by M. S. Parker
Finally, I decided the room immediately outside the door was empty and I slid outside.
Nobody jumped out at me from behind either hall entryway. Reaper had been in the kitchen, so I started that way, holding the pistol in a loose, two-fisted grip, guided only by the small security lights.
The first thing I heard were the weak moans and the miserable voice coming from the area near the window. I’d watched with morbid awe as Reaper had made the big mountain of a man ball like a baby. He was still on the ground, and he saw me first, his eyes going wide.
He went to say something, but Reaper caught sight of me, spinning on his heels, knees flexed as he brought the weapon up.
My heart jumped into my throat, and I stared at him, frozen.
He bared his teeth at me and stormed over. “Get back downstairs,” he said. Then he grabbed me by the neck and yanked me toward him. “What were you thinking? I could have…” He groaned and slammed his mouth down over mine, kissing me desperately. The heat from his body was like a furnace, and I wanted to sink into him. I didn’t have a chance to even touch him before he set me away. “Get back downstairs.”
“No. There’s a problem.”
“I don’t care. Get–”
I clapped my hand over his mouth and hurriedly told him what James had seen, what he suspected.
His eyes narrowed over my hand, and he reached up, tugging it away. He started toward the man on the ground, but even as he went to speak to him, we both heard something in the silent house.
It was incredibly, inexplicably loud – coming from the front door.
Wood banging against wood.
I’d seen how he’d barricaded the front door and in a second, I knew.
“They’re trying to come in,” I said, voice low.
On the floor, Rodrigo started to laugh. “That’s right, you punk bitch. You ain’t getting outta this. Boss is coming for your ass.”
Reaper ignored him. I was tempted to smash my foot into the man but Reaper was already dragging me by the hand, hauling me toward the basement door. “Message delivered. Go be safe.”
“No.” I planted my feet and jerked my wrist, although all I did was make it hurt. His grip was like steel.
He turned and glared at me, eyes firing in the dark. “This isn’t a game, sugar. Get downstairs.”
“I know it’s not a game, and there’s no time–”
Another heavy thud from the front door. “Mr. Clarion. You need to remove the barricade. It’s the Cincinnati Police Department. We’re here to help. We heard reports of shots fired. We must come in.”
From the back, there was the sound of breaking glass.
I shoved my free hand against Reaper’s chest. “Go be a hero. I’ll make sure nobody gets downstairs.”
“I want you out of sight!”
I pointed past his shoulder. “I will be.”
The library was on the opposite side of the hall, the glass windows providing the perfect place to observe anybody walking by. Faint light from the kitchen windows reached this far down the hall, but they didn’t penetrate the library. With the gloom of the shadows heavy on the house, I’d see anybody before they’d see me. More, I’d see anybody who might see the hidden basement door.
He swore and then grabbed the handle, jerking the door open and shoving me inside.
“Coming for you, punk ass bitch!” Rodrigo called out. “My boys are going to cut your balls off and make you eat them!”
“Promises, promises,” he muttered as he closed the door. Through the glass, he mouthed, “Hide.”
I retreated, although the only way to hide was to simply back up and let the shadows do their work. I’d have to watch for a flashlight. If anybody shined one in here, I’d be a sitting duck.
* * *
For the rest of my life, I’m going to remember what played out over the next few moments.
Clutching the weapon, I kept telling myself over and over to relax. I couldn’t shoot worth shit if I tensed up. I knew that. The instructors James had hired to train me had drilled that into my head.
I wanted to believe I wouldn’t have to fire the weapon, but the hot, greasy sensation in my gut wasn’t ready to think so.
When I saw the pool of light splash across the floor, I shoved myself in between two narrow bookcases, sinking my teeth into my lip to keep from crying out. The door opened, and she came inside, a young thing, dressed in a pristine uniform of dark blue, her pretty features set in a solid mask of determination. Her skin was a warm, smooth shade of brown, her hair pulled back into a neat knot. She held her light and weapon in the standard Harries method, her gun hand steady.
“Venturi.”
The officer tensed, but didn’t turn. “Clearing this room, detective.”
“Yes. I just need to…”
I peeked one eye out from behind the bookshelf. My heart slammed up into my throat, and I opened my mouth to scream out a warning, but it never came out.
Bang!
The young officer collapsed. Shot by the detective.
“You might as well come on out, Chief Dedman. You’ve now killed a Cincinnati police officer. The sooner you turn yourself in, the better.”
The other man turned away, not even looking around. If he had, he would have seen me, because I was too stunned to duck back into my hiding spot.
What the hell…
What the hell…
There was a thud from somewhere off near the kitchen and another scream. A moment later, Reaper’s voice drifted to me. “Funny, but I don’t recall shooting a cop. I made one of your boys into a eunuch, though. One of them is still out in the yard, clinging to his leg and crying for his mama. Two others…well, you don’t want to know what I did to them. It’s pretty ugly.”
I made myself move.
I couldn’t stay there.
If he backtracked and looked in here…
And my skin was crawling, stomach heaving as I thought about the woman lying on the floor. I knew it was hopeless, but I made myself check her pulse. Tears burned my eyes, and I blinked them away.
