Page 41 of Reaper & Ruin
Sapphire followed behind him, her bare feet making no sound as she stepped onto the gravel lot. She was clearly tired and annoyed at being woken up, but that only made me smile harder.
She was another person I enjoyed infuriating. It made me laugh when she got mad and cursed in Spanish. She reminded me of Silver that way.
Sapphire’s silver hair shimmered faintly in the dim light, her icy blue eyes sharp and unyielding as they locked onto mine. Scars crisscrossed her skin like battle maps, the most prominent slashing over her left eye and another visible across her throat. She was wearing an oversized man’s T-shirt; the hem brushing her tanned thighs, and though her posture seemed relaxed, there was no mistaking the danger coiled beneath the surface.
The moment she saw me, her mouth twisted into a scowl.
I raised a hand in a lazy wave. “Hi, princess. Did you miss me?”
She spoke fluent Russian, and I spoke her native Spanish. But both of us seemed inclined to stick to English for the blonde monster who hovered behind her, refusing to do anything but play bodyguard and frown.
“Never,” Sapphire said flatly, crossing her arms as she stopped a few feet away. “What do you want, Atlas? I hope it’s important enough to take me out of my bed.”
The subtle threat in her tone made my grin widen. “You know, one day, you might actually be happy to see me. We could be best friends and have sleepovers and everything.”
“Not likely,” she said. “If you came into my bedroom in the darkness, I’d shoot you. I wouldn’t be braiding hair and giggling.”
“Shame,” I snorted. “But I do have something you’ll want. Information. About the gangs in Cherry Hill and every city near it. You can have it… for a fee.”
Sapphire’s lips curved into a sharp, humorless smile. “A fee? I thought I already owed you for London. Or is your brain so empty that you forgot this already?”
“You do owe me,” I said, my tone light. “But consider this an extra incentive other than your life debt.”
Her smile faded as she narrowed her eyes at me. “What do you want, Atlas?” She asked again, clearly not interested in playing my games.
I stepped closer, lowering my voice slightly as I shared information I had discovered, that I hadn’t even shared with Gio yet. “There’s going to be a war. The De Luca family plans to come here—all of them. Every faction. Every piece of the empire. They’ve been planning to take over Cherry Hill, then spread out to the nearby cities.”
Sapphire arched an eyebrow, unimpressed. “And?”
“And,” I said, holding her gaze, “I want you to back us when it happens. Backme.”
She let out a short, humorless laugh. “Backyou? Why should I care if the De Luca family steps into my city? I’ll end them like I’ve ended every other gang that thought they could bring their evil here. Their empire means nothing to me.”
Her words were sharp, cold, but I could see the flicker of emotion in her eyes when I spoke again.
She was putting on a front because she had to. But I knew the way to pierce her armor in just the right way.
“You should care,” I said quietly, “because it’s not just about their empire. It’s about Silver.”
Sapphire froze, the shift in her expression almost imperceptible. “Silver?”
I nodded, stepping even closer. “You keep your people safe, don’t you? Well, my people include some of yours. Heaven is friends with Ruby, and Silver… she’s important to us both. You’d protect her, wouldn’t you?”
For a long moment, Sapphire didn’t say anything. She studied me with that cold, calculating gaze of hers, weighing my words, deliberating. Finally, she let out a slow breath.
“I will help you. But you still owe me a favor. Information on things I didn’t care for before now isn’t good enough.”
“Name your price.” She could have anything she wanted. The power of the Red Diamonds was more than enough to help curb some of the worst tendencies of the De Luca leaders, and I knew Sapphire was honest.
If she said she would help, then she would. It was easy.
“I need the location of James Mercer.” She said. “Find him and I’ll consider your debt paid.”
My head cocked. “The Jackals guy?” She nodded at me as I mentioned the son of a recently deceased gang leadr. “No problem. Once this De Luca mess is dealt with, I’ll find your man. Alive or dead. Your choice.”
“Alive.” She almost hissed, and I wondered what the man had done to anger her so much.
Alive meant she wanted to torture him.Violently. For months on end until he begged for death himself.
