Page 17 of Reaper Flame

West paused for a second and turned back to the car. He held out his hand, and a woman practically skipped out after him.

“Bastard!” Giles yelled, making a lunge for the door handle. Thankfully, Hiram had been smart enough to give the driver orders to lock us in until I said so. We couldn’t have Giles storming out and ruining everything. “I’ll fucking kill him!”

Penelope smirked as she took West’s arm. From the look on her face, you’d think she was arriving at a film premiere with a celebrity, not a gang member who was getting ready to bury his brother. Numbness swept through me at the sight of them together. They were both gorgeous and looked like they belonged together, but it didn’t stop a wave of anger from rising inside me. I wanted to claw her fucking eyes out.

“Get your shit together,” I hissed, not sure whether I was trying to convince Giles or myself more. “This isn’t about her. We have a job to do. We’re here for a reason.”

Giles’s chest heaved. “But—”

“No fucking buts!” I interrupted. “If you can’t keep your head together, you’re not going anywhere. You’re not about to ruin this.”

Giles slumped back in his seat and crossed his arms. “Fine!”

His moody schoolboy act didn’t fool me. Unrest bubbled under his expensive tweed suit. He wouldn’t be able to control himself if he got the chance to speak to Penelope, which I could use to my advantage later.

“I mean it, Giles,” I warned. “I’ll take you out if you get in my fucking way.”

As the two couples greeted the mourners, I kept my gaze fixed on the Sevens’ cars and waited for the final figure to emerge. Then, nothing. The cars drove away.

“Where’s Zander?” Giles asked, voicing my own confusion.

Good fucking question.

* * *

We waited for everyone to go inside, allowing time for the service to begin.Seeing Penelope in West’s arms ignited a fire under Giles’s balls. His impulsiveness and questionable judgment was a concern, but I had my own shit to worry about. Seeing West with his bitch of an ex left a bitter taste in my mouth, and I needed to bottle up those feelings before both of us were compromised.

“When can we go in?” Giles asked. “It won’t last long. There can’t be that many nice things to say about him.”

I bit my tongue to stop myself from saying if it washisfuneral, it’d already be over by now.

There were plenty of nice things I could say about Rocky. I knew him better than anyone. We’d come from the same background and understood each other on a level others didn’t get. I’d have talked about how he used to look out for me, about how kind and funny he was, about how he’d do anything to right his mistakes, and would risk his life to protect the people he loved... and how stupid he was to believe there was anything redeemable about me.

A walkie-talkie crackled over the car radio.

“That’s the signal,” I said, putting my game face on. Hiram had posted an undercover guy on the inside to alert us when we should enter. I’d been against the idea but, without it, I don’t know whether I’d have been able to muster the courage to get out of the car. “It’s time.”

“Finally!” Giles said as the driver unlocked the doors and we stepped out.

I held out my hand and allowed him to slip his sweaty fingers through mine. If Rocky was watching, he’d be shaking his head. I could almost hear his voice in my head saying,’Do you even know what you’re doing, C?’and then he’d light a spliff to brighten the mood.

We paced to the chapel in a determined silence. When we arrived, we exchanged a look of mutual understanding. We may be here for different reasons, but we both agreed on something. Zander was going to fucking pay.

“Let’s do this,” I spat through gritted teeth.

I threw the door open with a bang that caused every head in the building to swivel around. Rocky’s coffin was directly in front of us. It was a relief to see the casket was closed, but I avoided looking at it. Soon, he’d be nothing but embers. The only thing I’d have left of him were our memories and, one day, even they would fade. I couldn’t process that now though, all I could do was smile and step inside.

My heel hitting the stone floor echoed through the rafters. There was a collective intake of breath, then complete chaos broke out. Just as I’d been hoping for.

Vixen’s toe-curling shriek broke the silence. “You bitch!”

“It looks like we made it in time for the best part,” I said, hating myself for what I had to do.

I’m sorry, Rocky.I pleaded to his spirit, in case he was listening.This is what I have to do.

Vixen jumped up from her seat in the front row and started sprinting towards me. West was faster. He caught her, wrapping his tree-trunk-like arms around her waist to hold her back as she screamed like a banshee.

“You murderer!” she screeched, trying to kick West away. The black make-up smudged around her eyes which made her look like a psycho zombie against her chalky complexion. “I’ll fucking kill you!”

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