Page 26 of Queen of The Reapers
“It could be your stepfather.” Cyrus offers. “He’s used her as a bargaining chip before.”
“Or s… someone who knows what we did to your ex and his friends.” Tristan adds, looking at me pointedly.
Shit.My list of enemies got a hell of a lot longer since the last time I checked it. Still, my gut is telling me that this whole thing has Melanie written all over it.
“It’s Melanie.” I say, shooting up from my seat as my body refuses to sit idly. I pace back and forth in front of the coffee table for a moment before continuing. “It has to be. We have to stop her before she hurts Alex.”
“It’s nearly 3am.”
“You think she cares that it’s 3am? She probably has her men fucking torturing my sister right now. If you don’t want to take me, that’s fine. I’ll go by myself. I’m getting my sister back tonight. With or without you.”
The room fills with silence as Atlas, Tristan, and Cyrus simply stare at me for a few beats. I feel a significant change happening within me and I think they can sense it, too. Before tonight, I always warred within myself. Fighting between doing right by Alex and doing right by The Reapers. But after everything that’s happened, I can’t continue fighting with myself. I’ve got to pick a side once and for all.
“Your idle threats are getting ridiculous, don’t you think?” Ezra calls out, stepping into the doorway to join us. “You have no car. No money. Face it, Angel, you need us.”
I eye Ezra as he slowly saunters into the office. He’s shirtless and freshly showered, with a hint of soap still lingering on his skin. It’s strange that there’s a shower in here somewhere, but it makes sense given the activities that go on in the dungeon.
His black joggers are slung low on his hips, leaving his ink-kissed chest and abs on full display. He casually rubs a black towel through his wet hair and stares at the four of us with a question behind his eyes. His black joggers are slung low on his hips, leaving his ink-kissed chest and abs on full display. He casually rubs a black towel through his wet hair and stares at the four of us with a question behind his eyes.
“What did I miss?” He asks, tossing the towel over his muscular shoulder.
“Stevie’s sister has been taken.” Atlas informs him as he runs a hand through his hair.
“And they left this at the s… scene.” Tristan adds, showing Ezra the picture of the hand-written message.
“The plot thickens.” Ezra says, leveling his eyes at me as he slides the phone back to Tristan.
“This isn’t a fucking joke.” I clip, cocking my head in his direction. “She’s in danger.”
Ezra scoffs as he slowly advances towards me.
“I’m aware.” He deadpans as he towers over me. “But personally, I could give two shits about your sister. Why is any of this a concern for us?”
His careless disregard for Alex's safety pisses me off. I want to tell him to fuck-off, to leave if he doesn't want to help, but I can’t give him the satisfaction. I won’t.
Being cruel and heartless is just part of who he is. It’s part of who they all are, really. They aren’t men who will hold me close and tell me everything will be okay. They’re men that will challenge me and push me in ways I never see coming. They’ll break me over and over again, just because they can. The only way I’ll ever be able to survive in their world is to beat them at their own games. To fight their cruelty with a brand of my own.
“You know what.” I hiss, scanning his face like I’m trying to memorize every inch of it. “I’m going to let your casual disregard for my sister slide, because I know that, unlike your brothers, you’re damaged beyond repair. But just so we’re clear, you should be concerned. Alex was the only thing tying me to this city and without her, I’m as good as fucking gone.”
I stand there quietly, studying his hard features. His dark, wet hair falls into his face as his smoldering dark grey eyes hold my gaze. There’s so much unfiltered rage flickering behind his eyes that standing so close to him kicks my survival instinct into overdrive. Deep down, I want nothing more than to take back everything I said and tell him the truth. That I need him and even if I wanted to, there’s no way in hell I could ever leave. That despite what he thinks about himself, he’s still redeemable. But that’s not how things work with Ezra. He can’t accept my love, and if I approach him in a loving way, he’ll see me as weak and I’ll never earn his respect. I have to fight his fire with my own and inflict pain to battle the pain he inflicts on me.
“Look, I’m tired of fighting.” I say, backing away from Ezra so I can turn and face all of them. “I just need to know. Are you guys coming with me or not?”
As soon as I’m done speaking, Ezra storms off in a blaze of white-hot fury. I want to chase after him, but after what I said, I’m probably the last person he needs to see right now.
I wait for a decision while Atlas, Tristan, and Cyrus whisper among each other. After a few minutes, they break apart and Atlas steps forward.
“There’s no way in hell you’re going without us.” He says, his voice taking on an authoritative tone. “That you’d even think that shows you’re not in the right headspace. We’ll head there tomorrow.” He continues, giving me a hard glare when I roll my eyes at him. “We need sleep and you need to calm the fuck down. If you attack her unprovoked in her own home, there’s nothing we can do to protect you.”
As much as I hate to admit it, I know Atlas is right. If we were to head to Melanie’s right now, I wouldn't be able to stop myself from pouncing on her. I need time to calm down, if not for my sake, for Alex’s.
“Fine.” I say dismissively, crossing my arms over my chest. “Tomorrow then. Let’s just hope Alex is still breathing when we get there.”
“She’ll be fine!” The twins assert in union, cutting their eyes at me.
“She’s their only bargaining chip.” Cyrus adds. “Whoever took her won’t do anything stupid to fuck it up.”
The three of them continue to talk about strategies for tomorrow’s visit, but after a while, I stop listening. They say my sister’s safe and every single part of me hopes that they’re right. Not just for her sake, but for ours, too. If something happens to her, I don’t think I’ll ever be able to forgive them.
