Page 25 of War Games

“Ahh fuck. You are going to kill me, aren’t you? I knew I shouldn’t have said anything.”

My gaze settles on the rope as I try to figure out the best way to get her down. It’s obvious I’ll have to cut her hair. She watches me in return, her gaze narrowed as though trying to read me, and when I lift my arm, readying to throw the knife, those deadly green eyes of hers spring wide with horror. “Oh hell no. If you even think about cutting my hair, I’ll gut you like a fish where you stand.”

I pause at that, dropping my gaze back to hers. She’s in the middle of being rescued from her stupid, foolish mistake, and she wants to threaten me? She’s in no position to make threats, but I still find her threat endearing. Even on the verge of death, she doesn’t let up on her attitude.

I think I like this girl.

Adjusting my hold on the knife, I let it fly through the air, severing the rope right above the knot in her hair, and like a heavy sack of shit, Siren drops to the ground with an ear-piercing scream.

“Fuck,” she grunts as her ass hits the floor, and I have no doubt that will leave a nasty bruise. She gets to her feet, rubbing her ass while fixing me with a filthy stare. “Really? Out of all the ways you could have gotten me down, that’s the one you chose?”

“I think the words you’re looking for are thank you,” I tell her, watching as she shrinks away, not having expected me to actually respond.

Her body stiffens, and she takes a reluctant step back while doing everything in her power to look unbothered by my presence.

Surprise, she’s failing.

“Thank you,” she says, the words sounding like poison on her tongue as she pulls her long plait over her shoulder. She gets busy doing what she can to release the remaining rope from her long strands while I stand here, unsure what to do.

“So, umm . . .” she starts awkwardly, her gaze flicking to the lifeless bodies of 343 and The Midnight Killer. “Are you going to take their IDs?”

I scoff. “You can keep them warm for me, Little Siren, but don’t worry, I’ll be back for them real soon.” And with that, I turn on my heel and walk away.

9

SIREN

What in the ever-loving fuck just happened? I don’t even know what to feel about it. Embarrassment that Reaper just witnessed the lowest point of my career or relief that he was there to save my stupid ass. Either way, I’m now left even more confused than I was before.

This is the third time he’s shown up like that. Well, I suppose the first time while on the roof doesn’t exactly count. He was already there and watched me make a break for the roof, but then he stayed and made a point that he was untouchable. The other two times—tonight and with The Boston Maneater—were different. He specifically made a point to be there. With The Boston Maneater, I could have easily shrugged it off as a coincidence, but twice in a row? There’s no coincidence here. He’s been tracking me, and he’s been doing it flawlessly.

Every step I have taken has been done with caution, except for one slight mistake with a rope, but that’s beside the point. I have been careful. Everywhere I go, I’ve made sure that I’m not being followed. I take extra precautions, watch my back at everystep. There’s no way he should be able to track me, but he keeps showing up.

Why me, though? Am I his biggest target? His biggest threat? Or does he simply just enjoy watching the show? Either way, I want answers, and I want them now.

Leaving the IDs of The Midnight Killer and 343 behind, I make a break for it, racing out of the burned-down gym and tracking every step that Reaper has taken. I know I shouldn’t. Every fiber of my body is telling me to run in the opposite direction. But what can I say? I’m a sucker for punishment. If he was going to kill me, he would have done it when I was dangling by my hair, and for whatever reason, he didn’t. Now I need to figure out why.

My gaze scans the night. He’s nowhere to be seen, but I forge ahead anyway, sticking to the shadows and tracking him the way I would a target. It’s not rocket science. There’s a bright side of the road, lit up by the new gym and on the opposite side, there’s dark alleys covered in shadows.

I’ll take my chances with the dark side of the road.

Putting one foot in front of the other, I make my way down the path, keeping myself discreet as I pass building after building, checking the alleys before moving on. He’s a ghost, so I have to think like one.

My head hurts from the almost scalping, and at some point, I’m going to have to take a few painkillers and lay down for the foreseeable future, maybe book a scalp massage, but until then, I’m determined to find this asshole.

Passing a twenty-four-hour laundromat, a chill sails down my spine, and that’s enough to know I’m in the right spot. Reaper is the only one who’s ever been capable of drawing such a reaction out of my body, and with that, I stop at the very next alley, turning to face the darkness.

I don’t see a thing, but the chill in my bones doesn’t fade, and as I scan the darkness, I know without a doubt he’s heresomewhere. But like I said, he’s a ghost, and I need to start thinking like one.

Continuing forward, I head down the dark alley, taking it slow as I scan my surroundings. He’s been tracking me since the second War Games started, and I’ve been blind to it, but that stops now.

I pass by the back entrance of the laundromat before sailing on past old, discarded boxes that have been chewed by mice and a large dumpster that hasn’t seen warm water and soap for years. The smell that comes with it is disgusting, and just as I pass far enough to take a breath without wanting to gag, a hand shoots toward me, gripping my throat before slamming me against the brick wall of the laundromat.

“Why the fuck are you following me?” Reaper growls, his imposing body hovering over mine and making my knees shake with fear.

Holy fucking shit.

He’s terrifying, but it’s not so much his large body that has me shaking in my boots, it’s the emptiness of his dark eyes. There’s just something so intriguing about them. I knew he was attractive the second I saw him. He’s deathly attractive, the most breathtaking human I’ve ever seen, but up close like this, he’s simply . . . everything.

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