Page 14 of The Reaper
I wanted to believe him. Some part of me did.
But trust was a blade. Sharp. And usually pointed at your own neck.
"Sounds clean. What’s the price?"
"None. If it doesn’t work out, you walk."
"And if I stay?"
"You get a blank check."
"Anything?" I asked.
That smile again.
"Within reason."
I leaned forward. Testing him.
"All right. Let’s see how deep it goes. Some place called Promenade. Tomorrow. Get me in."
His brow lifted. Just a flicker. Then gone.
"Done."
He tapped his phone. Looked up.
"Table will be waiting. Eight o’clock. Don’t be early."
That caught me off guard. I hadn’t expected him to pull it off.
But he had.
I thought about the woman in the window.
Naked. Unafraid.
A spark I couldn’t shake.
"Eight it is," I said, standing.
Ryker offered his hand again. I took it.
"Good to meet you, Caleb. We’ll talk more."
"Yeah. We will."
He walked me out. Back through the maze. Out the heavy front door.
He stopped just shy of the threshold.
"One thing. Around here, we don’t play games. You’re either in or you’re out."
I didn’t answer.
I stepped out into the night.
The air slapped me awake. The salt. The heat. The weight of what had just happened.
