Page 65 of Reaper & Ruin
“Okay,” I choked out, my hands shaking as I held onto the phone like it was my last lifeline. “I’ll do that.”
“Get a weapon too,” she added, her tone sharp. “And take the dog with you. She’ll keep you safe.”
The line went dead, and I lowered the phone, staring at it as if it could give me answers. Forty-five minutes to an hour. I hadto survive that long until Silver got here. It was easy, right? I just had to hide and be quiet and smart.
As I hit dial on the only other saved number, I raced through the cabin, locking the doors and windows as fast as my shaking hands would allow. Malivore followed close behind me, her presence a small comfort. She was a good girl. I owed her for the save. Maybe a massive steak or a new toy. Something that saidthanks for murdering a dickhead hitman for me, babe. I appreciate it…
The phone finally clicked as I grabbed myself a bottle of water and ran into the bathroom. My hands were trembling so badly, I could barely hold the phone up.
“Gio?” came the voice on the other end, rough and concerned but sounding so much like Gio that I wanted to cry.
“No, it’s not Gio.” My voice wavered, tears threatening to choke me again. “It’s Heather. Um, Heaven. Heaven Kane. The stripper.” I was more than a stripper, dammit. But it seemed easier than saying,‘I’m the girl who kidnapped your brother, did a shit job at torturing him, then let him go because he was innocent. But then we decided to stay in the woods together like hermits, avoiding your evil dad, and fucking a Russian hitman together.’
Stripper seemed more concise than all that.
There was a brief silence, and I could practically hear Emilio’s brain ticking away as he moved somewhere quieter. I had only met him at work, and each time he seemed terrifying. He was massive, strong, always ready to murder someone. And it wasn’t false, like with Reaper. I’d seen firsthand when Emilio put a bullet in someone’s brain.
Yet, for some reason, I felt calm talking to him.
“What’s wrong? What happened, sweetheart?” He murmured, voice soft enough to make me finally cry.
I told him, the words spilling out between sobs. My heart was in my throat, and I couldn’t seem to catch my breath. Gio and Atlas were gone, and I had no idea what to do. By the time I finished explaining, my cheeks were wet with tears, and I was a shaking mess.
“Don’t worry,” Emilio’s voice was steady as he spoke to me with the same pleasant tones that Gio did. “I’ll find out what I can from here. Keep this phone on, and I’ll call you back as soon as I can.”
I sniffled, trying to hold myself together as I quickly brushed my teeth and slapped myself in the face for real this time.
It didn’t calm me down. My cheek just hurt, and I wanted to cry again. But I pretended to be fine as Emilio finished his talking with an order to hide out, just like Silver had said.
“Okay. I’ll do that.” I promised.
There was a pause on his end, and then he said, “Heather?”
“Yeah?”
“Be brave. Gio always said you were.”
I let out a small, broken laugh. “I’ll do my best.”
We ended the call, and I headed for the bedroom. I was barricading myself in, just like Silver said, but I wasn’t going to be helpless. I sat on the bed, clutching Atlas’ knife, my fingers tracing the familiar grooves of the handle. Malivore sat beside me, her big eyes watching me, waiting for my next move.
“We’re gonna go be hitwomen and get our men back, okay?” I whispered to her, my voice shaky but determined. “We’re gonna have to be the bravest we’ve ever been because this is it now. We’re going to have to fight to win.”
She whined softly, resting her head on my lap.
And as I sat there, surrounded by the sounds of the night, the fear started to melt away, replaced by something else.
Determination.
I wasn’t just going to sit here and cry anymore. I wasn’t going to be helpless. I was going to fight.
For Atlas. For Gio.
For me. Because I was bored with having people I loved hurt and being unable to do a damn thing about it.
Chapter Twenty One, Long Ride
The car was silent. I sat stiffly, my hands bound in front of me, the coarse rope digging into my wrists. My arms rested on my knees, my fingers twitching uselessly. Atlas was beside me, his expression hard as stone, his sharp eyes locked on the rearview mirror where Danika’s gaze occasionally flicked back at him.
