Page 40 of The Reaper

I frowned at the screen. Why? What’s wrong? I usually didn’t text back, but this sudden change of plans had me feeling anxious.

Three bubbles appeared on the screen before his message appeared. Tell you later.

***

The crescent moon shone in the evening sky. The park was deserted since it was closed to the public after 7 p.m. Beneath the grove of mature maple trees stood a man in the shadows, scanning the premises. A light from his hand illuminated his face. My phone buzzed.

Tobias: Is that you?

Me: Yeah.

Tobias: U weren’t followed, were u?

Me: No.

Tobias: Follow me.

Tobias waved and pointed to the concrete wall of the fort, urging me to follow him. I pulled my gun from its holster and made my way downhill after him. “Over here,” he called from the third column.

“What happened?” I asked when I reached him.

His eyes bounced between the gun in my hand and my face. “Really?”

“I’ve been betrayed before,” I said, tucking my gun back in.

“Fuck you,” Tobias barked. “If you’re not gonna trust me now, why the fuck should I put my life on the line for you?” He stared at me, waiting for an answer. “When will you realize that I’m on your side?”

It was wrong to make him feel that I didn’t trust him, because I did. I never doubted he was on my side. It was my coping mechanism. After the deaths of Luke and William, I promised to never care for anyone, but I knew I had to with Tobias. It was only fair after what I’d asked him to do. “I’m sorry. I trust you,” I whispered. As hard as it was to admit it, a sense of relief washed over me. “You know I hate last-minute changes,” I added.

“You hate change, period.”

I glared at him. “What happened to your face?”

His right eye was purple, while a small cut, held together by three stitches, highlighted his swollen cheeks. “Three men were waiting for me when I got home four days ago. They ransacked my place.” He winced when lifting his arm to grab something from his coat.

“Goddamn it,” I said, stepping closer to him. I lifted his shirt. My jaw tightened when I saw a patch of purple and blue skin covering his torso. “We can’t do this anymore. I can’t let you risk your life for me.” I staggered back before turning toward my bike. If they wanted me, they’d need to come get me.

“Fuck that,” Tobias said. He grabbed my elbow before I had the chance to walk away. “Listen to me, Archer. You’re right. The Firm is involved in much shadier things than what you initially thought.” He opened his jacket and pointed to an inner pocket.

I reached in and grabbed a stack of folded paper.

“They killed the senator because he was getting ready to expose them. Everything you need is on those pages.”

I looked at the documents in my hand with relief. This was what I needed to take down The Firm and move on.

“They knew about you too.”

I snapped my gaze to him. “What do you mean?” Nobody knew about my investigation except William. I hadn’t even told him the whole story.

His expression darkened. “That’s why they killed William.”

“Fuck.” I pulled my hair with both of my hands, pacing. How did they know?

“And that’s why they came after me.”

I shook my head in disbelief. “What happened to the guys who roughed you up?” I asked, pointing to his face.

“What do you think?” A dry laugh escaped his mouth, flinching as he held his battered side. “It’s gonna take more than three rookies to take me down. They’re looking for you.”

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