I didn’t understand any of this. We’d called 911. Cops should have been here, and this guy had told us it would take a while – it had to be him. He had told Reaper there was somebody inside who’d taken money. Yeah, there had been. Him.
I don’t know if he’d hacked into the phone lines or what, but he was behind this whole thing. How much money had it taken for him to agree to kill a fellow cop?
That thought brought much needed strength, and I found myself in the hall before I knew it.
I caught sight of the other cop just as he would have disappeared around the corner into the kitchen. He was big, the kind of big that made me think he’d played football in college or high school, but he hadn’t kept up his physical fitness regimen, and that muscle was slowly going to fat. But he’d still be strong. Strong and fast.
“Where’s the old man and the woman, Dedman? If you’re a good boy, and you just turn yourself over, maybe I won’t hurt them. This is all about you anyway.”
“Come find me, Vogler,” Reaper said. His voice had an odd, echoing quality. I had no idea where he was.
“If I have to look, you ain’t going to like what happens when I find you. And if I find them first?” Vogler laughed. “Too bad I don’t have time because I could have some fun with that bitch. She ain’t the prettiest thing, but she’s got an ass on her. Tell you what, I’ll kill her first. I’m a gentleman. Her, then the old man.”
“Hey!”
I don’t know why I shouted at him.
He spun around, weapon lifted.
The sight of me holding a gun on him had him hesitating though.
A rush of emotions flickered across his face. He settled on severe. “You want to put that down. You’re holding a weapon on a police officer, ma’am.”
“Yeah. One who just killed another cop.” My voice shook, but I was surprised to see that my hand was steady. “I saw you. I was in that library, you d
umb ass.”
The hand holding his weapon went white. His face went red.
The shadow emerged from the darkness like a phantom. Reaper had his pistol pointed at the man’s temple before I fully realized what I was seeing. He was like a ghost. “Lower that weapon, or I’ll be redecorating this place with your brains, man.”
“Shoot me and she’s dead.” His hand shook slightly.
“No, you don’t want to say that.” Reaper’s voice was silky. “See, that pisses me off, makes me want to rip your balls out through your throat and strangle you with them. Or worse…just beat you senseless and leave you alive so your ass can rot in jail. What happens to cops in jail, boss? Any idea?”
“You think…” Vogler laughed, trying to sound confident. “You don’t think I’m going to jail, do you? I’ve got more protection than you can imagine. You shouldn’t have pissed that girl or her daddy off.”
“Oh, you’re going to jail. See, you’re on candid camera right now…everything you’ve done has been captured on film for all the world to see.”
Vogler sucked in a breath and shoved away from Reaper, spinning to point his gun at him. “You fucking lying sack of shit.”
“Why would I lie?”
“Get it. Delete it.” The weapon wheeled back toward me. “Or I’ll shoot that bitch right now.”
“You won’t do that, because if you do, you’re dead.” Reaper still hadn’t moved, holding the CR12 with a steadiness that somehow calmed even me. “See, if she gets hurt, there’s no place you can hide on heaven or earth that could protect you. So stop making threats against her before you really piss me off.”
Vogler was panting now. “Fine. I’ll just…” He jerked the weapon around.
I didn’t see it coming.
Reaper did, and he moved, grabbing the man and disarming him with quick efficiency before the cop could point the weapon at his chin and shoot himself.
He had him on the floor, and as he started to cuff the man, Vogler began to sob and curse, the words blurring into one another. I moved forward, one hand on the wall, adrenaline crashing through me and draining out, leaving me weak-kneed.
“Is it over?” I asked softly.
“Yeah.” Reaper swiped a forearm over his brow and looked around. “The idiot kids he recruited are either dead or neutralized. We just need to–”
The click was painfully loud.
“You fucking dick. You shot me in the leg.” He sounded terribly young. “In the leg. I had somebody coming to look at me for a basketball scholarship. I was getting out.”
He was young.
Terror couldn’t keep me from noticing that. He sat in the doorway, covered in dirt and blood, and he pointed a weapon at us, one that shook. It was a cheap thing, some Saturday night special he’d bought for probably a hundred bucks somewhere. But he was close enough that he could kill either of us – and that cheap piece of shit might or might not fire accurately.
“You fucker,” he said, and his voice cracked like he might cry. “I’m going to kill you.”
“No, you’re not.” Reaper held up a hand and took a step forward.
I saw the boy’s finger tighten.
I tried to shove Reaper out of the way.
Then he was out of the way – on the floor.
Bleeding.
I screamed and lunged for him.
The boy was screaming too, crawling toward us and telling me to get away.
Then he was quiet, quiet and still.
Another weapon had fired, and the boy was holding his arm and sobbing.
James stood over us, gray in the face and leaning against the wall.
“I’ve called 911.”
I just stared at him.
James leaned heavily against the wall. “I know the codes to override the codes. Now stop the bleeding.”
Stop the bleeding…
Dazed, I looked down at Reaper. Blood was pumping from his throat. His throat.
Shit.
Chapter Twelve
Reaper
I love you.
I’m sorry.
You stubborn asshole…you better not die.
