Page 21 of Reaper Flame

“Hiram,” he said, extending his hand. She took it, and he brought hers up to his mouth to kiss it. “It’s a pleasure.”

Fuck, no! No, no, no!

Hiram possessed a sixth sense for finding weakness in others. He harnessed people’s insecurity for his own gain. Mieko had been through a lot of shit. She’d come from an abusive home and spent her life doing what she could to get back on track. Hiram didn’t only sense weakness, but people who had inner strength. He liked a challenge.

I knew how this situation played out. At the start, Hiram would charm you. He’d ask questions about your life to find out your story. He makes you feel like your voice is the most important one. He pretends to care when all he does is analyze and measure you up to see whether he could put you to use.

“We should get back to the party, Hiram,” I said, my voice a pitch higher than usual, “before Giles does something stupid.”

“I’m sure you can handle your husband without my help,” Hiram said, dismissing me with a wave. “I would like to get to know my new friend better.”

I sent Mieko a pleading look, hoping she’d be able to read my signals.

Get as far away from here as you can! Run and don’t look back!

Instead, she giggled. It sounded unnatural coming out of her mouth, like how dancers in the club would simper to get a few extra bucks out of a client. I don’t know what she was doing, but she didn’t understand how much danger she was putting herself in.

Hiram taking an interest in someone was like being taken under the wing of the Grim fucking Reaper. If he decided he wanted you, then there was no escaping the inevitable. He couldn’t have Mieko.I wouldn’t let it happen.

“I was just about to look at the Briarlys’ new paintings. Would you like to see them?” she suggested, her voice shaking a little. Goddammit, why couldn’t she have put a little more oomph into her words? Hiram would find her timid nervous manner enthralling. “I mean, you don’t have to if—”

“I would love to,” Hiram insisted, reaching out to grasp Mieko’s arm. She winced at his touch but didn’t try to push him away. “Ignore Kitty. She can get a little jealous.”

“I think I’ll join you,” I said through gritted teeth.

“You need to get back to babysitting, remember?” Hiram said with a twisted grin.Fuck!He could tell from the look on my face that I cared about her, and it only made him more excited. Everything was a game to him. “I’ll join you again soon.”

I watched as he and Mieko headed into another room. With Hiram distracted by Mieko, it would be the perfect time to track down Zander, but this wasn’t just about me anymore. The question is, did I care more about ending Zander’s life or Hiram ruining Mieko’s? The decision was easy.

I returned to the bar to see Giles and Penelope bickering in hushed tones, but none of the Sevens were around.

Where the fuck were they?

I made a snap decision. This was a huge manor, and Vixen liked to avoid people. The bedrooms seemed like a good place to start my search. I may not be Vixen’s favorite person, but I had to find her. I don’t know what dangerous game Mieko was playing, but Hiram was not the type of man you wanted to take an interest in your girlfriend.

* * *

I remembered the floor plan from my last visit and raced to the staircase. Zander had shown me where his old bedroom was, so it seemed like a logical place to begin. Maybe they had adopted that part of the building as their new living quarters?

“Vixen?” I called out as I paced along the corridor. “Vixen?”

Nothing.

Why did they have to move to the fucking manor? In huge places, you needed a megaphone to be heard from one side to the other. I couldn’t shout the place down without drawing Hiram’s attention.

I tried a few of the doors. All of them were locked.

Fuckety-fuck-fuck-FUCK!

As I hurried along, one of the doors flew open, and a strong arm yanked me inside, almost knocking me off my feet. The door shut behind us, and I looked up to see West staring menacingly down.

“Mother fu—”

West pressed one of his hands against my mouth and pushed me back, pinning my body against the wood. My heart pounded. The narrow space between us didn’t leave enough room to pull the knife out of my bra without slicing a nipple off. What was he planning to do?

“Listen carefully to what I’m about to say,” West growled. His blue stare burned into me with a deep intensity. “Do you remember what Zander told you last time you came here?”

I didn’t have time for cryptic riddles! Mieko and Hiram were roaming around together somewhere on the floors below. He needed to help me!

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