Page 125 of Reaper Flame

“West, Red and Vix, go left. Get Mieko and leave,” Zander ordered. “Candy and I will go right. We’ll get Hiram.”

“But—” Rocky looked at me for approval, not wanting to leave my side.

“Do it for me,” I said, hoping he could see the pleading in my eyes. “Protect Vixen and Mieko, okay?”

Rocky nodded firmly. His playful side had vanished. He’d spent years in Redlake being forced to fight in an underground ring. He knew how to survive. He’d made mistakes in the past and wouldn’t let them happen again. “No one will touch them,” he promised.

“See you on the other side, Pinkie,” West said with a monstrous grin that would make most men shit themselves as he rubbed his hands together. He’d kept his beast caged for years, and it was finally getting its moment to shine. It lived for blood and violence. His monster wouldn’t let me down.

He, Rocky, and Vixen backed away from us.

“You should have taken the deal, Zander,” I murmured as we readied ourselves for the imminent attack. The men were only a few feet away now. It was too late to go back, but I had to say it. “All of this could have been over, and you could have found out what happened.”

“The decision was easy, little one,” Zander replied. I turned to look at him, and he was smiling. A real, sparkling smile that wouldn’t look out of place on the cover of a magazine! Was he fucking insane? “There is no Sevens without you. I’ll die fighting for you if I have to. We all will because we love you.”

I was lost for words, torn between wanting to say it back because it might be my last chance, but afraid I’d never be able to tell Rocky or West how I felt. I could disembowel someone without blinking, but love? That was fucked up shit I didn’t know how to handle, and it terrified me.

Zander raised an eyebrow, reading my thoughts. “How does love scare you more than the group of men trying to kill us?”

The first swinging punch saved me from having to answer. Zander had my back. He already had the offender by the throat, crushing his windpipe.

“No one touches our Seven girl,” Zander growled, throwing the unconscious man into the pool to drown. He looked at me. “Ready?”

I pulled out my engraved knife. “More than.”

The seams of my shirt tore as a sweaty arm tried to grab me. I spun and sunk my blade into his forearm to force him to loosen his grip. As my opponent wavered, I delivered a sharp blow between the legs with my knee. He doubled over in agony and fell to the floor. I loomed over him and delivered a fatal blow through his eye, killing him instantly.

At my side, three guys surrounded Zander. I launched onto one of their backs like a wildcat, stabbing at his temples like it was a game of blood spraying whack-a-mole, while Zander finished the other two. My hair would need a deep condition if we got out of this.

“Good job,” Zander complimented as we raced forward.

“Thanks.” I grinned, wiping the blood from my brow. “You’re not so bad yourself.”

I hadn’t fully seen Zander in action before, but damn! He could predict our enemies’ next move and stay a step ahead like everyone was moving to a tune only he could hear. The Kitten took over as we picked off the security fleet person at a time. With seven bodies behind us, we’d cleared half the room already.

“Behind you!” Zander called over in warning.

I pivoted as a sneaky fucker lunged and hoisted me over his shoulder. Hadn’t anyone taught him not to touch without consent? I tore straight through his ear with my teeth. The metallic taste of his blood filled my mouth.Gross!I spat the rubbery flesh to the ground. As well as a deep condition, I’d need to get some fucking shots too.

The man howled in pain and dropped me. He looked around frantically for his ear. Was he delusional enough to think he’d get to a hospital in time? As he dove forward to grab it, I stamped it flat and kicked him in the face to knock out his teeth for good measure.

“Let go of me!” Vixen’s yelling made me spin around.

Everything seemed to play in slow motion. I watched West dive to protect her from the guys who pinned her against the wall. He fought them both single-handedly. His giant hands wrenched them by their hair and slammed their skulls together so hard they knocked themselves out. Their unconscious bodies fell onto West, making him dodge and slip on a puddle of blood. He didn’t act quick enough. West lost his balance and staggered, then fell over the edge and into the murky pool water with a huge splash.

A few moments passed… nothing.

Air bubbles floated to the surface where he’d disappeared. Fuck! My throat closed as I remembered our time on the yacht.

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

“West!” I screamed out his name in desperation.

He was sinking like a fucking brick, and there was nothing I could do. How long could someone survive without air? Zander tried to battle his way to the edge, but he was too busy sparring with three guys. Another gang of goons with leering faces headed towards me, blocking my entry to the water. On the other side of the pool, Vixen and Rocky were surrounded. All the while, West was still underwater… drowning.

Out of nowhere, a tiny figure sprinted to the poolside and executed a perfect dive that would be worthy of an Olympic champion.Mieko.She vanished under the filthy surface. Seconds later, she reappeared with West. His lips were blue, and he was gasping for air, but he was alive.

Hiram’s men waited for them to emerge. They dragged them both from the water and yanked their hands behind their back into a tie. They took special care to fasten West. In his condition, he couldn’t fight back even if he wanted to.

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