Page 33 of Reaper Razed

I train the gun on Liam as he whimpers and begs. Gerald starts talking, and bless his heart; he leaves no stone unturned. He lays everything out for me clear as day, going into the finest detail about Dante’s organisations, the jobs he’s pulled, the information they gathered, and the passwords to his encrypted sites. He gives me everything. The thing is, Gerald was always a rat who only looked out for number one.

Once he’s done squealing like the little pig he is, I pull my phone out of my pocket. “Is that everything, sugar?” He nods and glances back at Liam. My gun is still trained in his direction; the slight smirk that slides across his face makes this a whole lot easier. “I’d like to say it’s been a pleasure, sugar, but… fuck you, Gerald!” I pull the trigger, and he crumples straight to the ground.

Liam just gasps. He’s splattered in Gerald’s blood, but he just stares at me in shock. “B-b-but?” He glances at Gerald and wipes his face with the back of his shaking hand. “B-b-but?”

I attach the surveillance footage with audio to my report and send it all in with the instructions. “Dinner for one at Cletus’s, request pick up in thirty minutes.” I let out a steady breath, you’re gonna have to hang tight Liam, till I get my orders!” I say, accent dropped. Now, there’s no point pretending anymore.

I grab one of the bags I’ve made. It’s a huge, almost tarpaulin, with hooks on the corners and around the sides. I lay it down on the floor and open Gerald’s cell, dragging the piece of shit onto it. I slide my toolbox and table to the side and head to the bottom of the stairs. There’s a winch attached to the ceiling. Releasing the cable, I drag it across to Gerald, hooking every hook into the multiple carabiners hanging from the end. Starting the winch, it drags the bag all the way to the bottom of the stairs. There’s another at the top of the stairs in the barn for when I need to get him up the stairs. I mean, work smarter, not harder, am I right?

I grab the hose and clean down the cell. The whole room is like a giant wet room. I give Liam a little spray down, too, while I’m at it because I’m nice like that, and by the time I've cleaned the room down, I can hear the rumble of the truck.

I check the feed from the camera in the barn and click the release to open the door. As the door swings over, White King and White Knight have arrived, coming down the stairs.

“Good job!” White King acknowledges as he arrives at the bottom of the stairs. I nod and walk up the stairs to grab the other winch. I connect it all up and click the button, and it drags the bag up the stairs.

“Ooh, I like that.” White Knight nudges my arm. “You’ve made a few modifications to this kill room.”

“Stop calling it the kill room. It’s my office!”

“Sure it is.” White King chuckles. “Nice office!” And then he winks at me. That's all I can see through the balaclavas and gas masks they wear.

Hauling Gerald into the back of the truck.

“Hey, I want my tarp back. I had that specially made. Drop him at Cletus’s. When’s White Rook gonna look at the footage I sent?”

“He’s still on a mission. He and White King have requested a three-day extension, so they’ll be on their assignments till then.” I nod. “What about the other guy?” I nod in Liam’s direction.

“We’re taking him.”

I nod again. “As is?”

They both nod, so I head over to Liam and unlock the cell, un-cuffing him. He hangs his head and walks towards them. Pulling out handcuffs and a bag, they cuff him and put it over his head, leading him to the back of the car and locking him in. White King walks around, pushes the button on the dash and shuts the door. The general anaesthetic floods the car, and it’s not long before he’s out.

“What are you gonna do with him?”

“Depends what the footage shows. He will be kept in holding until we declare whether he will be a liability. Then, we will proceed accordingly.” Again, I nod. They climb into the vehicle and head out.

I grab the hose and clean everything down again: the table, the cells, the floor, my tools, everything. Taking a look at myself, I’m covered in blood. “Fuck’s sake, it’s a good job I like red,” I mumble to myself!”

As I get to the door to the apartment, I slip off my boots and socks, choosing to go barefoot as my boots are covered in… Gerald, along with the rest of me, really. All I can hear is arguing through the door and multiple raised voices. I don’t have the patience.

I’ve used it all up, and I’ve no fucks left to give, so I slam the door open glaring at every motherfucker in that place! I haven’t eaten in fuck knows how long. I’m hangry, I’m tired, and I’m still reeling from the video. I need a moment to myself to process everything, and I can not be held accountable if I flip and kill one of these motherfucking dickheads, so I do the one thing I can do. I continue glaring as they all spin to face me, the look of sheer horror on some of their faces as I hold a single finger up, close my eyes, take a deep breath, and storm across the room into the bathroom.

After cleaning myself in the shower for nearly an hour, I wrap myself in a towel. As I go to leave, there’s my joggers and t-shirt on the counter. I slide them on and take a deep breath before I leave the room. As I walk out, the room falls silent again, and all I see is mistrust, trepidation and nervous energy.

Steel’s just coming out of the kitchen area with a sandwich and a drink. He puts it on the counter, walks straight over to me, picks me up, and clutches me to his chest.

He whispers into my ear. “I’m so sorry you had to see that… I would never… I could never…”

I kiss him like I can’t breathe without him when we finally pull away. “That’s how I knew you were in trouble!” I rest my head into the crook of his neck and just breathe him in! “I will always come for you!” I breathe into his neck. He leans back at me and smiles a sad smile, which I return—cupping my cheeks in his hands and turning my face from side to side, staring into my fuzzy eyes.

“When did you last sleep? What about eating?”

“What day is it? Fuck knows, the last time was when you went!”

“Bed, eat. The vultures can wait.” As he says this, he glares at them all. “Everybody out! We’re done till she’s rested.”

“But…” Ares trails off.