 250 of Romeo

We already knew what George Stone had done to Mimic. We knew Dakota had been part of that hell too. Hell, the way Mimic told it, Dakota was the villain in that scenario. George might have held him in a fucking cage, but Dakota had tortured him.

“What about it?” I asked.

“Dakota was pissed George let him go,” Zeus replied.

Mimic’s mouth twisted. “Yeah,” he muttered. “That ate at him.”

Zeus continued, “According to Dakota, George letting Mimic walk away was something he never got over.”

Mimic gave a humorless snort. “Bruised his fucking ego when I beat the shit out of him. Fucker wanted to prove he could take me down without Daddy stopping him.”

Hades spoke from behind Zeus. “Guess he never got the chance.”

“Nope,” Mimic replied, a trace of satisfaction entering his voice. “My old lady’s new friend poisoned the motherfucker first.”

I looked across the table at Mimic and groaned. “Can we not sound disappointed that Dakota didn’t get another shot at killing you?”

Mimic leaned back in his chair. “I’m not disappointed. Dead works for me.”

Zeus blew out a breath. “Dakota wasn’t stopping with Mimic and Indie. He wanted the Gods of Mayhem destroyed. Lettie was bait for Hades. He expected Hades to come after her, planned to kill whoever came with him, take down the club, burn everything, then come for me.”

“Why you last?” Colt asked.

“Because he blamed me for Kronos,” Zeus answered.

Mimic snorted.

Zeus went silent.

I looked at Mimic. My eyes narrowed and I shook my head.

He lifted one shoulder. “That one was deserved.”

“Fucker,” Zeus growled.

“What?” Mimic asked. “You’re alive. He’s dead. Sounds like his fucking problem.”

Hades laughed in the background.

“You’re supposed to be keeping me even,” Zeus snapped at him.

“I am,” Hades replied. “You haven’t broken anything.”

I shook my head. “Are you two finished?”

“No,” they answered in unison.

Cash chuckled. I ignored him and asked, “Dakota said Kronos was working with them?”

The humor disappeared from the call.

“Yeah,” Zeus said. “My father was working with Dakota, Arizona, and Zephyr.”

Mimic didn’t snort this time.

He simply stared at the phone with open contempt.

There wasn’t anything left for Kronos to lose with him. No image of a beloved grandfather being dismantled piece by piece. Whatever family connection blood was supposed to create had been destroyed the moment Mimic learned what Kronos had done to Indie when she was a child.