Page 129 of Bitter’s Sweet

“Bitter. Church.”

I look at Sweet. “Stay with Mercy.”

Her smile thins. “Good morning to you too.”

I deserve that.

She walks away with Mercy, pink shoes flashing beneath her jeans. Halfway to the school door, Mercy says something that makes Sweet glance back at me.

Then she looks away.

Hyde waits until the door shuts.

“You got something you need to declare?”

“No.”

Boogie whispers, “That sounded like a lie.”

Hyde doesn’t look at him. “It was.”

“I heard that.”

“You were meant to. Church.”

Upstairs, the old arrangement room feels less like a meeting and more like an ambush with chairs.

CSI has three screens open.

Hyde doesn’t waste time. “Update.”

CSI turns the laptop around. “Coffin races and bobbing went off yesterday without trouble. I kept the hand-dig contest and Raven’s procession postponed after the Reaper van showed near the south access. They stay moved to closing day unless Hyde changes it.”

Good.

That explains why Carver has been bitching since sunrise.

Hyde nods. “Raven gets his final ride when I know a van full of Reapers ain’t using the procession to get near our other shipment.”

Carver looks murderous. “And the custom run?”

“Saturday's run got postponed when the Reapers showed near the south access. It moves tonight on the alternate route.”

CSI changes screens. “That’s the problem. Ravenfork has watched three access roads. Could be coincidence. Could be they got more information than we think.”

My stomach turns.

A missing ledger flashes through my head. Three brothers bleeding because I trusted the wrong woman with access to my life.

Nevermore leans forward. “And Razor?”

“His tracker overlapped Ravenfork movement twice. Doesn’t prove he’s part of whatever they’re planning, but it puts him near the same roads.”

“It’s both,” I say. “Razor’s shit with Sweet is personal. Doesn’t mean his brothers ain’t covering him.”

“Agreed,” Hyde says.

CSI taps another window. “Which gives us an opportunity.”