12. SIREN
12
SIREN
S itting across from Reaper in a hotel restaurant, I can’t help but feel as though this is some fucked-up version of a date. I don’t even know how we got here. After I ended Eagle’s life and took her ID to add to my collection, the heaviness was weighing on me, and before I knew it, Reaper’s hand was at the small of my back, leading me out of the massive refrigerator and into the cool night.
I was set to start the long, lonely walk back to my car, but Reaper stayed right at my side, and as we strolled past the luxury tourist hotel, he steered me through the door in silence. One second I was questioning what the fuck he was doing, and then next, I was sitting opposite him in a small, intimate booth.
Is this a date? I hope like fuck it’s not because I make a point not to date. In fact, apart from Jeremy Musgrove in eighth grade, I’ve never been on an actual date. I make a point not to allow myself to get too close to men. Sure, I more than use them to satisfy my needs, but I don’t exactly have a career that allows me to have a life. I have Mila, and that’s all I’ll ever need.
“Why’d you show her so much compassion?” Reaper asks me, sitting back in the booth, his big knees invading my personal space beneath the table. “You could have spared yourself all the guilt and put a bullet between her eyes without getting to know her first. You dragged it out.”
“Are you asking a genuine question or trying to reprimand me?” I ask, my brow arching. I’m not exactly fond of how everything went down with Eagle, but if I had the chance to go back, I don’t believe I’d change a thing.
“Both,” Reaper admits. “I’m struggling to understand you, and I don’t approve of putting yourself at risk. At any moment, that woman could have taken your life. She’s a trained assassin, and while she wasn’t as good as you, that doesn’t mean she couldn’t have taken your life. You allowed her too many opportunities to end you.”
I shake my head. “I am aware of what I did, but we had an understanding. We fought fair without any weapons, and I won. It was understood that I was going to kill her, and she accepted that, whether it was going to take one second or all night. And as for having compassion, is that a bad thing? It makes me human.”
“We can’t afford to think like humans in this line of work, not if you want to survive.”
“I’ll be fine. Thanks for the advice, but there’s no need to worry about me.”
Reaper just stares at me as though I’m a misbehaved child, and the longer he does, the harder it becomes to ignore, and then just as he knew I would, I break. “Okay, fine. There was something about her. I could see myself in her, and if we had met under any other circumstances, Eagle and I, I think we could have really hit it off. I don’t allow people into my life. I have one friend and that’s it, but Eagle . . . I feel like we could have had a really amazing friendship. Plus, I wasn’t just going to put a bullet between her eyes when I needed information out of her.”
A waiter chooses that very moment to appear at our table with a menu, and there’s no way he didn’t hear what just came flying out of my mouth. He gapes at me in horror, his gaze flicking between mine and Reaper’s. “Uhhhhh . . .”
I laugh it off, acting as though it was a misunderstanding. “Oh my goodness. Your timing is impeccable. How funny. I’m a true crime author. Just trying to work out a scene.”
“Oh,” the guy says, letting out a heavy breath, the relief evident in his eyes. “Thank God. For a minute I thought—”
“What? That I’d killed someone?” I laugh. “Oh my god. How funny!”
The waiter takes a minute to calm himself before finally pulling out a notepad and pen. “Now that we’ve confirmed you’re not out here shooting people, do you know what you’d like to order?”
“Uhhhhh . . . can you give us a minute?” I say, dropping my gaze to the menu, having absolutely no idea what this place serves.
Reaper rolls his eyes and takes the menu out of my hands before passing it straight back to the waiter. “Why are you pretending as though you don’t know what you want? Every single night for the past ten days, you have eaten the same shit on repeat. Pasta, chicken, or burgers. You eat what you know and don’t venture outside of that.”
My jaw drops. I knew he was watching me, but I didn’t realize he was watching quite that closely. “Your point?” I question, feeling slightly embarrassed. I like food, and of course I venture outside of just that . . . sometimes. But the truth is, he’s hit a sore point. I eat the meals my mom used to make for me when I was a little girl. They’re my comfort foods, especially when I’m away for work.
