Page 67 of They Call Him Reaper

Marius' cries end our conversation, and I move on to scout the scene. The setting sun is preparing to shroud me with nightfall. I prefer the darkness; it was my constant companion that shielded me from the world.

The map takes me to a residential neighborhood. Smart. More chances for witnesses. It's not anything that'll deter me since I've killed in all situations.

My first instinct from training is to go the opposite way and work my way back to the house on foot. If he's expecting me, he’s anticipating that approach. I park in front of the neighbor’s house since I'm driving a nondescript black vehicle with hard to read plates.

Carefully, I make my way up the driveway while checking for guards and traps until I'm standing in front of a window on the side of the house. Father sits inside drinking his usual while looking at something out of my line of sight. I know that I killed the majority of his men, but he still looks too conveniently under protected.

I reach for my gun just as my phone vibrates. I want to ignore it, but something tells me to answer. My eyes stay glued to Father while the rest of my body remains alert.

“Yes?”

“Dante?” I recognize Zo’s voice, although it’s not as booming as usual. He coughs a few times and his breathing is labored. I know he’s in pain, but why?

“What’s wrong?”

“Andrea…in trouble.” I immediately move back into the shadows to retreat. Saving him is much higher than personalvengeance. “Tried to stop them,” he finishes before another labored breath.

“Delaney?” I ask from the car as I pull away.

“Same.”

My blood pressure spikes, but this simply causes my brain to slow down enough to access and execute. I head in the direction of Zo’s location but slow down when he speaks again.

“They took them.”

I stop in the middle of the street since my emotions are trying to get involved. I have no idea if my wife can see into the future, but her words come back to me almost immediately.

It's okay for you to be the Dante I met if you need to be.

I roll my head to crack my neck, then release a long breath as I lock up my emotions the way I have learned to do years ago. Old Dante is exactly who they’ll get. My fingers work to open a different app, and a slow smile covers my face once I get a ping.

“Good girl,” I mumble as I burn off. Delaney using the gift I gave her is the worst thing that could have happened to the people who took them.

Epilogue

INAYA

Three Months Later

We droppedoff Marius for a playdate with Tatum, although I’m not sure how much babies can play together. Still, I’m excited to see whatever surprise Dante has in store. I would think that his lifetime in stealth mode would make it easier to hide that he was up to something, but it didn’t. I choose, however, to remain in the moment and let the events unfold the way he sees them in his mind.

I look out the car window, noting the beautiful spring day. The sun shines, but a gentle breeze gives the foliage motion and keeps the day from being too hot. We’re traveling north of Andrea’s home, which takes us farther from the water and downtown. My curiosity is high since this is a new part of the city that I haven’t seen. Fields and land tell me this is the more rural part.

Eventually, Dante stops and pulls the car over on the side of the road. He cuts the ignition and pops the trunk. This wouldhave scared me when we first met, but I know better now. The car bounces a little when he closes the trunk. I watch through the passenger mirror as he approaches. Dante still hasn’t cut his hair, and it now brushes his shoulders, which is dangerous for him since I have the propensity to pounce every time he puts it in some sort of bun or ponytail.

I still get so caught up in how good my man looks, I don’t hear anything he says. Dante gives me a patient smile and opens the door for me.

“Follow me, Muñeca,” he repeats.

I take his hand and giddily follow him like we met under normal circumstances and this is our first date.

We walk through the field as I look at all the flowers since I’ve never been anywhere like this before. Dante stops once we’re in a clearing and spreads out a blanket. After a peck to my lips, he guides me to sit on the blanket.

“I’ve always wanted to have a picnic,” I admit as I watch him take things out of the basket.

Once I finally rip my eyes away from him, I realize he has placed me with the field of flowers behind me. All I see is the empty land and blue skies.

“Why aren’t we facing the flowers?” I ask when he finally settles in next to me.

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