Page 7 of Reaper Razed

“My name isn’t Celeste, Joseph. I need you to sit and listen very carefully, do you understand?”

Her voice is different, tight, clipped, not angry as such but firm, commanding attention. Gone is that flirty girl who hung off my arm at the hotel last night. Was it last night? Or the night before? How long have I been here? Where is here?

“Joseph!” she snaps.

My eyes snap to hers. I realise I’ve been lost in my thoughts.

“What do you remember about last night?” she asks, leaning against the wall before letting out a deep breath.

I shake my head. “I’m not sure. It’s all a blur.”

“Okay, listen up, you booked security and an escort for the event last night. We were informed of a potential threat against you, so we intercepted—”

“We? Who’s we? Threat? What threat?”

Huffing at me, she says, “Joseph, this is going to take far longer to get through if you keep interrupting. Just keep the questions till the end, yeah!”

“Understood.”

“We intercepted the detail and cancelled your order with the security firm. We were chased by eight men in full tactical gear in armoured trucks. They clearly wanted you. Who are they, Joseph? And what do they want?”

Letting out a shaky breath, I ask, “How do I know I can trust you, Celeste?”

She shakes her head at me as if I’m a stupid man and screws her eyes closed before taking a deep breath. Marcus casts her a glance with a worried look before schooling his features.

“Joseph, if it weren’t for us, you would already be dead or worse!”

I open my mouth to ask what could be worse than dead, but the look she gives me could have frozen the fires of hell, so I change my mind and close my mouth.

“Joseph, who are these people, and what do they want?”

“Will you help me? If you help me, I’ll tell you.”

“Joseph, I’m losing my patience. It’s been a long, long fucking day,” she says through gritted teeth.

“They got in touch a month or so ago and wanted me in their pocket. When I refused, they threatened my life. I still wouldn’t budge. They wanted information but didn’t tell me what it was about. They called themselves ‘The Armoury’.”

Celeste and Marcus shoot a grim look at each other before staring back at me. “You’re sure they said ‘The Armoury’?” Marcus asks.

I nod. “That’s all I know. They wouldn’t say what they wanted till I’d signed some paperwork for them to blackmail me with later down the line.”

“Okay, so you’re gonna stay here tonight, then tomorrow you’re gonna call the security firm who were originally going to do the event, you’ll book 24-hour security for the foreseeable future and leave the rest to us, you’ll be at our beck and call… Judge!” She grins, but it doesn’t reach her eyes. The grin slides off her face as quickly as it arrives. “Then you’ll go back about your business, I’ll set you up with a burner phone, and you’ll check in with us daily, and if they contact you, you’ll forward everything immediately to us. Do you understand?”

“I won’t be bought off and put in your pocket. I am the law. I won’t be treated like some—”

“I’m sorry, Judge, I obviously didn’t make myself fucking clear, did I?” she spits, pushing up off the wall. “I wasn’t asking if you wanted to do as I fucking say. Either you do as I say, or I’ll fucking kill you myself and save myself the bother of babysitting your fucking arse!”

I shrink back into myself as she steps forward. She’s extremely intimidating and looks like she’s balancing on a knife edge. Looking at her, I’m aware that she can and will snap my neck if given enough incentive.

Marcus rests his hand on her chest and glares at her. She snaps a look at him before glaring back at me. “Either we have a deal or we fucking don’t. Either way, it’s been a long day, and I’m done with this shit, so I will leave it with you! Some fucker will be along to find your answer in the morning. Either way, you’ll be released and returned home.”

“You'll release me either way?” I sigh. “Thank you, lord.”

“Don't misunderstand me, Joseph. I will release you either way. On our side, you’ll be released back to your family, and we will protect you. You'll also work for us and be in our pocket and only ours. Against us, you’ll be released off the nearest bridge attached to a length of rope before being delivered back to your family in a body bag. Do I make myself clear?”

Marcus steps around her and opens the door as she’s about to step through it without a backward glance. “Celeste?”

She stops, spinning to face me, and doesn’t say a word, just stares. At that moment, I feel I’ve reached the end of her rope and drop my eyes as she turns back and leaves the room.

---