Page 18 of The Reaper
Some might say, how could someone like him be followed and watched for so long without knowing? A man that made it his business to know what was happening in his town. To know everything of importance.
But that was the point.
I wasn’t important.
I was a nobody.
A faceless, nameless whisper in the shadows that didn’t warrant a second thought.
Most of the people in my day-to-day life found me inconsequential. Why would Devon Brady be any different? And maybe, once upon a time, he had noticed me watching. But if he or any of the other soldiers had seen me, they’d never let on. One quick check into my background would tell them all they needed to know. I was a vicar’s daughter, who worked hard at school and got good grades. A loner who played various instruments but never seemed to get anywhere with it. Honest, responsible, reliable, boring.
With credentials like those, who would bat an eyelid?
No. Devon Brady had never known who I was, but I felt like I knew him better than anyone.
He was mine.
A sacred, dark secret that I kept locked in my dark heart. That was until today. Today, two worlds collided when I found him at my door. And I was tired. Tired of living in both of those worlds. I couldn’t pretend any longer. I had loved watching from the shadows, but now, I needed more. Now that he finally knew I existed, I wanted to go that little bit further. Like my spirit animal, the raven, I wanted to spread my wings and fight for what I believed in.
With renewed vigour, I stood up, surprising myself at my intention to go over there, but when I saw another figure exit the building, I stayed still. Adam Noble emerged, carrying a dog lead in his hands as he strolled over to Devon. I watched as he spoke a few words to him, then whistled for the dog’s attention. When the dog bounded up to him, he bent down and scratched his head, then attached the lead to his collar. Adam strolled away to take the dog for a walk, and Devon took a few steps back, ready to go inside. But I didn’t move. My raven had perched itself back on my shoulder and was keeping me in place. So much for flying free.
As he turned to go inside, he lifted his head, and that’s when he saw me. For a split second, he stopped dead in his tracks and just stared. Then, as if it was nothing, he disappeared into the asylum. Even standing across the road from him, he’d seen right through me, like I was a ghost from another world.
I took a few deep breaths to calm my nerves, then I shoved my hands into my pockets and kept my head down, marching to the end of the street to go home. I didn’t pay attention to anything around me, I just stared blankly at the pavement beneath my feet and tried to block out the voices in my head telling me I needed to get a fucking life.
As I turned the corner and strode forward, I stumbled, almost crashing into a body coming from the opposite direction. Feeling irritated that I’d been disrupted, I looked up with a scowl into the face of the person who’d disturbed my thoughts, a face hidden inside a black hoody that was pulled low over their face. A face, that once I peered closer, made the hairs on the back of my neck stand to attention. Suddenly, everything went from dull black and white to a screeching technicolour that my brain couldn’t handle. In front of me, frowning like I was a puzzle he’d never work out, stood Devon. Beautiful, complicated Devon.
Being so close to him again, it was like time stood still. I couldn’t stop myself from gazing into his dark green eyes––eyes that seemed as though they could pierce right through my soul. The way his eyebrows arched made it look like he had a permanent stare of wicked intent, and my skin prickled with goosebumps as I shivered, thinking about what that intent could be. His hair was as dark as his stare, and when I glanced at his full lips twisted into a disapproving glower, I knew I had to steel myself for what was about to come. He wasn’t here to play nice. He was pissed.
If I’d thought Devon Brady hadn’t noticed me before, he certainly had now.
ChapterEight
DEVON
Ithought my mind was playing tricks on me when I saw her in the distance. That sensation that someone was watching had plagued me as I stood with Tyson, waiting for Adam to come down and take him for his walk. I didn’t mention anything to Adam, I didn’t want to spook him. Plus, it wasn’t unusual for me to feel like eyes were on me. It was a hazard of the job, and if I was honest, I’d felt it ever since my stepfather had been taken care of all those years ago. But when I looked up, I never in a million years expected to see her.
Leah May.
Dark hair, pale skin, and eyes that shone with something I wasn’t used to seeing in my line of work.
Hope.
That was until she realised I’d seen her, and then I noticed something else in her demeanour, not so much fear, more apprehension. Nerves. Embarrassment.
What was she doing here?
I had every intention of letting it go, going inside and carrying on with my day, but she was like poison infecting my mind. Creeping into my brain and squeezing tightly, begging for my attention. Out of nowhere, this girl seemed to have a hold on me, a pull that I couldn’t explain. I couldn’t let her go without knowing what was going on.
Why had she come here today?
And what the fuck was going on with my reaction to her?
I stormed right through The Sanctuary and out the other end, hoping to catch her in the street. When I saw her, eyes glued to the floor and hands stuffed into her pockets, I felt a burning inside my chest.
Did she need my help?
Was that why she was here?
