Page 21 of Reaper

After searching for my shoes everywhere, and being unable to find them, I give up on being able to cover my feet. I might be a little cold, but I’ll deal with it. I’m not going to freeze to death. However, in sixty-degree weather, I will be uncomfortable. Yet, it’ll still be better than Reaper doing whatever the fuck he wants with me, which is clearly keeping me chained up, and fucking me non stop. Had he approached me like a normal goddamn person, I would’ve been into him. If he didn’t go on about my eyes, and try to kill me. Nico is hot as hell on the outside, but on the inside? He’s a complete nut job. I can handle a little darkness in people. I’ve been around it my entire life, but he’s not dark, he’s pitch fucking black. The strange thing is, it’s not even the serial killer thing. Definitely not normal, but it’s more than that. The fact that he wanted to cut my eyeballs out, and keep them, is more than simply wanting to kill me. It’s disturbing. Deranged. I know he killed at an early age, but I do wonder what damaged him so completely that this is what he turned into. I feel like there’s more to his story. I’m curious, but not enough to stick around and find out.

Walking out of the bedroom, I head downstairs quickly, because I know he went to see his brother, but I don’t know how long he’ll be gone. I need to be out of here before he returns.

I race to the back door and open it slowly, as if that’s going to help me if he’s on the other side of it.

All I can see are trees and then more trees. Shit. I’m going to walk into a forest, and find God only knows what. Glancing to the left and then the right, I finally decide to go left, but I’m not sure it even matters what direction I go. Walking through the trees, I move as quietly as possible, in case he comes back. He left on his motorcycle, soI’m fairly confident I’d hear him pulling up to the house. Still, better safe than sorry.

After walking for what feels like more than an hour, I realize my biggest mistake. I should have looked for water to bring with me. I spot the moon through the edge of the treeline, and breathe a sigh of relief. Hopefully, this will take me to a road, and I can find a ride, and get the hell out of wherever I am. The grass turns to sand, and I stop and look around, the best I can at night, and take notice of a sign facing in the other direction. Walking over to it, I move around until I see, ‘Lake Bonetti - Private Property’. Of course he has his own lake. Maybe this is what he does with the dead bodies. Hell, maybe this will one day be my final resting place. Cement blocks tied to my limbs, so I sink to the bottom. The mafia do that, right?

I hear someone behind me, and I do the exact opposite of what I should do. Instead of running for my damn life, I freeze. Like an idiot. Hands grip my forearms and spin me toward him. Glancing up, as my heart pounds like a machine gun, I look into a face that is not the man I expect, and breathe a sigh of relief.

The handsome man in front of me, with dirty blonde hair, blue eyes, and built as well as Nico, tilts his head at me and points out the obvious.

“You have shackles on your wrists.”

Tears stream down my face. He’s capable, and appears strong. I have no doubt he can save me from the Bonetti madman.

“I’ve been kidnapped. Please help me get away.”

He nods in what appears to be agreement, but starts asking questions.

“Why are you on the Bonetti property?”

Pushing my hair out of my face, I try to explain as quickly as possible, because time is of the essence.

“Reaper Bonetti kidnapped me. He says I’m his, but I didn’t want any of it. Can you help me or not? If you can’t, I have to go.”

The sinister grin that develops on his lips causes a chill to run down my bones.

“You’re his, huh? We can make this work.”

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

REAPER

The second she left that bedroom, I knew she was on the run. Of course, I was fairly confident she wouldn’t escape, but for extra safety, there’s a tracking monitor on the insides of both bracelets. With nothing left to say, I walked away from Bones, and followed her here to our lake. The only surprise was Abruzzo’s oldest son standing in front of living dead girl, who looks fucking stunning in my t-shirt. I watch them from the treeline, curious as to what my girl is made of. Chances are pretty good she thinks he’ll save her. He won’t. The second her life is in danger, his is over. She sees something in him she doesn’t like, and backs away slowly. For every step she takes closer to the lake, he walks forward. The panic in her eyes pisses me off, and makes me struggle to control myself. I love it when she’s afraid.

For me. Only for me.

The fact that she’s giving him something that belongs to me causes the tingle in my neck to work overtime. He backhands her across the face, she falls to the ground, and he climbs on top of her. I’ve seen enough. I begin to walk toward them when I see something that causes my chest to swell with pride. Bella is fighting back, hard. She punches him in the face, knees him in the balls, and somehow ends up on top of him. Her blonde hair is a mess, and her eyes are wide with fury. My beautiful woman looks like the goddamn angel of death. I walk up to them and place my foot on his chest, holding him down, and she glances up at me with an expression that’s hard to read. I’m not sure if she’s happy to see me, under the circumstances, or upset.

“Nico,” she breathes.

Vincent Abruzzo tries to move his arms, but he can’t do much with my foot crushing his heart. We both know if I put more pressure on him, he’s in serious trouble.

“Wrap your hands around his throat, baby.”

She shakes her head no. “I can’t.”

I narrow my gaze at her. “You can and you will. This man planned to kill you, to avenge his pathetic brother’s life.”

Before removing my foot from his chest, I pull my knife from my sheath, and warn him.

“Make a fucking move, and I’ll cut your eyeballs out and feed them to you. You made a big mistake by targeting what’s mine. Make another and I promise you, you’ll live just long enough to regret it.”

I smirk at him as he stares at me with a panic-stricken gaze, and he trembles beneath my living dead girl.

Walking behind her, I nudge the asshole’s feet apart, as she sits on top of him with both hands around his throat. Glancing into his face, I nearly smile, because this fucking pathetic sack of shit is immobile with fear.

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