Page 35 of Queen of The Reapers
She’s new. It makes sense. Though it doesn’t make her grate against my nerves any less.
Why the hell am I even here?
When Atlas told me we were meeting with a team of lethal mercenaries, I expected to meet them in some gritty underground parking garage, or at some shady looking abandoned restaurant. No way could I have ever imagined we’d meet them in some fancy high rise in the middle of the business district.
“You sure I can’t get you a cup of coffee or something?” The receptionist asks again for what feels like the hundredth time.
I get why she’s being so attentive. From what I can tell, Creed Enterprises owns the entire floor, and apart from the two of us, no one has entered or left this ostentatious lobby in the last forty minutes.
“I’m fine.” I bite out, a little harsher than I intend to.
It isn’t her fault I’m on edge. Atlas is the one who abandoned me out here.
As soon as we arrived, Creed and his men came out, gave me a dismissive glance, steered Atlas towards the conference room, and firmly shut the door behind them. I expected Atlas to realize the mistake and circle back for me, but when that didn’t happen, I realized it must’ve been part of his plan all along.
From the very beginning, Atlas was hesitant to let me come with him. I wanted to hear what these specially trained men plan to do to find my sister, but he kept insisting that it would be better if he spoke with them alone. The only reason I could come today was because I convinced the twins to leave me behind. With Ezra missing in action and no one else at home to monitor me, Atlas had no choice but to let me come.
But it ended up being all for nothing. He’s in there, negotiating terms with some of the most lethal mercenaries in the country, while I’m in the lobby alone looking completely overdressed in a red silk minidress that barely covers my ass.
I drum my fingertips against my bare knees and glare up at the clock on the wall.God.Time is moving so damn slowly.What’s taking them so long in there?
I pull out my cell phone and stare at the blank screen. A normal person would call their friends to pass the time, but the only real friend I have is Alex, and her phone is out of commission.
I mindlessly pull up my text messages anyway, needing something to help pass the time. As soon as I do, a text from an unknown number shows up in my inbox.Weird timing.I open the message to get a better look and wait for the grey box to display on the screen.
Unknown Number: The Reapers won’t help you find her, but I will.
My whole body freezes as I stare down at my phone in disbelief. An eerie feeling sinks in, and I look up from the screen and scan my surroundings. It feels like I'm being watched, but there’s still no one else in the room besides me and the receptionist.Who the hell is this?
Who are you?
I type out, but before hitting send, I change my mind and quickly delete the question. I shouldn’t respond to them. At the very least, not until I show Atlas.
Three grey dots pop up in the text conversation and my heart skips a beat.
The eerie feeling creeps up again and I look up from my phone and glance around the room again just to make sure I’m still alone. Could this person know something we don’t?
Unknown Number: The Reapers will always serve The Reapers. If you don’t believe me, ask yourself, would saving her benefit them? If the answer is no, then they aren’t on your side.
Jesus.
I stare at the screen, gnawing on my lower lip, as I think about what to say back to them. There’s no doubt whoever this is knows The Reapers intimately. But what they’re saying is fucking crazy. I know The Reapers and everything they’ve done so far has been to help me. They want my sister back just as much as I do.Don’t they?
“Everything okay?”
The sound of Atlas’s smooth, velvety voice sends my heart leaping into my stomach.
“Y- Yeah.” I stammer, deleting the message chain before he can see it. “I was just playing some silly game on my phone and got distracted.”
Atlas offers me a small smile before gesturing for me to follow him out. I don’t like hiding things from him, but something about what the text said struck a nerve.
The more that I think about it, the more that I realize that whoever sent the message isn’t wrong. The Reapers have always put their own needs above everyone else’s. Lately, I’ve become one of those needs, but that doesn’t give me any guarantees for Alex.
“How did it go?” I ask, standing up from my chair and moving to walk beside him.
Instead of answering right away, Atlas leads us to the sleek metal elevator and waits for the doors to close before continuing.
“According to their sources,” He says, sinking his hands into the pockets of his light grey suit pants, “in the days leading up to the fire, there were a few different men at Hell’s Tavern asking questions about you.”
