Page 19 of Reaper Flame

The truth is, a tiny part of medidcare. I expected to see West in full-on beast mode, not showing off a fucking she-devil on his arm. Penelope wasted no time in looking to reassert her status after Giles lost his fortune. I thought West knew better. What happened to him saying he’d never go back? That there was nothing between them? Maybe I never knew him at all...

Giles scowled as we pulled into the driveway of Briarly Manor. “Look at all their cars onmyland.”

I looked past the parking lot to the grand building. If Hiram’s plan worked, this would be my palace one day. I’d take everything from each of the Briarlys and rule my own fucking kingdom.

“I’ll key them on our way out,” I promised. West’s cars meant everything to him. Every scratch would be a slash on his heart. “We’ll call it a parting gift.”

Rocky’s wake attracted a large crowd. It seemed like more of a party than an occasion where someone had just died. People never turned down the chance of free food and booze.Fucking freeloaders.

The Sevens’ security team didn’t stop us from climbing the manor steps. The manor was different in the daylight. Instead of feeling foreboding, like on my previous visits, there was a new warmness to the place... until I saw two figures who made my blood run cold.

“Here they are!” Hiram beckoned for us to join him and Zander in the doorway. He frowned as we got closer, admiring the scratch on my cheek. “What happened to your face, Kitty?”

Zander’s gray, piercing eyes regarded me with zero emotion like we’d never met before. I don’t know what I’d expected. A flicker of recognition? A glimpse of the person I thought I knew? But, like West, there was nothing. Zander tucked his tattooed hands, laden with silver rings, into the pockets of his black suit in boredom. He’d gotten new ink on his face since we last saw each other. A number seven inked into his temple.The tattoo taunted me. He may claim loyalty to the Sevens meant everything, but where was his loyalty to me when it counted?

“Not everyone was pleased to see me,” I replied to Hiram’s question while keeping my stare fixed on Zander.

Hiram’s lip curled. “Don’t you have your people under control, Zander?”

“I can only apologize, Hiram,” Zander said in an icy tone, extending his hand. “You and your associates are always welcome in our home.”

The bastard didn’t even acknowledge me. At least Vixen had a reaction! She feltsomething.How could this be the same man who fucked me and made my body come alive with a few touches? Zander was a walking ice statue, not someone I’d lived with and lost my anal virginity to.

Hiram grasped Zander’s hand in a firm shake. He may want to take Port Valentine from the Sevens, but he had to play nice for now. “We all wanted to pay our respects.”

“I’m sure you’ll be keen to see the improvements we’ve made to the manor, cousin,” Zander said, addressing Giles with a smug smirk I wanted to wipe off. “Come inside.”

Holy crap…

Giles’s jaw dropped. The manor was almost unrecognizable as the same building. Bright and modern decor replaced its older interior. Chandeliers, oak paneling and ancient art had been swapped for abstract contemporary pieces and glass lights that looked like they were melting. If it wasn’t for Zander’s deal with Hiram helping to bankroll the transformation, I’d have been impressed.

“What do you think, Giles?” Zander probed.

Giles’s fingers curled into tight fists. He was a traditionalist, and this was his idea of a nightmare. Thankfully, we were spared a Giles temper tantrum as Penelope and West approached.

“You have a nerve showing yourself here,” Penelope hissed in my direction. “Have you come to gloat?”

“It looks like you have,” I rebutted. “In fact, you seem to be the only person looking happy on the day of a fucking funeral. How long did it take you to jump on West’s cock after Rocky died?”

Hiram chuckled, putting his hand on my arm. “Be nice, Kitten.”

“How could you have marriedher?” Penelope asked Giles in an almost pleading tone. “She has zero fucking class!”

“You should be thanking me, Penny,” I snarled. “Now, you’ve got everything you’ve always wanted.”

West wrapped his arm around Penelope’s shoulder to hold her back. “Leave it, Penny. She’s not worth it.”

His words hurt like a metal crowbar to the head, but I kept my expression neutral. He’d made his choice and deserved everything that came to him.

“You’re right,” Penelope said, flicking her hair over her shoulder dramatically like a cheerleader in a movie. She was a walking freaking cliché. “Why don’t we go up to your room, West? I need to rest.”

I clenched my jaw to stop myself from saying something I’d regret.

“I’ve converted your old room, Giles,” West said, then smirked. “It’s very… comfortable.”

That was all it took for Giles to explode. He dove at West like an angry hornet being released from the nest. Unfortunately for Giles, he rebounded straight off of West’s pecs like they were a bounce house.

Hiram caught Giles by the collar and heaved him back. Giles paled as Hiram whispered something in his ear. He had high expectations and did not appreciate being let down. West laughed as he and Penelope took off in the opposite direction.

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