Page 61 of The Reaper
Leave, or I will make you.
Vinnie.
My heart froze in fear in my chest. I threw the letter onto the table, picked up the TV remote and smashed it against the wall. Liv squealed and they both turned around, but I didn’t apologise. I didn’t care about anything except protecting Leah and bringing this fucker to his knees. The other letters had fucked me off, but this one? It was the icing on a really shitty cake. The fact that he’d mentioned her made me rampant with fury. This guy had made my life hell growing up. He’d destroyed my past, but I was damned if I would to let him obliterate my future. He knew about Leah, but I’d rather die than let him get anywhere near her.
“This stops. Now,” I shouted. “This ends today.”
“Too fucking right,” Adam said in solidarity. “Whatever you need, brother, just let me know and I’m there. We all are.” Adam stood tall, radiating anger, but mine was off the charts.
Was he watching her?
Was he a threat to her?
Because if this guy hurt one hair on her head, I would annihilate him in this life and the next. My fury would be like nothing he’d ever seen before if he pushed me that far. She was untouchable.
“I need to see Leah, check she’s okay. Then I’m going to my mum to find exactly who else knew about this sick bastard. I have to be missing something.” I charged for the door, but Liv calling out stopped me in my tracks.
“No, Devon. Not like this. Go to your mum first. But please don’t go to Leah all angry and worked up. You need to calm down, and anyway, it’s Sunday morning. She’ll be at her dad’s church, won’t she? Ring her, talk to her, put your mind at rest that she’s safe. But don’t go to her raging like this.”
I wouldn’t believe she was safe until I’d seen it with my own eyes, but I knew what Liv was saying was right.
“I think Liv’s right,” Adam added. “See your mum first. Get all this shit out of your head. Then go to her if that’s what you need to do.”
I didn’t know what I was going to do. All I knew was that I couldn’t stay here and do nothing. So I walked out, grabbing my jacket from the door as I left.
“I’ll text you later,” I told them, my mind already debating which of the two destinations would be my first port of call.
* * *
Ten minutes later, I was knocking on my mother’s door, eager for answers so I could leave and get to where I really wanted to be; with Leah.
“Okay, I’m coming.” My mum cursed from behind the door. “Enough with the knocking, it’s Sunday morning for Christ’s sake.” She started to work all the locks free, and when the door swung open, she narrowed her eyes at me, peering at me as though she was seeing things. “Devon? What are doing here so early?”
She smoothed her hair down and wrapped her dressing gown a little tighter around herself as a cold gust of wind blew into the house.
“Well, don’t just stand there, come in. You’re letting all the warm air out,” she chastised, and I walked in, giving her a peck on her head as I slid past her and down the hallway.
She shut the door behind me and followed me into the living room.
“Do you want a cuppa? I could put some bacon and eggs on for you?”
“I’m not here for a social call,” I snapped and then regretted it when I saw the look on her face. “Sorry, Mum, but I’m in a hurry. I’ll pop round another day when I have more time. But for now, I need to ask you about Vinnie.”
It pained me to say his name, but I managed to swallow it down.
“What do you want to know?” She sank into the nearest armchair, but she didn’t look comfortable as she sat forward with her arms wrapped awkwardly around herself.
“I need to know if there are any of his friends or family still around here. And by friends, I mean close friends, people he spoke to regularly and told stuff to.”
“Why do you want to know that?”
“I can’t tell you right now, but I need you to trust me.”
Her eyes glistened with hope, and inwardly, I cursed.
“Is it because I thought I saw him a few times on the corner out there?”
“Kind of.” I clenched my fists, wishing I could tell her the truth. He wasn’t coming back, but his ghost was fucking me right off. Instead, I sighed and said, “Look, Mum, one day I’ll be able to explain, but for now, I just need names.”
