Page 36 of War Games

I scoff and stand from the table. “If you wanna get between these legs and into my head, you’re going to have to try a shitload harder than that,” I tell him. “Unless you have information on Shadow you’re willing to share?”

“Not likely.”

“That’s what I thought,” I say, before turning my back and walking away, more than happy to leave him with the bill, though considering how terrified the waiter was of Reaper, I can assume there will be no bill. He’d just be happy to see us walk out of here.

I make my way out of the restaurant, feeling more than proud of myself while also knowing that the rest of my night is going to consist of me madly trying to get myself off to relieve the intense ache between my legs.

Heading down the sidewalk in the direction of my car, a large body steps in behind me, and warm hands clutch my waist. “What was it that you said when you walked away from me lasttime?” Reaper questions, his deep tone rumbling through his chest. “That the next time I get you all worked up and wet like this, I better have the balls to follow through.”

His hand circles my waist, and as I suck in a breath, it travels down. Anticipation burns through me, and if he’s not careful, I’ll end up screwing him right here in front of the hotel restaurant.

Reaper’s hand doesn’t stop until it’s cupped between my legs and when the heel of his palm grinds against my core, a deep groan slips from between my lips. “Tell me, Little Siren, just how wet are you?”

I relax my body weight back into his, knowing I’m about to be both metaphorically and literally screwed. I tip my head back as his palm works me through my jeans, and just as I go to respond and tell him just how easily he’s got me trapped, something flashes through the darkness.

My back stiffens and sensing something’s wrong, Reaper instantly goes on alert, his hand snapping away from me like lightning. “What is it?” Reaper questions, his sharp gaze searching the darkness.

“There’s someone there.”

He inches away from me, giving us both space to prepare ourselves in case this turns into a fight. I see the flash again, but it’s not so much of a flash but a shadow moving through the darkness, and without question, I know exactly who it is.

“It’s Shadow,” I call out, already breaking into a sprint.

“Fuck,” Reaper grunts, heavy on my tail. “You hurt her, and I’ll have no fucking choice but to take you out.”

“Who the fuck do you think I am?” I call back at him while keeping my sharp gaze locked on the shadow moving through the darkness. “She’s a kid. As if I would ever hurt her.”

“Alright. Let’s get this little ghost.”

I push myself faster, not taking my eyes off her for one second, and when she darts down behind the back of the hotel, I follow right behind her with Reaper taking off in the opposite direction.

Determination pushes me faster. I’ve been so concerned about this kid, desperate to know who she is and where she came from. Fuck, I just need to know if she has food and water and somewhere safe to sleep at night, but tracking her has been impossible. She’s a literal ghost. She doesn’t exist anywhere, which leaves me with a million questions.

Following her around the back of the hotel, I’m only a few steps behind when Reaper steps out in front of her, blocking her only escape and bringing her to an immediate stop.

She panics, her terrified gaze flicking between me and Reaper. She’s got nowhere to go, nowhere to run, and as she mainly focuses her attention on me, I realize that I’m the one she’s scared of, not Reaper.

“She’s not going to hurt you, kid. She just wants to make sure you’re doing alright.”

Shadow visibly swallows, her terrified gaze morphing into nothing more than uncertainty as she stares back at me. There’s nothing but silence around us, and I wait, not moving an inch as I allow Shadow to come to the decision on her own if she’s willing to trust me.

Then, in the blink of an eye, her body relaxes, and she glances back toward Reaper. “I’m hungry,” she murmurs, her tone so soft that it throws me off. I had expected her to have an edge, a type of disdain in her tone that warns people to keep away. But there’s nothing like that. She’s just a girl, out here in the big, wide world, terrified of this mess she’s been thrown into.

Reaper nods and steps toward her before ushering her closer to me. “Alright then,” he says. “Let’s get you fed.”

13

REAPER

Walking back into the hotel restaurant with Shadow in front and Siren at my side, a strange sense of contentment comes over me. It’s something I’ve never felt before and something I can’t even begin to understand, but before I get the chance to question it, the waiter who so painstakingly took our orders earlier steps out of the kitchen.

“No,” he gasps in terror, the sound so subtle, and yet somehow it’s capable of drawing the attention of the whole room.

I resist the urge to smile. A man like this would never survive in my world. He’d be the first to go on principle alone. When Siren and I left barely ten minutes ago, he was thrilled. I could see the relief in his eyes as we walked out the door. It’s as though he held his breath the whole time we were here, and now that we’re back, he looks about ready to shit his pants.

We continue striding through the restaurant, and as we approach him, I pause, placing a hand on Shadow’s shoulder, bringing her up short. “Let me make this clear,” I tell the waiter. “My friends and I are going to go and sit down at a private booth,and in exactly three minutes, you are going to come to our table with a glass of wine for the lady, and a burger for the kid. Is that understood?”

The bottom half of his jaw begins to chatter, and I have no doubt that he’s remembering exactly what was overheard before. It’s no secret to the locals of Blue Springs that something has been going down in their town. The multiple deaths, the unusual police presence, and the sense of unease they get when they step foot outside their doors. Their town isn’t safe, and he knows it.

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