Page 7 of Romancing the Reaper

My phone vibrates in my pocket. Perfect, just the distraction that I need to keep focused.

I’m here.

Just a single text message from Liam, my cousin. I glance at the time, he’s a little early, but much better than the alternative.

The hideout that I’ve chosen is an old, abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of Boston. Appealing simply because of the thick concrete walls and easily defensible entrances and exits. Someplace that nobody will look too closely at. Privacy is of the utmost importance for this sort of operation.

I haven’t put much effort into making this place comfortable, as that’s not an important part of this plan. The home that Cristiano forced me out of had all of my earthly possessions, and I had been left with no choice than to flee and never return to what’s left of it.

My current layout is filled with more tech than anything else. Wall to wall security and everything else that could possibly be needed to ensure that Ada will not be getting out of here without my permission. She’s far too important for the success of my plan.

I don’t bother attempting to clean up the makeshift living area that I’ve laid out in one of the larger rooms before heading to the door to let Liam in. The room that I have Ada in is definitely not the sort of luxury that she’s accustomed to, but the rest of mysafe house isn’t going to appeal to her much more than her little prison.

I open the door to find Liam with an arm full of take-out containers. The aroma of various cuisines hits me like a truck. How long has it been since the last time I’ve eaten? Far too long. Single minded focus and drive has always been one of my weaker points.

Liam stands nearly the same height as myself, a solid six foot two. But, I have at least thirty pounds of muscle on him. Sandy blonde hair, hazel eyes and a boyish grin that dimples on the left side, he’s got the boyish charm down to perfection. Paired with his innate fashion sense, he’s usually the one who draws attention in every gathering that we’ve attended together. He’s been trying to get me to ditch the all-black wardrobe for some time. Though, with my position as a Reaper for his family, it’s a fitting uniform.

“I thought you were going to make me hunt for this place forever,” Liam says as I close the door behind him. He takes off his shoes out of habit and then eyes the bare concrete of the floor. I can see the gears turning in his head, debating as to whether or not he should put them back on to spare his socks.

I simply take things from his hands and head into the industrial style kitchenette and start to unpackage the various items.

“If this is supposed to be a housewarming party for you, cousin, I have to say that it’s really rather sad.” Liam says teasingly as he swipes a finger across an exposed beam and makes a face.

“It’s functional, it doesn’t need to be anything else,” I say with an eye roll.

“Still… how the mighty have fallen.” Liam continues.

To anybody else, his dry tone might seem like an insult, but I know better. I know that he doesn’t actually mean anything by his words. He’s one of the only people that I’ve ever met who can brazenly say the most off handed things without meaning to offend anyone around him. For somebody who was raised, like me, to someday become the head of his clan, he’s painfully socially unbothered.

Oddly, it’s what makes me like him so much.

“If the mighty hadn’t fallen, cousin, I never would have been stuck dealing with your sorry ass as much as I have been.” I remark, plucking up a crab Rangoon and popping it into my mouth without bothering to offer him anything.

“I regret helping you every day. Today, more than most.” Liam says as he looks around the high vaulted ceilings and the way some of the glass panels of the far wall are patched with tarp and duct tape.

“Such a charmer. Seriously, how do people not just fall at your feet?”

“They do, I just have to trip them first,” Liam says with a grin before finally coming to stand with me in the kitchen. He slidesonto the cracked leather of the round barstool and slips his hands into his pockets. “So, are you going to tell me why I’ve driven out into the boonies and been subjected to squalor?”

I sigh pointedly and start to portion a little bit of everything onto an oblong plate.

“Suddenly decided to become a foodie?” Liam says with his characteristic smirk.

“No,” I sigh, closing my eyes. I know how he’s going to tease me for what I say next. “I panicked. I didn’t know what she would like, so I covered all of my bases.”

Liam swallows back at least a dozen sarcastic remarks. “Perhaps use your own card to impulse order next time then?”

“Why would I do that?”

I start to seal up the containers and search for one of those little plastic forks in one of the bags.

“You’re seriously going to leave it at that, cousin?” Liam asks me. I can feel his expectant gaze locked on my forehead as I toil around the kitchen bar. “Not even a hint of your grand master plan?”

I glance at him from under my brow. Of course I’m not going to tell him anything. Cousin or not, you don’t grow up in a clan thinking that your family can be wholly trusted.

Liam hasn’t ever personally done anything to make me distrust him, but one can never be too careful. I’m family, yes, but my father’s clan was far larger than the one led Liam’s father, Patrick. I can’t risk his father learning even the smallest bit of my plan, or where I’m currently residing. He was kind enough to ‘take me in’ after my father’s death. But he’s made me work for his so-called generosity every day since.

Telling Liam my plans, even to enlist his help, would be running a risk that I just can’t afford to take.

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