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“Report,” Maddoc says to his people, his face hard as he scans the crowd.
Various Reapers call out, confirming merc and West Point kills and detailing the Reaper wounded.
And the dead.
Maddoc takes it all in stoically, but I can see how much it affects him. It’s why they all showed up for him. Why they’ll follow him to hell and back, and just proved it. His people are and always will be the main thing that matters to him, and his voice is so tight it sounds like it’s going to snap as he demands the name of each Reaper who fell.
“They wanted to be here, just like you did, Maddoc,” Logan says quietly once the accounting has been made.
Maddoc’s fists clench, but then he nods. It’s part of the price every single person has to be willing to pay in this world, and this time at least, the cost was worth it.
“Round up our wounded and dead,” he finally says. “Get them out of here so we can finish this thing.”
The Reapers move into action, making quick work of taking care of their own. Maddoc pulls a few men aside and directs them to drag all the West Point bodies out of the house, then douse every fucking inch of it with the accelerant the Reapers brought with them.
Sirens start to wail in the distance before they’re done, but Maddoc doesn’t move. “We’re seeing this thing through.”
Dante answers with a fierce, bloody grin, and Logan’s pale eyes blaze with approval.
The last of the Reapers tasked with dousing the property finally dashes out of the house, tossing the empty gas can he used back through the front door.
He gives Maddoc a nod. “It’s ready. It’ll go up fast and take everything down to ashes.”
“Good,” Maddoc says. “Now go.”
His people clear out, leaving just the four of us. The sirens are closer now, their urgent wail piercing through the air, but for a moment, no one moves.
Then Maddoc hands me a matchbook. “Burn the fucker down, butterfly.”
I give him a savage smile. West Point hurt everyone I’ve ever loved. They tried to take everything from me. And they failed.
“With fucking pleasure.”
I strike a match, the sharp tang of sulfur cutting through the scent of blood, sweat, and pain that surrounds all four of us.
Then I toss it into Austin’s house, and with a loudwhomp, flames erupt everywhere.
39
RILEY
The people Maddocsent in to douse Austin’s house obviously knew what they were doing, because it only takes moments before the whole house is engulfed.
“Fuck, yeah,” Dante murmurs under his breath, speaking for all of us. But as satisfying as it would be to watch the whole place burn, the sirens are getting louder, and we can’t afford to be here when they arrive for a whole host of reasons.
We hurry to Logan’s Audi, Dante still leaning heavily on Maddoc as we cross the bullet-ravaged lawn. Logan slips behind the wheel, starting it up fast, but when Maddoc tries to ease Dante into the passenger seat, he shakes his head.
“I’m with Riley.”
Maddoc huffs, almost smiling for the first time since all this shit went down, but quickly helps Dante into the back with me without any protest.
Dante immediately tugs me onto his lap.
“Dante,” I say, horrified. He could barely walk on his own.
I try to squirm off him, doing my best not to cause any more damage, but his arms stay locked tight.
“Come on now, princess,” he rasps, his voice a little slurred through the swelling on his face. “I could be dying right now. You really gonna deny a dying man his last wish?”
