Page 14 of Reaper's Justice
"Nothing about this is pretty." Her eyes harden. "For once, I want to be on the outside. I want to see them caged, hurt, afraid. Like they made us feel."
I understand the need for vengeance better than most. It's a visceral hunger that can consume you if you let it. But it can also bring a closure nothing else provides.
"You could get hurt."
"I've already been hurt." She takes a step closer, and I resist the urge to back away. Not out of fear, but because her proximity does something to my self-control. "I need this. Please."
The word "please" from her lips shouldn't affect me the way it does. I've had women beg me for many things over the years—for mercy, for pleasure, for forgiveness. None have moved me like this simple request from a woman who's lost everything but still has the courage to seek justice.
"You stay in the vehicle," I finally say. "You stay down if I tell you to. You follow every order without question. Clear?"
Relief floods her face. "Clear."
"Get changed. There are clothes in the dresser in my room. Bottom drawer has smaller items that might fit better. Three minutes."
She nods and hurries out. I take a moment to center myself, to shift into the mindset required for what's coming. This isn't just a territorial defense or a business operation. This is a rescue mission, with the additional complication of having Evelyn along.
Ghost appears in the doorway, eyebrow raised. "Everything okay, boss?"
"She's coming with us."
His other eyebrow joins the first. "That's a bad idea."
"Probably."
"And you're doing it anyway."
"Yep."
He sighs, shaking his head. "She's got you twisted up."
"Focus on the job," I say, not denying it because there's no point. Ghost knows me too well. "What's our count?"
"Seven of us, fully armed. Blade is still watching the warehouse. The rest and one of the prospects are prepping the van."
"The sheriff?"
"Conveniently responding to a situation on the other side of town. Anonymous tip about a meth lab."
I nod, appreciating Ghost's thoroughness. "We go in fast and quiet. Primary objective is securing the girls. Secondary is capturing anyone we can question."
"And if they resist?"
I meet his eyes. "Then they die."
Ghost nods, understanding the finality in my tone.
"And her?" He tilts his head toward the hallway where Evelyn disappeared.
"She stays in the van with Wilder."
"You sure about that?" Ghost's voice drops. "Taking a civilian into this kind of situation... it's not like you, Reaper."
He's right, of course. I'm breaking protocol. Risking complication. Potentially endangering not just Evelyn but the mission.
"She needs this," I say simply.
Ghost nods. "Your call."
