Page 40 of Reaper Flame

“Quit it, you guys!” Rocky made a fake retching noise. “Some of us are about to eat.”

His attempt at lightening the mood failed dismally. A few months ago, we would have slipped back into easy conversation, but the atmosphere was tense as my chair screeched across the wooden boards below.

“I didn’t know whether you’d be joining us,” Zander said from across the table. Why did I have to be opposite him? “Are you hungry?”

Zander may be a traitor, but he sure knew his way around the kitchen. In the middle of the table, a stack of cooked steaks and a variety of bowls filled with delicious food made my mouth water.

“Starving,” I replied without any enthusiasm.

I had to act civil until I got answers… and finished my meal.

“How do you like your steak?” Zander asked.

I picked up my cutlery, squeezing it tightly. “The bloodier, the better.”

“I’d expect no less,” Zander replied, putting a steak on a plate and pushing it towards me.

Everyone drew a breath as if they were expecting me to fly into a fit of blind rage.

Q squeezed my shoulder in encouragement. “I’m glad you came.”

Zander continued to serve up food while everyone sat in silence. West shuffled his chair an extra few inches away. After my outburst about Penelope, he was purposefully avoiding looking in my direction. Maybe I’d been too quick to judge, and his feelings were hurt… but what did he expect me to think? How could I not second guess everything after what Zander did?

Despite the heaters on deck, the cool breeze chilled my skin. Apart from a thin shawl, Vixen hadn’t considered I might need to dress for something that wasn’t fit for a club or a freaking movie premiere.

“Are you cold?” Rocky asked, picking up on it instantly. He hadn’t taken his eyes off me since I sat down. Without my prompting, he started to take off his sweater. “You can have mine.”

“No,” I snapped, causing him to halt. His wounded expression almost made me feel bad, but not bad enough to accept his offer. I didn’t need him, or anyone else, to act as a knight in shining armor — even if it meant freezing my nipples off. “I’m fine.”

“This looks amazing,” Q said as Zander passed him a plate.

“Are we really going to sit around and pretend to play happy families?” I asked.

You’d need a fucking chainsaw to cut through the tension at the table.

“I don’t know,” Zander replied calmly. “Are we?”

“Play nice,” Q whispered under his breath.

I stabbed at my steak and started carving it in two.

“I’d like to propose a toast,” Zander said, raising his glass. My glass stayed untouched as the others held up their own. “To homecoming.”

It didn’t feel like a celebratory dinner. In fact, it felt more like a waiting room full of patients waiting to hear bad news. This was no time for celebrations, and here? I was anywherebuthome. I didn’t have a fucking home anymore. I shoveled a forkful into my mouth to forget the…Mother of everything holy!The steak tasted out of this world, but I kept my face impassive. Manipulating me through food was just another one of Zander’s ploys.

Nobody spoke for the rest of the meal. My skin prickled as the others watched me, but I didn’t look up from my plate. Didn’t they know I preferred to work on a full stomach? With West’s reputation for flipping tables, I wasn’t going to ask any difficult questions yet. It’d be a criminal offense to waste anything. After I finished eating, I dabbed my mouth with a napkin. I wanted to talk business.

“Why don’t you fill me in on what I missed when I was gone?” I said, sliding my empty plate away and crossing my arms. “It seems like a lot has changed in two months.”

Vixen, Mieko and Q exchanged nervous looks. West scowled, refusing to look at me, and Rocky bit his lip in concern for what was going to happen next.

“My father is destitute. With Hiram’s money, we bought the manor and still have cash in the bank,” Zander said. He drummed his fingers on the table to an irregular beat. “We have the money and the connections to take down Hiram once and for all. I meant what I said earlier. Now is the time. We’re ready and, this time, we’re going to kill him.”

“I don’twantyour help with Hiram,” I spat.

“You may not want it,” Zander said, “but you know you can’t do it alone.”

“So, you want me to forget everything you’ve done?” I asked. “You went behind my back and auctioned me off like a fucking painting! Did you even think about what life was like for me? After all the time we spent together, didn’t it ever occur to you to let me in on your plan?”

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