Reaper lets out another sigh and turns his attention to the waiter. “Give her a chicken parmigiana with fries and a side salad,” he says, hitting the nail right on top of the head and making my stomach growl with hunger. How did he know that’s exactly what I was craving?
“Sorry. We don’t do pub food,” he says, turning his nose up at my order. “This is a luxury restaurant. Fine dining at its best. If you wish to eat like children, perhaps you could visit McDonald’s or Wendy’s.”
Reaper slowly turns his gaze, locking onto the waiter’s stare, and I see the very moment the waiter realizes just how spectacularly he fucked up. Reaper stands and the waiter begins to shake before a word has even been said. “The lady would like a chicken parmigiana,” he rumbles. “Are you telling me you are incapable of giving her what she wants?”
“I . . . I . . . No, sir,” he says, visibly swallowing as he begins to stammer over his words, clearly realizing what kind of man he’s currently dealing with. “Is there any . . . anything else I . . . I can get for you? Perhaps some wine? The dessert menu to browse. Not that . . . Not that you need the menu. You can have anything you’d like.”
“The chicken parmigiana will be fine,” Reaper says. “Steak and vegetables for me.”
The waiter scurries away, and Reaper casually takes his seat opposite me, his knees brushing against mine under the table. “What the fuck was that?” I demand.
“What was what?”
I shake my head. Is he serious right now? “You can’t just go around intimidating everyone who tells you no. That’s not how the world works.”
“I don’t mold myself to fit in with how the world works, Little Siren. The world molds to me,” he tells me. “Now, back to Eagle.”
I let out a heavy breath, feeling that I’ve already said what needed to be said. “Maybe I’m getting soft,” I admit. “Losing my edge.”
He shakes his head. “I don’t believe so,” he says. “I don’t think it’s a bad thing to crave friendships with those you can relate to or those who simply have an understanding of why you do what you do.”
I bite my lip, my emotions all over the place. I don’t know what’s going on, why I’m here, or what he wants with me, and to be honest, I’d prefer to be back at my villa on the phone with Mila while finishing off a bottle of tequila.
Tonight hasn’t been my night, and right now, I’m on the edge.
“What are you doing, Reaper? Why are we here, and why are you trying to give me all this grand life advice? I had a bad night. I’m off my game and letting my emotions get in the way. I just need the night, and I’ll be fine tomorrow.”
“Okay. You want to know why I’m here? You intrigue me.”
“I figured that out the second you pushed me up against the brick wall, and I could feel your cock grinding against my stomach.”
“You know damn well I didn’t grind my cock up against you in that alley. If I had, there’s no way you would have been able to walk away. I would have fucked you right there. But you’re lying, that’s not when you first realized.”
“You’re right. I knew it that first night after the initial meeting when I was on the roof and you were just . . . staring at me. I wasn’t sure. I thought you were either intrigued or you just wanted me to know how easily you could have ended my life.”
“Both things can be true.”
A smirk pulls at the corner of my lips. “And now? Do you still want to show me just how easily you could end my life?”
“Make no mistake, Siren. I still plan on killing you when the time comes, but until then, I don’t see why I can’t see how deep you can take me or how fucking tight your sweet cunt is,” he tells me in that deep, rich tone that sends adrenaline coursing through my body, lighting me up in ways I never imagined. “I wish to taste you, to bend you over and see how effortlessly you come apart for me.”
I suck in a breath, my thighs clenching beneath the table as my heart rate rises.
“I want to break you, Siren. I want to fuck the attitude out of you, and don’t even try to pretend like you don’t want this too,” Reaper continues. “I can smell how hungry you are, know just how tight you’re having to clench those pretty thighs just to relieve the ache I put there. You’re desperate for me, Siren.”
Well fuck. How am I supposed to respond to that?
“You don’t know what you’re getting yourself into,” I tell him. “I’m not the girl who’s going to simply roll over and allow you to have your way with me. If you bite, I bite back. And I’m sure as hell not about to just give it up for you.”
