Page 65 of Reaper & the Lioness
Benjamin and Hale glared at me with undisguised hatred and malice. Matt’s eyes stared at the floor, downcast in shame and regret. My kidnapper had passed out.
“Eva, I am so sorry,” Matt began, his voice quivering. “Please, give me a chance to explain?—”
I cut him off. “Hatchet, please shut him up for me.”
Hatchet grinned at Reaper with undisguised glee as he ripped off a piece of black duct tape from a large roll and slapped it over Matt’s mouth with a satisfying smack.
Merrick’s eyes gleamed with a cold intensity different from the warmth and reassurance he’d shown me in the truck. It wasa terrifying juxtaposition to the man who offered me comfort only minutes ago. He picked up a set of bolt cutters and tossed me a sinister grin that promised justice.
“Well, well,” Benjamin sneered. “If it isn’t the little bitch who couldn’t leave well enough alone.”
“You keep calling me a ‘bitch’ like it’s a bad thing. It’s not. Bitch means I’m not your victim anymore. I’m still standing. I survived. And you’re about to find out just how much of a bitch I can be.”
Benjamin narrowed his eyes. Blood, dirt, and grease stained his beige Brioni suit, and bruises and scrapes colored the right side of his face from where Hatchet had pressed it into the concrete floor.
“You think this changes anything, you stupid cunt?” Hale snarled, his words dripping with venom.
Reaper tensed beside me. He stood ready to unleash hell, but I wanted to go first. I wrapped my hand around his arm. The corded muscles beneath his cut tightened. I glanced up to give him a silent request to stand down. It was my turn.
I reached for a beautiful Damascus hunting knife sitting at the center of their tableau of torture. I wrapped my palm around the rosewood and bone handle, ignoring the look of surprise on Reaper’s face.
I paced in front of Hale and Benjamin. The click of my bootheels echoed in the cavernous space.
“We know everything. We have enough evidence to bury you both.” I twirled the knife in my hand as I considered how I might use it. I pulled out my phone and began to read from the files Linc had sent to my email. Benjamin’s skeptical sneer faltered, and the color drained from his face with each damning detail.
“And over twenty women have been paid off to stay quiet for what you’ve done to them. Verbal abuse. Assault. Blackmail. And not a shred of empathy for what you’ve put us through.”
Hale spat at me. A glob of saliva landed at my feet.
A strange sense of calm washed over me. It settled into my chest, and the corners of my lips quirked up as what I needed to do next became crystal fucking clear. Hale’s reign of terror ended today. I returned the knife to the table.
“Reaper, your gun.” I stretched my arm toward him with my palm open while maintaining eye contact with Hale.
I glanced back at Reaper after a beat. He stared at me with an expression of curiosity and concern.
“Please?”
He pulled his Glock from its holster. The metal gleamed under the harsh fluorescent lights. He placed it in my outstretched hand, and his fingers lingered as if reluctant to let go. I gripped the cold metal in my hand and smiled in thanks before returning my gaze to Hale. My voice echoed through the warehouse, steady and even.
“I could turn you in and let you be completely humiliated by the media circus. I’d call every reporter I’ve ever met. Let the nation watch the Abell Enterprises scandal unfold. And then I’d send you letters every month while you rotted in prison, just to make sure you never forgot me.”
I paused as I collected my thoughts, dragging the muzzle of the weapon down Hale’s chest. Even though he sat tied up, part of my mind still screamed that I faced danger this close to him. The gun provided a comforting weight in my hand.
“In fact, I will leak every piece of evidence I have against the two of you. But first, I’ll ask a hacker to charter an empty plane with your names on the manifest to a country with no extradition.”
I pressed the Glock harder into Hale, a twisted satisfaction filling my chest as he flinched.
“When I anonymously send a package of files to every journalist I know, everyone will assume you fled the country. No one will even consider looking for your bodies. And, hopefully, every victim will get some sense of peace knowing you’re no longer a threat—even if they don’t know you’re dead.”
Their eyes widened as they understood they would never leave this warehouse alive. I lowered the weapon and tilted my head as I reveled in the heady feeling of power.
“You see, that’s the only option. I don’t trust the police. They can be bribed. I don’t trust the judges that will set bail far too low. I don’t trust the lawyers. They’ll certainly fuck this up. And I don’t trust that you wouldn’t do it all again. I don’t trust anyone will hold you accountable.”
I leaned in close and dropped my voice to a whisper. “Do you know what that means?”
I didn’t wait for Hale to respond. I didn’t need to. I raised the gun and shot him point-blank in the head.
The sound rang through the enclosed space, and the reek of gunpowder filled the air. Hale’s body slumped forward as the blood poured from his skull.
