Page 78 of Reaper & Ruin
It was a dance. That was it. I was gonna shake some ass, get some goods, and then be on my merry way.Simple.
Next up in my attire was Atlas’ knife, gleaming on the bedside table. I grabbed it, tucking it into my waistband. But my eyes caught on the ghost mask sitting beside where the knife had been.
It stared at me, expressionless and eerie.
The maskwasAtlas. It was a piece of him, a symbol of his soul. It was how I knew him first, how I knew him still when he enjoyed playing monster. It was what Gio teased him about, as though he didn’t enjoy the sight of a masked Atlas just as much as I did.
It was also what I was bringing with me. The final touch, aside from some of Gio’s aftershave, to make me feel ready to go and do some murdering.
I was going to play Wraith.
“Good girl,” I murmured, crouching to Malivore’s level. Her big eyes watched me intently as I grabbed, then slid her harness over her head, tightening the straps snugly. “We’re going to get our boys, okay? And you’re going to be the best damn sidekick anyone’s ever seen.” She licked me, and I took that as her agreement. “We’re gonna do a Die Hard and fuck some bitches up.”
Her tail thumped against the floor as she barked softly, her excitement making me smile despite everything.
I straightened quickly, pulling my hair into a low ponytail so I didn’t have to mess around when I wanted to wear the mask. The elastic snapped into place just as Rowan’s voice cut through the quiet.
“Very subtle, Lucky.”
I turned to see him leaning against the doorway, arms crossed and a smirk tugging at the corners of his mouth.
“What?” I asked, glancing down at myself.
“The whole assassin chic look,” he said, gesturing to my all-black outfit. “Very intimidating. Definitely says, ‘I’m about to commit multiple felonies.’”
“Good,” I shot back, grabbing a pair of Gio’s fancy leather driving gloves and shoving them into my leggings pocket. “That’s exactly what I’m going for. I have to dress for the job I want. And the job I want today is badass criminal.”
Rowan chuckled, stepping further into the room. His smirk faded slightly, replaced by a more serious expression as he leaned against the wall.
“Listen,” he started, his voice softer now. “I need to say something before we do this.”
I raised an eyebrow, crossing my arms. “What?”
He sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. “I’m sorry. For everything. For going to prison and leaving you behind. For not having been there after Missy died. For all of it.”
The mention of Missy made my chest tighten, but I forced myself to meet his gaze. “You had your reasons,” I said carefully.
The scar on my stomach twinged as though the reminder of how I got it, and my parent’s deaths, was making the memories come to life again. But as I was firmly a member of the boat club that sailed the river De-Nile, I refused to let them stay. Those bitches were shoved down into the crevices of my brain, where useless things stayed. Like the Pythagorean theorem from math class.
“Yeah,” he admitted, “but they weren’t good ones. Killing the bastards who murdered Mom and Dad felt right at the time, but…”
“You don’t regret it,” I interrupted. I knew that without a doubt.
He shook his head. “Not for a second. They deserved what they got. But Idoregret what it cost. I regret leaving you behind when you needed me most.”
The raw honesty in his voice caught me off guard, and for a moment, I didn’t know what to say. Usually, I was full of words and rambles and things to offer. But there was nothing.
There was no correct answer. Wrong answer. There justwas.
“You’re here now,” I said finally, my voice steadier than I felt. “And that’s what matters.”
Rowan stepped closer until he was standing right in front of me. “I promise I’m not going anywhere again. Whatever happens, I’m staying. I’m looking out for you this time.” He smiled. “I mean, I have to pretend to be dead a little while longer. But we can text. Then I can see you. Every day if you want. Until you get annoyed.”
A lump formed in my throat, but I swallowed it down, nodding. “Good. Because we don’t have time to sit around being mad at each other.” I sighed. “I need you, Ro. I need you to be here and make me feel safe. Because right now, Idon’tfeel safe. I’m just lost and scared, and I don’t know how to fix things.”
“That’s why you have me. I’m a certified badass; far better than those scrawny little boys you’re dating.” He grinned harder.
“Gio is taller than you.” My eyes rolled. “Atlas is scarier. Both of them could kick your ass. But I could kick your ass the most.”
