Page 10 of Fragile Facade

“Fifty says it’s Lioness.” Seven laughs. “He’ll wanna make Axel part of his pride.”

“What’s a lion’s biggest prey?” Glitch asks. “It’ll be that.”

“Zebra,” I say. “A hundred bucks.”

“Two hundred says he nicknames the nickname,” Ransom says as he sits. “If it’s Zebra, it’ll turn into Z.”

“Zeebs.” Facts places his bet. “Hello, three hundred dollars.”

It’s become fun to bet on what Kyd will call everyone. None of us sawbestiecoming when Remi showed up, but Kyd claimed him, so it stuck. Krypt doesn’t like it, but he hasn’t said shit about it because Director sat him down and had a talk about how Remi needs friends. Krypt didn’t like that either.

“Alright, sit the hell down, lover boy,” Director says to Kyd, shoving him out of the way. “I told you not to sleep with the doctor.”

“I haven’t!” Kyd climbs onto the table, walking across it with his fingers up in the air, a scout’s honour. “I promise, pops! I only know how big his dick is because he wears tight fancy pants. Mmmm.”

“Don’t call me that. Sit your crazy ass down.”

Kyd does a flip off the table, barely executes the landing, and plops down in a chair. His outfit is pastels today, and his hair is freshly dyed a baby pink that makes his pale blue eyes stand out. Pretty sure he’s wearing baby pink lip gloss too, because his smile is sparkly.So are his teeth.

I lean back in my chair and wait for this bullshit to be over. I love Vile House, and I don’t even mind Director despite how often he bosses me around, but I hate meetings. My brain wasn’t built for meetings. I’m a doer, not a thinker.

“Before we start. Riot, you’re owed by Willow Olenna?”

“Oh, I’ll collect.”

“Good. No more unnecessary deaths, got it?” He nods, moving on before Riot confirms. “Axel thinks Reaper Corp has a contact in Moros. Someone is feeding them information.” Director looks right at me like I’m about to be the star of the show.About time.

“Yates, I’m guessing?” I lean forward.

“Axel thinks so.”

Yates is the current leader of The Misfits. He’s a filthy, pompous douchebag who inhales more cigarette smoke than air, relies on his younger crew members to do the dirty work, and is too fucking stupid to see howfucking stupidhis son is. The Misfits used to bring a ton of importance to Moros, but since Yates took over, they’ve gone downhill, especially because his son is second in command. Being a member of their gang as my real name and having Moros know I’m one of them is goddamn embarrassing. I don’t do well with embarrassment.

“Dr. Graves is a smarty-pants, so I’d trust him. Plus, I’ve been creeping on his brain doctor research,” Kyd says. Director gives us all a pointed look, maybe trying to convey that we can’t fully trust Axel, but no one asks, so neither do I.

“Why not just kill Yates and be done with it?” Krypt asks.

“Hello,” Facts cuts in. “Because if we control Yates, we control the narrative.”

“Exactly,” Director agrees. “But first, we need to plant some devices and get some proof.”

“Get Kyd’s boyfriend to plant one of his mind chip things in his head and start brainwashing him,” Riot suggests. “Then we control everything. Even The Misfits.”

“Get me close enough so we can,” Director says to Riot. “Yates has asked for a Vile House contact, and I need you to be it. Create some chaos, Riot. I want his crew questioning him. Time they get new leadership.”

Riot lifts a brow. “You have someone in mind?”

“I do,” Director says, but he doesn’t tell us who. Pretty sure I already know, though. “Ghost, I need you there. Eyes on Yates. You need to report everything going on, and if you can’t get devices planted in Misfit Hall, you need to be the device. Listen, learn, get intel, figure out who he’s in contact with and how they knew to contact him. Got it?”

Whatever. Easy. I nod.

“There’s a catch.”

Of fucking course there is. I hate being in their gang, and I’m the one who always has to pay for their fuckups.

“Riot’s going to build you credit within the gang.” Oh, fuck, my blood heats to ungodly temperatures. “He’s going to demand you’re there at the meeting.”

“The fuck?!Why?” I stand while Riot grins.