Reaper scoffs, and it’s clear he thinks I’m all talk, but as I watch him, I can’t help but wonder if there’s more to this. “What do you really want?” I ask. “If all you wanted was to fuck me, you could have easily pulled me into a side alley or a bathroom. You saw how quickly my body reacted to yours the other night. You know just how easily you could have gotten what you wanted, but you didn’t. Instead, you brought me here. There’s an ulterior motive.”
“There’s no ulterior motive.”
“Oh sure. I’ll just believe the word of the world’s most wanted contract killer.”
The waiter returns right at the wrong time, two plates in his hand, and I watch as his brain comprehends exactly what was just said. His eyes widen in horror, and the plates in his hand start to shake.
“Fuck me,” Reaper mutters under his breath, having to take the plates from the terrified waiter before fixing him with a haunting stare. “You heard nothing, and if I get wind that you’ve opened your big mouth, you’ll have me to deal with. Is that understood?”
He nods so fast that I fear his head will pop right off his body, and not a moment later, he stumbles away, leaving me to deal with Reaper.
“You really must scan your surroundings before you open your mouth.”
“Why would I possibly need to do that when I’m sitting with none other than the infamous Reaper? Haven’t you heard? He’s taken a career change. He’s no longer in the business of ending lives. He’s taken up stalking instead.”
Reaper just stares. “Are you done?”
I shrug my shoulders. “I could go on. I had more about you being a sex-crazed psychopath, but I can stop. Talk of sex clearly makes you very uncomfortable,” I say, raising my foot under the table and pressing right between his legs, taunting him. “If you can’t handle it, I could always stop.”
Reaper sucks in a breath, not knowing me well enough to know if I’m just bluffing or if I’m about to crush his crown jewels. “You don’t know who you’re fucking with,” he says as his hand shifts beneath the table and casually rests on my ankle, more than ready to disable me if it comes down to it, but all I can do is grin.
“Tell me, Reaper,” I say, pressing my foot into him a little harder. “What’s your ulterior motive?”
He narrows his gaze. “You tell me what you think it is.”
I think for a moment before finally deciding it doesn’t matter if I were to be honest. “I think you want to work with me. I think I’ve surprised you, and while I might have made some questionable choices that you don’t necessarily agree with, I think you see the value in having me as an asset. I’m already ahead in the game by miles.”
“Did you forget who you’re talking to?” Reaper questions, making me realize he actually doesn’t give a shit if I try to castrate him with my foot or not; his reflexes are too fast. “I don’t mean to insult you, and while I do agree that you are certainly an asset, I’m a solo act, always have been. Plus, five nights ago, I watched you accidentally hang yourself at the scene by your hair. You are valuable, just not to me.”
“Well, shit,” I laugh, releasing the pressure under my foot, only he doesn’t release my ankle, just happily allows me to leave my foot wedged between his legs. “Way to kick a girl when she’s down.”
“That was certainly not my intention.”
“I can handle it. I’m a big girl,” I tell him, removing my foot anyway, not sure I’m comfortable enough to be that bold with him. “But for the record, I wouldn’t want to work with you either. You strike me as the my way or the highway type, and I’m sure from your senseless stalking, you’ve realized that I don’t mesh well with that bullshit.” He arches a brow, and for whatever reason, I feel I need to go on. “I don’t play well with others.”
“I don’t believe that to be true.”
“No?”
“You had compassion for Eagle. Had a fair fight and agreed to watch over her younger sister, and when 343 was bleeding out on the ground, you made awkward small talk despite almost being scalped. You’re a kind person despite your tough exterior.”
“Is this supposed to be some kind of gotcha moment?”
“No, just an observation.”
“And what other observations have you made?”
“That The Texan Reaper and The Boneyard Slayer are going to be issues.”
“The brothers?” I say. “I figured they were working together.”
“You knew they were brothers?”
I nod. “I have a photographic memory, plus I am diligent in my research. I tracked their prior kills and narrowed down the location. They were all within a thirty-mile radius, and once I found one of the brothers, finding the other was a piece of cake. They’ve been working as a team since they murdered their parents as teens. They’re brutes. It wasn’t hard to find information on them. There’s a bunch of it, starting from their younger years. They’re reckless and violent, and while they don’t come with brains, it doesn’t make them any less dangerous.”
