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4
Mercy
It felt strange,being back in the Katz house with the remainder of the Claws forces sitting at the long dining table and standing by the walls around me. Like I’d stepped right into my father’s shoes with them barely cooled from his death. But there wasn’t any time to ease into my role as Queen of the Claws. We had a hell of a lot of work ahead of us.
Despite the invaders who’d come through my childhood home, it still smelled the same, wisps of old cigar smoke and gin hanging in the air. Someone had rigged up a chandelier over the table that wasn’t quite as nice as our old crystal one but did the trick, its warm glow spilling over the assembled crowd.
I’d summoned them as soon as I’d gotten back from Wylder’s brother’s funeral, and they’d arrived in the falling dusk. It was full night now, the yard dark beyond the window. Our one week had begun.
“All right,” I said, resting my hands on the table from where I was standing at its head. “You’re all here because you’re willing to go up against the Storm and do whatever we can to stop him—or any other outsiders—from taking over our home. We’ve got a limited amount of time to make that happen before someone who might be even worse crashes the party. So I want to figure out what we have to work with. I want to hear what you’re particularly good at, any strengths or expertise you’ve got that might help us win this war.”
The men around the table shifted in their seats. I was only starting to learn their names, other than Kervos at my right hand, who’d already pitched in plenty, and Sam next to him, the red dye not yet totally washed out of his hair from when he’d played the role of a substitute Wylder in an earlier gambit. A pang formed in my chest at the thought of Roy, who’d come to warn us about Colt’s ambush weeks ago and maybe saved my life… and then lost his own life at Xavier’s hands.
Jenner, the most senior member of the Claws who’d stuck around, hadn’t shown up yet. I hoped that wasn’t a bad sign.
After a moment, Kervos spoke up. “I’ve handled a lot of stolen car operations.” He motioned to a younger guy with spiky black hair across the table from him. “Quinn and I can hotwire any vehicles we need for getting around or transporting supplies. And I’m not bad with a gun, if I do say so myself.”
Quinn nodded, and several others around the room chuckled. “I’m a good shot!” someone piped up, and another voice added, “Yeah, me too,” and in a few seconds it sounded like I had a whole house full of desperados.
“Okay,” I said with a small smile, holding up my hands for the chatter to die down again. “That’s good to hear, because I wouldn’t be surprised if we need to do a lot of shooting.”
“That means we’re going to need lots of guns,” Sam pointed out. “Me and a couple of the other guys have some connections there, and I know where your dad had a stash that I don’t think Colt or Xavier ever touched.”
“Perfect.” I pointed at him. “I’m assigning you and whoever you want to take with you to get those weapons and bring them back here to distribute. None of us should be going out on the streets unarmed, and I’m going to need a few of you stationed around this house, our base of operations, on a rotating guard. The Storm’s people have proven that they’re ruthless—we can’t give them any vulnerable moments to take advantage of. Is there anyone who’s particularly good at other kinds of fighting, or at things like climbing and breaking into places if we need to?”
One by one, different men raised their voices. I made mental notes, studying their faces and picturing them carrying out the skills they mentioned. It felt natural, much easier than I’d expected, as if I’d been preparing for this all along without realizing it. But then, maybe I had. I’d committed a lot of details to memory over the years watching Dad from the sidelines, wanting to be ready for whatever trouble might be coming for him—or for me, from his hands.
I glanced at my notes on my phone. During the ride back to Paradise Bend in the Long Night’s posh car, the resources he’d promised had started arriving, including reports on several business ventures the Storm was involved in. We might need to mess with those to get the upper hand.
“Does anyone have experience with or at least knowledge about sports gambling?” I asked. “Organizing bets on games and that sort of thing?”
A couple of guys lifted their hands. I got their names and committed those to memory too. “Good, I might need you for a special mission at some point. And how about property management? I know my dad owned a bunch of buildings in the Bend.”
There was a momentary silence. “Meso handled a lot of that,” Sam put in. “He— The Steel Knights took him out. He refused to go over to Colt’s side when everything first went down.”
Kervos nodded with a grim expression. “I haven’t seen anyone who worked with him on that side of things around lately either.”
I let out a breath. Well, I couldn’t expect to have everything handed right to me. And Rowan had done some negotiations involving property for Ezra, so that might be all we needed.
“How about—” I started, and paused at the creak of footsteps.
“How about you all wait a few minutes before getting started without your elders,” Jenner grumbled in a good-humored way, coming in to join us. He limped a little with an injury he’d taken during Xavier’s attempt to wipe the last of the Claws out of existence, and shadows darkened the skin under his eyes, but he stood steadily enough. And he wasn’t alone.
A girl who looked about ten years old, with her blond hair in two braids and wearing a sparkly unicorn T-shirt, kept close to Jenner’s side. He rested his hand on her shoulder.
My eyebrows rose. “Who’s this?”
The kid’s mouth stayed shut tight, her eyes widening as she took in the crowded room.
Quinn frowned at Jenner. “Why’d you bring Sarah over here?”
“I couldn’t exactly get a babysitter with how everything’s been lately,” Jenner said. He turned to me. “This is my daughter. She won’t get in the way.”
I couldn’t blame him for not wanting to leave her alone with the rampages the Storm’s people had been going on. I hadn’t even known hehada kid… There was so much catching up I had to do with the Claws men.
MyClaws.
I nodded. “It’s fine. Sarah, is it? I like your name. Mine’s Mercy.”
