Page 127 of Ravaged Saints

He presses a button, cutting her off from hearing me.

“Where is Da—”She doesn’t get the chance to finish.

Knox cuts in, cold as a blade.

“Roman.”

Roman grins.“Reaper. So good to finally hear your voice again.”

“How the fuck are you still alive?”Knox growls.

“You know me,”Roman hums.“Always have a backup plan. You’ve got a nice little fortress here. Ethan was right about that.”

“Tell him he’s a dead man.”Knox barks, and I can hear the anger in his tone.

“Oh, don’t worry. He already is.”Roman nudges Ethan’s corpse with his boot as two of his men step forward, dragging the body away.“Never trusted the bastard. He’d have put a bullet in my head the first chance he got.”

“And Dante?”Knox demands.

Roman tilts his head, eyes locking onto mine. “Speak.”

I swallow the blood pooling in my mouth.“Reaper.”

A sharp exhale comes through the radio.

“He’s alive,”Roman says.“For now.”

Knox’s voice hardens. “What the fuck does that mean?”

“I want the code to the weapons.”He pauses, a smirk on his face,“And the girl.”

Ice spikes through my veins, and silence crackles on the other end.

“Fine!”

Aspen’s answers shatters through the static.

No.

“Aspen, don’t you fucking dare!” I roar.

Pain explodes in my skull as Roman pistol-whips me, and my vision sways. Blood drips warm down my temple.

“Me for Dante,”Aspen demands.

Roman grins.“Deal.”

“Reaper, don’t—”

The second blow knocks me to my knees, and the world spins.

“Fuck.”

“We won’t, brother,”Max growls through the radio.

Roman sighs, shaking his head like this is all so disappointing.“Oh, so the whole crew is still breathing? Shame.”He turns to me, his smile widening.“I’m sure Miss Aspen will do the right thing. Won’t you, princess?”

A beat of silence.

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