Reaper's Legacy(101)

“Oh, I know that,” she said quickly, then shook her head ruefully. “Believe me, I’m well aware that I’m the f*ckwit who got us into this.”

“You’re not a f*ckwit,” I said forcefully. “He’s a liar and he’s good at it. Not your fault that he targeted you.”

It was the Reapers’ fault, but I figured rubbing it in wouldn’t be particularly helpful.

“Doesn’t matter,” she said. “But I’m serious—I really don’t think he’ll hurt me. I’m more worried about Skid.”

“It’s his brother they’ve got,” I told her. “His real brother. I think he wanted to hurt me.”

“You guys okay in there?” Hunter called through the door.

“We’re fine,” Em snapped, startling me. “Give us a f*cking minute, *!”

My eyes went wide.

“That was pretty bitchy,” I hissed. “Do you think that’s smart? Maybe I’m reading the situation wrong here, but don’t we want him in a good mood?”

She snorted sarcastically.

“Fuck that,” she replied. “I’m a Reaper and I’ll be damned if I’ll suck up to some Devil’s Jack dickwad.”

“Well I’m not a Reaper,” I said quietly. “And I’d just as soon not die here and leave Noah an orphan, so don’t piss him off.”

She looked chastened.

“Sorry. I guess I have my dad’s temper.”

“Too bad you don’t have your dad’s gun.”

“No shit, right? And I’m the good girl in the family. You should see my sister.”

“You have one minute,” Hunter called through the door. “Then I’m coming in.”

Em washed her hands and we left the bathroom. I avoided making eye contact with Hunter, who stood back and jerked his head toward “my” bedroom.

“Go in and lie down on the bed,” he said. “Both of you.”

We did what he said—although I could see it killed Em to obey—and two minutes later he had us both cuffed to the bedstead. Thankfully, he only did one wrist each, which was way more comfortable than Skid’s method.

“I’ll bring you some food,” Hunter said, tracing a finger across Em’s cheek.

She glared at him. “I’m gonna buy a bright red dress to wear to your funeral, Liam.”

“Yeah?” he replied, eyes narrowing. “Make sure it’s short and shows off your tits.”

“I hate you,” she hissed.

“Keep tellin’ yourself that.”

He walked out, slamming the door behind him. I bit my tongue, wondering what the hell that was all about.

“Don’t worry,” Em said after an awkward pause. “We’ll find our way out of this. We’ll escape somehow. Either that or the guys will find us.”

“Do you have any ideas?” I asked, wondering what the hell was going on between them. “Did he tell you anything, give you any hints or clues about where we are?”

“No.”

I waited for her to say more. She didn’t, and that worried me even more.

“So what did you do all night?” I asked slowly. Em ignored the question.

“I wonder if one of them will leave at some point,” she murmured. “If we wait until there’s just one in the house, I’ll bet the two of us could take him. Or even if we distracted him, at least one of us could get away. Go for help.”

“Do you think we’re really out in the middle of nowhere?” I asked. “Have you seen outside?”

“Haven’t seen outside, but we barely drove long enough to get out of the city,” she said. “There may not be any houses next door, but there has to be something within walking distance. We just need to find a way out of these handcuffs. If we can find a paperclip or a pin or something, I can pick the lock.”

“Really?” I asked, impressed. “Where did you learn that?”

“You’d be surprised at all the things I know,” she said, her voice dry. “Dad believes in being prepared.”

The door opened and Hunter came in balancing two paper plates. He had a couple bottles of water clutched under his arm and I suddenly realized how hungry and thirsty I was. My stomach growled. He set everything on top of the little dresser in the corner. Then he walked over and unlocked the handcuffs.