Page 2 of Reaper Flame

“Call it a reminder,” Hiram said; his face darkened as a storm rolled over his features. “Now that I have what I want, I can’t allow the past to go unpunished.”

He wasn’t talking about me. Hiram may have made a deal with Zander for my safe return, but he wouldn’t forget how I’d sworn allegiance to someone else.

One way or another, he would make sure Zander Briarly was going to fucking pay. We both would.

ONE

TWO MONTHS LATER…

“You don’t seem like yourself today, Kitten,” Hiram remarked, pursing his lips in disapproval from his high-backed chair that resembled a throne.

What did he expect me to say? I was cramping like a bitch and soaking through jumbo tampons every few hours during a monster period. Cut a girl a fucking break! Instead, I replied, “I’m fine.”

We were in the sitting room of his penthouse suite in Blackthorne Towers with the Blackbird. Despite its luxurious appearance, none of the furniture was comfortable. No matter how hard I tried to relax on the leather sofa, it twisted my back out of joint. A faux fireplace cast strange shadows across the room, while mounted animal heads on the walls watched me.

“Why don’t we talk about the good old days?” the Blackbird suggested from the opposite end of the sofa. He flashed his yellowing teeth in a smile. His dislike for me had amplified since my return, and his beady eyes followed me whenever I moved. The fucker didn’t trust me as much as I didn’t trust him. “How about one of my favorite stories? The one about how Giovanni Romano’s son wanted his father dead?”

I scowled. He and Hiram enjoyed taunting me about my recent defection. After leaving the warehouse in Port Valentine, Hiram took great pleasure in informing me there was no value to the photographs Bryce Briarly found of the guests at the Romano mansion on the night Giovanni died. All my worries about the Romano family coming to kill me, and the Sevens, had been pointless. Despite the rumors, those running the Romano empire didn’t have an interest in finding out who killed their ex-leader. After he died, Giovanni Romano’s eldest son partnered with Hiram. If I hadn’t killed Romano, his children would have.

“You know what else is funny?” I snapped. “Me making you choke on your own fucking cock!”

The Blackbird’s brows lowered as he leaned back in a sulky silence, and Hiram cackled.

“The threat of violence always cheers her up,” Hiram said fondly, making the Blackbird’s frown deepen.

Hiram was wrong. Nothing cheered me up anymore. The Blackbird’s joke only reminded me of how naive I’d been. While I worried about the Sevens and my past catching up with us, I was blind to what Zander was doing right under my fucking nose.

Transitioning fully back into the Kitten was an ongoing battle. When Candy broke into a thousand pieces, the Kitten rose to the surface to take her place. She’d always been there, waiting to return and rule like a fucking queen. But emotions were hard to seal off completely. As much as I tried to lock them away, they resurged when I least expected them.

“What reports do you have from Port Valentine?” Hiram asked, changing the subject.

He enjoyed keeping up with the latest news. After getting me back, I thought he would want to leave the past behind. Instead, spending more time in the area made him want to expand his reach into the godforsaken town. He saw potential in its lawlessness, which made it harder to forget what happened there, and the people I left behind.

“Red is still in the hospital,” the Blackbird said. “My sources say they’ll turn off the machines any day now.”

“The sooner the better,” Hiram said, rubbing his hands together. “Don’t you agree, Kitten?”

“Of course,” I replied.

It would have been easier if Rocky died in the warehouse that night. Hearing about him clinging to life only prolonged the inevitable. It gave me a tiny shred of hope and stopped me from letting go of the little humanity I had left. Having hope was dangerous. Hope usually came to nothing but disappointment.

Whenever I slept, I relived the moment the gun fired like a torturous dream version ofGroundhog Day. My time with the Sevens was built on a lie, buthethought I was worth saving. Rocky fought for us in those last moments.

“I’m surprised,” the Blackbird continued, daring to challenge me and forgetting his place. “You seemed rather fond of the Seven men when I visited you.”

“You know nothing,” I hissed, pushing away the memories of days spent in Lapland with people I thought I could trust and had started to love.

My chest ached like I’d been sucker-punched as I stopped myself from remembering. I didn’t want to think about them. I couldn’t! A world I thought was real had been shattered. My focus had to be on the present. Being with Hiram gave me a purpose and status.

‘We’re better off without her, Red.’

I used to think Hiram was the worst human to walk the earth, but Zander Briarly was pure evil and rotten to the core. He tricked me into trusting him and joining his gang. He infiltrated his way into my life, my bed, and my fucking heart. He played me to get what he always wanted. A fat paycheck from Hiram and revenge on his father.

‘She was never a Seven.’

Zander used me like a cheap piece of ass... and I let him. As for the other Sevens, I knew Rocky loved me. He proved it when he was willing to die to stop Hiram from taking me, but what about West? As much as I could hope the big man who made me melt hadn’t plotted against me, how could I be sure? I mean, he did install a surveillance system in my old apartment. Maybe he lied and was spying on me for Hiram. How could I ever trust my judgment again when I’d been so fucking wrong?

“Why are you still wearing that necklace, Kitty?” the Blackbird asked, pulling me out of my reverie.

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