Page 53 of War Games

The Boneyard Slayer falls back, the force of my bullet sending him sprawling to his ass, and as if finally remembering who the fuck I am and the damage I can cause, he scrambles to his feet and takes off like a bat out of hell.

“Fuck,” I grunt, itching to go after him as I look around for my clothes.

“Don’t even think about it,” Reaper says, that deep tone sending electrical currents right to my core.

“Why the hell not?” I ask, turning to face him only to find him on his feet behind me, that glorious body completely on display and teasing me with everything else it’s capable of offering.

His hand takes my waist, pulling me in before letting that very hand drop to my ass. “The brothers will still be there tomorrow. Let them lick their wounds for now.”

“And why should I do that?”

“Because I’m not nearly finished with you, and when I tie your wrists to your fucking ankles, I need your mind focused solely on me, not some other man.”

“Oh really?” I say, a grin pulling at my lips as I press my hand to his chest and feel the steady rhythm of his heart beneath. “And if I tell you no?”

Reaper growls, and I feel his cock harden between us. “I don’t know if you’re ready for that kind of trouble.”

“Speak for yourself, Reaper. I can handle anything you’ve got. It’s you I’m worried about,” I say, turning on my heel and stalking back to my bedroom. “Hurry along, Reaper. I’m in charge now, and don’t forget that gun. I’ve got the perfect spot for it.”

19

SIREN

Placing the hot bowl of spaghetti bolognese down on my new kitchen counter, I stand back and smile, knowing Shadow would appreciate this. After meeting with her a few nights ago in the luxury hotel restaurant that was too fancy for a standard chicken parmigiana, I’ve been sticking to my word and doing everything I can to make sure the kid eats a healthy meal every day.

Even after my small villa was shot up and turned into a house-sized strainer, I still took the risk and welcomed her into my new place. It only took her a few hours to figure out where I’m staying now, and honestly, it couldn’t have been that hard.

I’m still at the holiday resort but in a whole new villa. Though, this one is more like a fancy suite, and while it’s a little more risky staying here, I couldn’t resist. There’s something about this little holiday resort that’s really started to grow on me. Perhaps it’s the pool and the short walk to the lake that gets me. Either way, I’m content here for a little while.

I place a spoon and a fork down beside the bowl of spaghetti before adding a soda and a to-go bag filled with a fresh sandwich, a piece of fruit, and a bottle of water, knowing damn well the kid can’t survive on her own. I haven’t yet figured out where she’s sleeping every night, but I hope she’s safe. Either way, I’ve left blankets on the sofa every night, hoping she’ll take me up on my offer, but so far, she hasn’t allowed herself to trust me enough to let her guard that far down. I swear, she’s probably the type to sleep with one eye open. I wonder if she even knows what it’s actually like to be a regular child. Has she ever experienced jumping over the waves at the beach or building sandcastles? Did she ever learn how to ride a bike, or did she even have a baby doll to play with as a little girl?

My heart breaks for her, but knowing there’s nothing more I can do until she’s comfortable trusting me, I go for a walk, leaving her to be at peace in my new little suite.

I make my way down to the lake, strolling along the shore and holding my shoes as I drag my feet through the cool water. It truly is beautiful down here, and if this town wasn’t tainted by the aftermath of War Games, this would probably be somewhere I’d like to settle down one day. You know, way in the future after I’ve retired. Assuming I somehow make it out of here alive. Not that I have high hopes with Shadow as a contender, but if I have to lose, I’m glad it’s for her.

On the other hand, Reaper would carve his own heart out and offer it to her on a silver platter if it meant that she would live.

It’s only been a few days since he showed up in my villa and tried to take my life, and since then, we’ve spent more time together than I could have anticipated. To be fair, most of that time is spent naked with our bodies grinding together, but when we’re not, he happily sits beside me on the couch, both of us with our laptops open, working on tracking the remaining five contenders.

So much for not wanting to work together. He’s doing it without even realizing, but having someone to bounce ideas off has come so naturally to him. To be honest, I don’t even know if he realizes that we’ve been working as a team, but when that moment comes, I’m sure it’ll be the equivalent of being punched right in the vag.

Pulling my phone out of my back pocket, I bring up Mila’s number and chat with her for over an hour as I make the full walk around the lake while ignoring the security notifications rolling in, letting me know Shadow arrived at my suite and is happily annihilating her dinner.

As I make my way under the bridge, I tell Mila every little detail of the time I’ve spent with Reaper over the last few days, but I stop and cringe when I see the familiar dark stain on the concrete leading to the bushes. I assume Raven’s body is still hidden deep within the garden because she hasn’t made the headlines yet. And knowing I shouldn’t be anywhere near this crime scene, I decide it’s probably time to head back.

Shadow isn’t exactly comfortable with company, especially company she doesn’t fully trust, but I was hoping to catch her before she left, maybe try to get to know her a little better. After all, she’s been dropping by for dinner for the past few nights without fail, and maybe that’s enough for her to realize that I’m the kind of woman who sticks to her word.

After making my way back into the resort, I stride to my door, making my presence obvious as I walk up onto the front deck and enter the access code. I dangle my bag a little and fake a cough just to give her the extra warning in case she’s not ready and wants to slip out the back, then I turn the handle and step into my little suite.

The suite is quiet as I walk in, no familiar sound of a fork scraping the bottom of a bowl or a chair shuffling across the floor. My brows furrow, and I walk deeper into the suite,desperate to figure out where she is or if she’s even still here at all.

I creep toward the kitchen with my hands out, trying to show her that I mean her no harm, and just as I turn the corner to peer into the kitchen, a hand shoots out of nowhere pressing a drenched cloth over my nose and mouth.

Panic blasts through me. I only have mere seconds to save myself before the chloroform knocks me unconscious, and I become a puppet for the master to manipulate. I try to fight this person off, having no idea who stands at my back, but as the chloroform begins to take effect, I quickly grow weaker.

My heart races as I claw at the hands blocking my airway, and when my lungs begin to scream for sweet oxygen, I’m left with no choice but to take a deep, gasping breath, sucking in nothing but pure chloroform.

Darkness dances behind my eyes, and just as my body begins to give in to the rich, lethal chemical, a flash of bright red hair cuts across my vision. My mind tries to make sense of it, tries to figure out exactly what I’m seeing, but the dizziness rushes over me, and not a second later, everything goes dark.

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