Page 46 of Reaper Flame

“Because Zander told me what you did at the warehouse the night Hiram took you. He told me about how you tried to stop the Bayside Heights development. You wouldn’t have done it if all of this meant nothing. I can see through your bullshit,” West said, stepping closer. His body was inches away. “I know you, Candy. You pretend not to care about anyone or anything, but you do, and it makes you so fucking angry that you don’t know what to do with yourself.”

“What do you want to hear, West?” I snarled. Unexpected tears stung the back of my eyes, but I didn’t dare blink. I wouldn’t let him see weakness. I couldn’t. “Do you want to hear about how I was stupid enough to believe I’d finally found a real family? A real home? But then it all turned out to be a fucking lie.”

“Zander was telling the truth,” West said. His tense features softened as he edged closer. “His plan had always been to protect you, but it backfired becauseyouwere trying to protect us. Protectme. ProtectRed. Damn, you were even willing to sacrifice yourself for the kids at Bayside you don’t even know!”

“So, now you’re blamingme?”

“Never,” West murmured, brushing a tear off my cheek and making me jerk backwards. “When I woke up in the hospital and found out you were gone, I discharged myself. I got as far as the State line, then Zander caught up and explained why we had to do it. How we could never keep you safe until Hiram’s heart stops. This was the only way to break the fucking cycle and let us look after you like we should have all along.”

“I may have made a deal with Zander,” I said, “but what makes you think I’ll want to stay?”

“Because you’re our Seven girl,” West replied with zero hesitation. “Because we’re selfish assholes, andwewant to keep you.Iwant to keep you, and I’m not letting you go again. Ever.”

West may have uncontrollable anger issues and a beast inside him who was hungry for blood, but he had a softer side. His gaze was filled with a furious intensity, like he’d jump in front of a moving train to stop it from hitting me. How was I to deal with the whiplash of emotions? I couldn’t decide whether the warm fuzzy feeling made me happy or unnerved, in the same way watching Anakin Skywalker babysitting would do.

I turned away from him to pull myself together. Anyone could tell a person what they wanted to hear. Talk is cheap, actions are what counts.

“I can’t trust you,” I said.

“Then don’t,” West said, grabbing my arm and spinning me around so I couldn’t run. “Let us earn your trust back. You’re our Seven queen, and we’re going to bring you Hiram’s head on a silver fucking platter.”

“If anyone is going to take Hiram down,” I said, “it’s going to be me.”

“Then we’ll help you.”

“For how long? You’ll help until Zander decides something different?” I mocked. “What if he changes his mind? He makes the fucking rules. He has power over you, Red and Vixen. You’ll do anything he says!”

West laughed. The moonlight lit up the scar on his face and his smile lines as he continued, clutching his stomach.

“What’s so funny?” I demanded, popping my hand on my hip and cocking my head to the side.

West shook his head. “You really have no idea, do you?”

“What are you talking about?”

“Zander won’t change his mind. There’s only one person who has power over Zander,” West said, then paused for a few seconds that seemed to stretch into minutes. “That’s you.”

“Bullshit!”

Zander had everything in his life under militant control. He calculated every action and how he could capitalize from it. All he answered to were his own selfish desires. Pfft! I had no fucking power over him. If I had, he should have known striking a deal with Hiram would ruin our relationship for good.

“You haven’t known Zander as long as I have,” West said. “I’ve known him my whole fucking life. You’re the only person he’s ever compromised with. Ever.”

“Maybe everyone else is just shit at negotiating?” I said. “Unlike most people, I’m not scared of him.”

Looking at Zander was no worse than looking in a mirror. The darkness didn’t scare me. It’s where I’d spent most of my life.

“Your fearlessness gets you into a lot of trouble.” His voice was smooth but with the hard edge of an underlying threat. “You’re a fucking anomaly.”

“If you’re calling me a freak, don’t expect me to throw you a fucking life raft when you fall overboard.”

“See? This is what I mean.” West edged closer again. “You don’t care what you say. You show no fear.”

“That’s because you don’t scare me,” I said without flinching. “None of you do.”

West moved quickly. He spun me around and used his body to block me in, pinning me against the railing. The coldness ebbed through the thin layer of my skirt as the metal dug into my lower stomach, but the feel of his hot body pressing into my ass scared me more than the icy water.

“All it’d take is one push,” he whispered menacingly into my ear.

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