Page 37 of Reaper Flame

Vixen opened her mouth to object, but Mieko sent her a warning look to stop her.

“Zander didn’t do this for revenge,” Mieko said cautiously. “By absorbing the Briarly estate, Zander could get enough resources to do what he really wants.”

“And what’s that?” I muttered, feeling anger build inside me like a simmering cooking pot. “A fancy new mansion and a hundred new cars? What does a monster like Zander Briarlyreallywant?”

Suddenly, the cabin door flew open. What was the point in a closed fucking door if everyone just ignored it? Zander stood in the doorframe, flanked by West and Rocky. Clearly, the three of them had been eavesdropping on our conversation.

“You asked what I really want,” Zander said. His eyes met mine with shining determination. “I want to kill Hiram, and now? We can.”

“You’re lying,” I spat.

Zander was a master manipulator. This is what he did. If he was going to try to spin everything around to makehimlook like the good guy, I’d rather blow a hole in the side of the yacht and sink us all than hear another word he had to say.

“All of this was for you,” Rocky confirmed, his tone pleading, thinking Zander’s revelation would instantly make everything better. Unless Zander’s newfound wealth was enough to build a fucking time machine, his hopes were about to get crushed.

“There was no other way,” Zander said. “We stood no chance against Hiram’s empire alone but, with my father’s assets, we can take him down.”

I looked from Rocky to West, then to Vixen and Mieko. “You all knew about this?”

“If I’d known what he was planning, it’d never have happened,” West growled. He looked at Zander like he wanted to rip his head off, making his denial seem almost plausible. Before West could say more, Rocky elbowed him sharply in the ribs, causing him to re-direct his anger. “Now we have a chance to rip Hiram’s throat out, we’re gonna take it.”

“Why do you care, West?” I asked. “Haven’t you got Penny to worry about?”

West’s jaw clenched. “If you think I could ever be with her, then Hiram really has destroyed you.”

He turned his back on me and stormed away. A crash came from down the corridor. Typical. As per, the big man was taking out his anger on something nearby. His words left a dull ache in my chest, but I didn’t have time to think about what he’d said properly.

“You’re our Seven girl, little one,” Zander spoke again. “You can’t escape it. You’re bound to us.”

“You severed any ties I had to the Sevens the moment you went back on everything you stood for,” I said, looking at him with pure hatred. My body shook as I resisted the urge to fly across the cabin and finish him. It’s what he deserved. “You’re a hypocrite.”

Rocky stepped in, sensing I was close to exploding. “Come on, C—”

“No!” I shouted, cutting him off and making Mieko yelp in surprise. “Get the fuck out of my room! All of you!”

Everyone looked to Zander and, with a swift nod, he gestured for the others to leave.

Mieko placed her hand on my shoulder as she left. “We’ll see you later, Candy.”

“It’s not like I have a choice,” I muttered under my breath. I’d swapped one prison for another.

The others filed away obediently like dogs on a leash. If Zander asked them to jump off the boat, they’d ask how fucking high. Why don’t they just carve a golden statue out of him already?

Zander paused at the door.

“You’re a Seven, Candy,” Zander said. His tone wasn’t forceful or demanding. It was softer with a hint of something else that I couldn’t place. “We did this for you.”

He looked like he wanted to say more, but I wouldn’t give him the chance. I slammed the door in his face, leaving me with nothing but my conflicting thoughts and the sound of crashing waves. Even if what Zander said was true, how could we ever come back from this?

EIGHT

“If you’ve come to speak to me, then you can fuck off!” I yelled at the persistent rapping at my door. Why couldn’t they take the hint already? I’d made it as clear as a polished diamond that I wanted to be left alone. “I don’t want to hear it!”

I pressed my back against the cabin wall and hugged my knees against my chest.

“Um…” The person on the other side of the door hesitated. From their reluctance, it seemed they didn’t want to be there any more than I wanted them to be. “It’s Q. The Captain of the dingy.”

Well, shit. My earlier outburst had offended him, too.Way to fucking go, Candy. It wasn’t his fault the Sevens had entangled me in a huge shit storm. Q gingerly pushed the door open, cautiously peering inside like a whack-a-mole daring to rear his head. If it was any of the others, except for Mieko, I’d have happily punched it back where it came from.

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