Page 62 of They Call Him Reaper

Somehow, I feel the heat of his blood splattering my body before I hear the gunshots. Carlos falls to the ground as anothercontraction takes over. Luckily, I manage to keep the gun pointing in his direction.

The front door crashes open, announcing Dante before he runs in with his flashlight on.

“Inaya!” The fear in his voice makes me sad that the contraction has wrapped me up in silence.

He rushes over, using the flashlight to check me for injuries. My pain eases, and I whisper what he wants to know. I'm okay. As my senses return to normal, I realize that although the rain continues to attack our bungalow, it's not as aggressive as it was before. Also, Carlos’ labored breathing is acting as a background noise to the rain.

“Part of me feared that you didn't read between the lines,” he admits.

“I may not contain your super memory, but I can retain information,” I joke wearily.

I'm also glad our nonverbal communication was working. When he had me practicing at the gun range, he explained that I'd need to listen towhathe says andhowhe says it in dangerous situations.

The way he spoke earlier suggested that he didn't think something was right, and if he's suspicious, then so am I. The gun was just in case, but I'd hoped that I wouldn't need it. Carlos proved otherwise. I wasn't thinking about killing Carlos or anything like that; I just needed him to let go of me.

Dante

The fearthat shot through my body when I heard the gunshots was unlike any fear I've ever felt before, not even in Father's hands.

I'm relieved that Inaya is fine, but pissed that he tried to hurt her. I take away the gun that is still clutched in her hand and move to where Carlos lies.

“I told you your emotions would end you one day. Too personal. Sloppy,” I point out like I'm giving him a life lesson. “Bested by a woman in labor.”Pathetic.I bend down and start checking Carlos for weapons. “I should let you bleed out and give you time to think about the stupidity that got you here, but I promised to kill you for messing with my family.”

I don't say anything else since I've already said too much. I'm not much for speeches or monologues.

I'm also not interested in continuing to be violent in front of my wife unless it's necessary. The moment her next contraction hits, taking her eyes and mind off us, I snap his neck. Once I find out what his friend knows, I'm sure he'll suffer the same fate.

Inaya’s whimper pulls me out of my thoughts. My wife needs me. I held her hand through her contraction, then found and destroyed the signal blocker.

Texts from Andrea flood in, listing all his suspicions. I opt to call.

“Hello?” It's one word, but I can hear the relief in his voice.

“One package is ready, and another is being packed.”

“Okay, I can call my courier service to pick them up for expedited delivery. The rain has calmed enough for travel.”

“Good to hear because Inaya is in labor.”

“Shit, you should have led with that! I'll collect the twins and be on our way.”

I just nod and my thumb hovers over the end call button before my wife's words come to mind. Putting the phone back to my ear, I do what she'd expect.

“Thank you.”

Dante

The fear that shot through my body when I heard the gunshots was unlike any fear I've ever felt before, not even in Father's hands.

I'm relieved that Inaya is fine, but pissed that he tried to hurt her. I take away the gun that is still clutched in her hand and move to where Carlos lies.

“I told you your emotions would end you one day. Too personal. Sloppy,” I point out like I'm giving him a life lesson. “Bested by a woman in labor.”Pathetic.I bend down and start checking Carlos for weapons. “I should let you bleed out and give you time to think about the stupidity that got you here, but I promised to kill you for messing with my family.”

I don't say anything else since I've already said too much. I'm not much for speeches or monologues.

I'm also not interested in continuing to be violent in front of my wife unless it's necessary. The moment her next contraction hits, taking her eyes and mind off us, I snap his neck. Once I find out what his friend knows, I'm sure he'll suffer the same fate.

Inaya’s whimper pulls me out of my thoughts. My wife needs me. I held her hand through her contraction, then found and destroyed the signal blocker.

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