Page 60 of Reaper & Ruin
“I remembered he spared my life once,” she breathed, her tone almost nostalgic. “And I know you understand loyalty and teamwork. So I’ll return the favor by being sweet to you.”
The air left my lungs in a rush. My mind raced.
“Who are you?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.
She ignored my question, holstering her gun as if I weren’t even a threat. “Stay here until you count to a thousand,” she instructed, her voice soft but commanding. “And I’ll let you live.”
I stared at her, my heart pounding in my chest. “Are you serious?”
“Promise me,” she said, her gaze piercing through me like a blade. “I don’t like liars, and I’ll know if you lie.”
With only the slightest — okay, the largest — of nerves, I swallowed hard, nodding. “I… I promise.”
“Good,” she said, turning away from me. She took a few steps into the shadows before glancing back at me one last time. “See you around, Blue. Try not to die in the woods tonight. They’re a morbid place to haunt.”
And just like that, she disappeared into the darkness as though she’d never even been there.
I stood there for what felt like an eternity, staring at the empty space where she’d been. My legs felt like jelly, and my entire body shook with adrenaline.
That was the woman from the store. I knew it now, as I desperately tried to remember her face. The one I’d thought looked like Atlas then, with the way she held herself.
And she was a hitwoman. A professional. A killer of the worst kind.
She was Atlas, but she was not free. That was worse somehow, even if she had let me go.
I collapsed against the rock, gripping the knife to my chest as I tried to steady my breathing. Malivore nuzzled my side, her warm presence grounding me, but I could still feel the lingering chill from that woman’s words.
But because I knew she was like Atlas, and that he would never lie, I started counting under my breath, just like she’d told me to. “One… two… three”
I didn’t know what the hell was going on. But one thing was clear—I wasn’t sitting here for long.
I’d keep my promise. I’d count to a thousand. And the second I was done?
I was going to find my men.
And God help anyone who stood in my way.
Chapter Nineteen, Long Time, No See
Ifloored it, the truck’s engine roaring as I sped down the narrow dirt road, trees flying past on either side. The headlights carved through the thick darkness, illuminating only a sliver of the road ahead. My hands clenched the steering wheel so hard my tattooed knuckles turned impossibly white, and my foot pressed down harder on the gas pedal. I wasn’t going to stop. Icouldn’tstop.
Gio’s voice still echoed in my head, tense and urgent as he told me the power had gone out. Now I was racing against time, trying to get back to what was mine before a soon dead fool tried to harm them. I had no clue what I was driving into, but the knot in my gut told me it wasn’t good.
The night felt wrong. Too still, too quiet. Not even the usual sounds of insects or distant animal calls. Just the relentless hum of the truck’s engine and the pounding of my own heartbeat in my ears.
A cold sweat broke out on the back of my neck. I had to get there. I had to. My mind was racing, calculating all the possibilities—an ambush, a trap, an attack from Gio’s family. We’d been careful for months, but we weren’t invisible. Giorgio wasn’t the type to just let his son disappear. And I fucking knew he was suspiciously silent. That he was up to something wicked I couldn’t quite see.
My gut had told me something was wrong and, like a fool, I’d ignored it. Ignored it so I could play house and pretend that I was safe. That my rapidly growing blackmail pile would be enough to placate his vile ego and temper.
That I wasn’t aching to murder the entire De Luca line, aside from Gio and his siblings, just to make sure none could come and hurt him or my girl.
I ground my teeth, my jaw aching from the tension and the fact I’d allowed emotions to stop me from doing my fucking job and killing any threats.
As the cabin came into view, my heart sank. Two black SUVs were parked just off the driveway, their engines still running. That wasn’t a good sign. The hairs on the back of my neck stood on end as I scanned the area, looking for movement, for any sign of who was here.
Then I saw him.
Gio.