Reaper watches me through a narrowed gaze. “You were able to find out all of that.”
“Like I said, I’m diligent in my research. I have a thick file on every contender in these games locked securely inside my brain. I know just about everything there is to know about everyone . . . Well, except you and Shadow. You two seem to be a mystery.”
“Perhaps you’re more of an asset than I gave you credit for.”
I scoff and stand from the table. “If you wanna get between these legs and into my head, you’re going to have to try a shitload harder than that,” I tell him. “Unless you have information on Shadow you’re willing to share?”
“Not likely.”
“That’s what I thought,” I say, before turning my back and walking away, more than happy to leave him with the bill, though considering how terrified the waiter was of Reaper, I can assume there will be no bill. He’d just be happy to see us walk out of here.
I make my way out of the restaurant, feeling more than proud of myself while also knowing that the rest of my night is going to consist of me madly trying to get myself off to relieve the intense ache between my legs.
Heading down the sidewalk in the direction of my car, a large body steps in behind me, and warm hands clutch my waist. “What was it that you said when you walked away from me last time?” Reaper questions, his deep tone rumbling through his chest. “That the next time I get you all worked up and wet like this, I better have the balls to follow through.”
His hand circles my waist, and as I suck in a breath, it travels down. Anticipation burns through me, and if he’s not careful, I’ll end up screwing him right here in front of the hotel restaurant.
Reaper’s hand doesn’t stop until it’s cupped between my legs and when the heel of his palm grinds against my core, a deep groan slips from between my lips. “Tell me, Little Siren, just how wet are you?”
I relax my body weight back into his, knowing I’m about to be both metaphorically and literally screwed. I tip my head back as his palm works me through my jeans, and just as I go to respond and tell him just how easily he’s got me trapped, something flashes through the darkness.
My back stiffens and sensing something’s wrong, Reaper instantly goes on alert, his hand snapping away from me like lightning. “What is it?” Reaper questions, his sharp gaze searching the darkness.
“There’s someone there.”
He inches away from me, giving us both space to prepare ourselves in case this turns into a fight. I see the flash again, but it’s not so much of a flash but a shadow moving through the darkness, and without question, I know exactly who it is.
“It’s Shadow,” I call out, already breaking into a sprint.
“Fuck,” Reaper grunts, heavy on my tail. “You hurt her, and I’ll have no fucking choice but to take you out.”
“Who the fuck do you think I am?” I call back at him while keeping my sharp gaze locked on the shadow moving through the darkness. “She’s a kid. As if I would ever hurt her.”
“Alright. Let’s get this little ghost.”
I push myself faster, not taking my eyes off her for one second, and when she darts down behind the back of the hotel, I follow right behind her with Reaper taking off in the opposite direction.
Determination pushes me faster. I’ve been so concerned about this kid, desperate to know who she is and where she came from. Fuck, I just need to know if she has food and water and somewhere safe to sleep at night, but tracking her has been impossible. She’s a literal ghost. She doesn’t exist anywhere, which leaves me with a million questions.
Following her around the back of the hotel, I’m only a few steps behind when Reaper steps out in front of her, blocking her only escape and bringing her to an immediate stop.
She panics, her terrified gaze flicking between me and Reaper. She’s got nowhere to go, nowhere to run, and as she mainly focuses her attention on me, I realize that I’m the one she’s scared of, not Reaper.
“She’s not going to hurt you, kid. She just wants to make sure you’re doing alright.”
Shadow visibly swallows, her terrified gaze morphing into nothing more than uncertainty as she stares back at me. There’s nothing but silence around us, and I wait, not moving an inch as I allow Shadow to come to the decision on her own if she’s willing to trust me.
Then, in the blink of an eye, her body relaxes, and she glances back toward Reaper. “I’m hungry,” she murmurs, her tone so soft that it throws me off. I had expected her to have an edge, a type of disdain in her tone that warns people to keep away. But there’s nothing like that. She’s just a girl, out here in the big, wide world, terrified of this mess she’s been thrown into.
Reaper nods and steps toward her before ushering her closer to me. “Alright then,” he says. “Let’s get you fed.”