Page 82 of Reaper Flame

Since our return from the restaurant, I successfully rebutted any questions about what happened after Vixen left. Everyone bought my story of how we’d argued over what happened the night in the warehouse.

Seeing Bryce hadn’t only gotten under my skin. Vixen was barking orders at everyone like a shift at the strip club was as important as running a heart surgery. I snuck to the dressing room for some respite from her constant shrieking. The dancers would arrive soon, and Mieko sat at one of the dressing tables. She carefully pinned her black and purple hair into victory curls.

“What’s the occasion?” I asked. “You look amazing.”

She wore a stunning black and gold flapper dress reminiscent of theGatsbyera that showed off her toned legs.

“I’m taking Vixen out for a date to one of her favorite bars,” she said, then winced at the sound of Vixen’s shouting carrying down the corridor. “A change of scenery will be good for her.”

“Thank fuck for that!” I flopped down in the seat next to her. “I don’t think we’ll be left with any dancers by the end of the night if she keeps going.”

Mieko rolled her eyes. “You know what she’s like when she’s stressed.”

“A raging bitch boss?”

“I was going to say, misunderstood,” Mieko said; only she could make her fiancée’s mood swings sound like they were a gentle breeze instead of a house-destroying hurricane.

“Your rose-tinted glasses are clearly making you forget about all of the times you used to hide in the costume cupboard to avoid her on shift,” I pointed out.

“That wasn’t because I was scaredofher!” Mieko laughed. “That’s because I was scared oftalkingto her!”

“Most people would kill to get that kind of money.”

“Her mind is made up,” Mieko said. She applied a matte plum lipstick and rubbed her lips together. “She doesn’t see the cash. Taking money from him would be like saying she was okay with everything he’d done.”

I took a deep breath. “What if I told you that there was more to it than just cash?”

Bryce had given specific orders to not tell anyone what was going on, but Mieko wasn’t a Seven. She planned to marry into the Seven family but she hadn’t been initiated into the gang or gotten a tattoo. Mieko may be the best chance I had at getting Vixen and Zander the answers they needed. She’d be the only other person who would understand.

Mieko eyed me suspiciously and raised her eyebrows. “What are you getting at?”

I poked my head out of the dressing room. The corridor was empty and, thankfully, the DJ was in the middle of a sound test so music was blaring. By my calculations, we had five minutes before the next shift started.

“There’s something I need to tell you,” I said, locking the door behind us to ensure we wouldn’t be disturbed. “There’s more to Bryce’s offer than Vixen knows...”

After I finished explaining, Mieko leaned back in her chair. One of her curls escaped as she shook her head in disbelief.

“Bryce is unbelievable,” she murmured. “So, what do we do now? If we told the Sevens what he said, then Vixen may agree to sign? Bryce would never know if everyone kept quiet.”

That’s the first thing I’d thought too, but the longer I considered it… the surer I was that it wouldn’t work.

“It wouldn’t change Zander’s mind,” I said confidently. “His hatred for his father rules above all else, even the truth.”

Zander was stubborn to a fault. His burning curiosity to find out what happened to his mother would never cave to his father’s demands. He vowed never to show a sign of weakness from the moment he left home.

“What about only telling Vixen, then?” she asked. “I know she would want to know what really happened.”

“That’s the problem,” I said. “If Vix went behind Zander’s back, he’d never forgive her. How would she explain all the cash? They’d be divided. At a time like this, we need to be on the same side. Otherwise, we don’t stand a chance against Hiram.”

“But what will Zander say when he finds out thatyouwent behind his back?” Mieko wrung her hands anxiously in her lap. “You’re meant to be following his rules, aren’t you?”

I had agreed to follow his orders until Hiram was dead, but I’m not the kind of girl who falls in line when some things are more important. Zander had betrayed me before for something he believed to be right. How is what I’m doing different?

“Rules are made to be broken,” I said. “It’s a risk I’m willing to take to get them the truth.”

“I think you’re right,” she said. Mieko understood the dilemma we were in. Vixen had become like a sister to me, and Mieko loved her as much as I… well, as much as Icaredabout Zander. “I’d never forgive myself if we didn’t help her get the answers she’s been looking for. I know what not knowing has been doing to her all these years…”

“How can we get her signature in the presence of a fucking lawyer without her knowing?” I asked.

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