I could hear her talking to me, but I couldn’t find her.
I don’t know why I couldn’t find her. Maybe because I couldn’t even open my damn eyes. If I tried to lift a hand to reach for her, my body worked against me, and I couldn’t even move.
I love you. Please open your eyes.
Olivia…
I tried to say her name, make my mouth form the letters. I managed to get out O.
She laughed. Or at least it sounded like she did.
Her hands held mine.
Then I was lost in darkness again.
* * *
That cycle seemed to repeat itself for a lifetime. Nothing distinguished one point in time from another, except light and dark. Sometimes I’d hear her, and I sensed light beyond my stubbornly closed eyes.
Other times, it was dark, and I hated the dark. She wasn’t always there in the dark.
A couple times, I heard James.
Stubborn boy. I always knew you would be, but did you have to go and show me like this? Come on, son. Open your eyes. I want to see you again.
I thought maybe Hawk was there, but maybe I just dreamed him.
Mostly, it was O.
I love you, Reaper. Open your eyes…come back.
I wanted to tell her I was trying.
But I couldn’t even open my mouth.
* * *
Something was beeping, and it was annoying the shit out of me.
My arm was itching too, and that was annoying as hell.
My mouth was dry, dryer than cotton.
All of those thoughts drifted through my mind, none of them really connecting. Somebody spoke in an unfamiliar voice. “Good morning, Mr. Dedman.”
Automatically, I muttered, “Good morning,” and I opened my eyes.
“What…why, look at you!” A woman stood at the bedside, beaming at me. Her eyes were bright green, her skin a warm gold, and she wore brightly colored clothes – the top had puppies on it. She looked ridiculous. What was she doing here?
Craning my head, I looked around, searching for a clue to that. It hit me then that I wasn’t at home. Or at least not at Mom’s house.
I was in the room I’d been using at the estate.
Shifting on the bed, I tried to sit up, only to realize I was partially already there.
And on a hospital bed. I went to scratch at my arm as I puzzled through things and swore as my fingers hit a sensitive spot.
“Oh, be careful…your IV site is getting infected. I was just getting ready to change it.” She rushed closer.
Her words gave me a much-needed clue. A nurse.
I was at James’s house, in a hospital bed and there was a nurse here.
Why…?
Memory came rushing back in an instant. Reaching out, I caught her arm. “Where’s Olivia?” I swallowed, almost afraid to hear the answer. “Is she…and James…?”
A soft smile curved her lips. “She went to go eat breakfast with him, Mr. Dedman. But she’s fine. I’ll go let her know you’re awake. You just stay put.”
* * *
You just stay put…
Yeah. Right.
Once she was gone, I fought with the bedrail until I had it down, then I swung my legs over the side.
I needed to take a leak. I needed clothes. I needed…
“Reaper…”
I jerked my head up at the voice.
“Olivia.”
She stood in the doorway for a moment, hesitating. I started to shove upright. There. Right there. She was what I needed.
She came for me then, flinging herself into my arms and kissing me.
Fire flared along my neck when I went to pull away, and I swore, lifting a hand to the area. I encountered a thick pad of bandages.
She eased away, staring down at me. I must have looked confused because she touched her fingers to my hand. “H
e shot you. The kid. Right in the neck. A centimeter to the left, and I wouldn’t have been able to keep you from bleeding to death. And if James hadn’t already called for an ambulance…you almost died. You had to have three transfusions.”
Her face crumpled like she was going to cry.
“Don’t.” Tugging her to me, I held on tight. “I’m here. Okay? I’m not going anywhere.”
“You better not. Stubborn bastard.” She kissed me again, raining soft little caresses all over my face. “You were asleep for two days. Two days. You scared me to death.”
I pinched her ass. “Serves you right. Know what it did to me when I saw you in the hall?”
“I couldn’t stay down there. I couldn’t…the cop.” She swallowed, shuddering in my arms. “Vogler was dirty. He had two people, one in dispatch and another at the local precinct. They had it all planned out. There might even be more. The FBI is investigating Kylie now. She won’t geting off so easily this time.”
I grimaced. “Yeah, right.”
She touched my cheek, tears burning her eyes. “You’re awake. I’m almost afraid to really believe it’s real.”
I managed a smile. “Hey, I’m a SEAL.” I stopped, almost corrected myself. I was a SEAL – former. But then I stopped. The bitterness that would have driven that was gone, completely gone. Yeah, I wasn’t getting that old life back, but this new one…well, it didn’t totally suck. And once I made Olivia fall in love with me…
I love you.
Wake up…
“Wait a minute.” I slid a hand up her back and closed it over her neck. “You’ve been here. Talking to me, haven’t you?”
She nodded, curling her arms around my shoulders.
“She barely left your side.”
I looked to the doorway. I did a double take when I saw James was in a wheelchair. He looked like he’d aged a decade, down to nothing but a shadow of himself. But he was smiling.
O snuggled in closer, her hand fisting in the loose t-shirt I wore. “Figures you’d wake up when I left to shower and eat. Jerk.”
“Hey…be nice.” Covering her hand with mine, I stared into her eyes. “I heard you talking to me.”