Page 45 of Reaper Flame

For tonight, I’d pretend this was a ‘normal’ slumber party and try to forget how we were floating on a yacht in the middle of an ocean with a crime lord on our tail. Hiram had taken me back once before, but my departure at the funeral would be an unforgivable offense in his eyes. A cat only had nine lives, and maybe he’d decide it was time to put the Kitten down.

My thoughts strayed from the movie as I drank the rest of the vodka. I may have agreed to stay with Sevens for the time being and they may be willing to stand up to Hiram, but how many of them would be left when this was all over?

TEN

After a night of watching horror movies and feasting on junk food, Mieko and Vixen returned to their cabin, but I wasn’t ready to go to bed. I needed to clear my head first.

Watching a movie about a predatory hunter only made me realize how we weren’t so different. I headed up to the empty deck. The bright crescent moon illuminated the waves in a ghostly glow, and the wind stung my cheeks. I wandered over to the metal railings and clutched onto them, peering over the side to look into the dark waters below. Who knew what creatures swam beneath us? Humans hadn’t been able to explore the ocean bed. For all we know, alien civilizations could be partying down there around the clock.

A low, gravelly voice came from behind me. “You shouldn’t be out here alone at night.”

“And you shouldn’t sneak up on people,” I snapped, especially when someone was in the middle of thinking about weird sea alien species.

“It’s not safe,” West warned, stepping out of the shadows. How long had he been watching me? “Especially without your life ring.”

Clearly, my earlier accessory choice hadn’t been lost on him.

I scowled. “What’s your excuse?”

“I couldn’t sleep,” he replied. “I thought I’d take a walk.”

“Well, this space is occupied.” I turned my back on him and stared back at the waves. It was nice to be away from the city, the constant pollution, the gangs, the guns. I wasn’t about to let The Hulk ruin my peaceful tranquility. “Unless you want to go for a midnight swim, go and skulk around somewhere else.”

West took no notice. He came to join me, looming above like an imposing brick wall, blocking out the moonlight. His inked muscles seemed to suck away some of the available air. He didn’t take up space. Space made room for him.

“Want to know a secret?” West asked.

I kept my mouth shut. After he’d spent dinner avoiding looking in my direction, he could shove his mind games straight up his ass.

“I can’t swim,” West admitted. “Never could. If you want to throw me off, there’s nothing I could do.”

“Maybe you should have kept that secret to yourself,” I said. “Don’t you think a boat filled with serial killers in the middle of the ocean isn’t the best place for you to be?”

I imagined his massive body rolling over the side. It’d crash into the water, sending spray flying high and then sink like a block of concrete. It wouldn’t take long. No one would ever know.

“I can tell you’re thinking about it. Whenever you’re plotting, you get this look of deep concentration,” West said, reading me like we were playing a game of poker. “Do you really want to throw me off? How long are you going to keep taking out your anger on everyone else because of what Zander did?”

“You don’t know what I’m thinking or what I want,” I snarled.

“Then try me. What do you want?” West asked, turning to face me. “If you want me to take it to a watery grave, you know what you’ve got to do.”

I flicked my hair over my shoulder and inclined my chin to stare into his stormy blue eyes. Like the ocean, unpredictability stirred behind his black pupils, and chaos glared right back.

“I don’t owe you anything, West,” I said.

West laughed chillingly, then his lip curled. “Not even a thank you?”

I blinked. “A fucking thank you? You expect me to be grateful that you all left me to rot in Blackthorne Towers for eight weeks? Do you even realize what it was like there?”

“What about Red?” he rebutted, disregarding my points. “You put him in the hospital, Pinkie. We didn’t have to go back for you. We could have left you to rot there forever.”

“If you didn’t want me to come back, then why help?” I snarled, feeling my inner bitch rise to the surface and take over. “I’m sure Penelope will keep your bed warm.”

“Do you realize how much of a selfish brat you sound?” West spat. His knuckles turned stark white as he gripped the railings tightly, making his forearms bulge like he was resisting the urge to wrap his hands around my neck. “Do you think I liked asking Penelope to come to Red’s funeral as a cover-up? It was the first time I’d seen her in weeks. No one is begging you to stay. You accepted Zander’s deal for a reason. Why don’t you be honest with yourself for a fucking second?”

My chest tightened. The sound of the water and engine filled my eardrums as I took a gulp of air to steady myself.

“You could be lying about Penelope. Lying is something the Sevens are good at,” I sneered. “Give me one reason why I should believe a single word coming out of your mouth.”

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