by B E Kelly
“No, I don’t regret meeting you or what’s happened between us but my life is a fucking mess right now, Lizzy. How do I keep you safe and take down my boss? He knows who you are and he’ll probably go after you and your family. I can’t let that happen. I need to get you and your family someplace safe and then I can work on bringing down Anthony Sr.,” he said.
“No,” Lizzy breathed, wrapping her arms around his neck. “I won’t let you send me away while you fight your battles. Like you said, I’ve been sent to rescue you. We’re stronger together, Reaper,” she insisted. God, he loved how strong his woman was, but there was no way he’d let her put herself or her family in danger—not to keep him safe.
“I can’t let you do that, baby. I don’t know what I’d do if something happened to you. You don’t understand just how evil this man is,” he warned. “He kidnaps women and girls to sell them off as sex slaves. I know firsthand how that feels—to be sold off for—” He stopped short of telling Lizzy the rest. Reaper had told her about Ron and part of what had happened to him, but he never gave her the dirty details of what he had to do to survive.
“You can tell me anything,” she murmured. “It won’t ever change the way I feel about you, Reaper. Why were you on the beach in my dreams, begging me to help you when you were a little boy? What did Ron make you do?”
He hesitated but Lizzy sat silently waiting him out, seeming hopeful he’d tell her his story. But how could he? It was dirty and disgusting. Sure, she promised not to change her opinion of him but he knew that might prove impossible when he told her everything.
“I did things I had to do to stay alive,” he said. “Things you’re better off not knowing about.”
“I don’t want you to keep any part of your past from me, Reaper,” she said. “How can we have a future if you won’t share your past?” Damn it, she had a valid point and he knew that if the tables were turned, he wouldn’t let Lizzy hide from telling him her truth.
“Please,” she begged.
Reaper sighed and put her back onto her seat, not missing her adorable little pout. “If I’m going to get this out, I can’t do it with you on my lap. In fact, we should start driving again, in case anyone is following us, but I’ll tell you—everything.”
“Thank you,” she said, buckling her seatbelt.
“Don’t thank me just yet, honey. It’s not a pretty story.” Reaper thought back to his abduction, trying to remember what he had already told her. “No one was coming for me and Ron panicked. He realized that he had made a mistake taking me and he wasn’t sure what to do with a fourteen-year-old boy who was eating all his food and costing him money. I guess I was lucky he didn’t just kill me right then and there,” Reaper laughed but Lizzy seemed to find the whole thing less funny.
“Right,” he said, clearing his throat. “Not funny. Well, Ron came up with a plan to recoup some of his money and maybe even make some extra change off me. He started to pimp me out.” Lizzy gasped and covered her mouth with her shaking hand.
“Oh Reaper,” she said. He hated that she was upset for that little boy. He didn’t want her sadness or her pity.
“No, Lizzy. I won’t have you feeling pity for me. That’s the last fucking thing I want you to feel for or about me,” he growled.
“Not pity,” she said. “I’m just appalled that happened to you. But not pity,” she promised.
“He had me giving men blow- jobs and I knew that fighting him would end up badly for me. I fought the first time and he nearly beat me to death after I puked all over the client.” Reaper chuckled softly at the memory. Ron was so fucking pissed, but he took his beating and when he was sent back out, Reaper was determined not to have to go through a punishment like that again—ever.
“I got good at what I was doing and to the point where I could block out all of the bad and just get through each call. I let them use my mouth but that was it. Until one day when Ron decided to diversify my services and wanted me to give them my body. I was a virgin at that point and the thought of being used like that made me sick. I refused but when Ron started beating me again, this time, I fought back. That was when I got a hold of his gun and shot him.” Reaper stopped talking and the silence that filled the car was almost too much for him. He wanted her to say something—anything, but instead she quietly looked out her window.
“Please say something,” he begged.
“I want to fucking kill Ron,” she growled. “You’re sure he’s dead because if not, I want you to take me to him so I can murder him.” Lizzy’s anger was palpable and she was so fucking cute when she was angry, he wasn’t sure if he wanted to laugh or not.
“Thank you for that,” he said. “And, I’m sure he’s dead.”
“I can’t believe your parents didn’t fight for you, Reaper. I would fight to get you back until my dying breath,” she swore. He reached across and took her hand in his, needing the contact with her.
“Same,” he promised.
“So, now what? How do we bring down your scumbag boss? There is no way we can let him do what happened to you, to those poor women? We have to help,” she insisted. There was no way he was going to tell Lizzy that he wasn’t going to let her anywhere near his boss. This was his fight and she was going to be as far away as possible when the whole thing went down. She wasn’t going to like it, but that was just the way it was going to be.
****
They found a place to pick up a spare cell phone. They would use it to call both of their sisters and then they were going to head back to NOLA. It was time to get Lizzy stashed someplace safe and on the way, they would pick up her sister and niece. Anthony Sr.’s reach was far and his resources were boundless. If he knew who Lizzy was, he’d have no trouble tracking down the rest of her family.
Lizzy placed her call back home first, putting her sister on speaker, so he could listen in. He loved that she wasn’t hiding her life from him and Reaper realized that sharing his past with her might have only made her trust him more.
“Hello,” Lyra said.
“Lyra, its Beth. Tell me that you and Lil are alright,” she demanded.
“Of course we are,” Lyra insisted. “I’ve been worried to death about you, though. You were supposed to call me and you never did. I went by your house and your place but you’re not home. What the hell is going on, Beth?”
“It’s a long story and I promise to tell you everything as soon as I get back, but I had to get a new cell and we only have so many minutes to use between us,” Lizzy said.
“We? Who do you have with you, Beth?” Lyra asked.
“Remember how I told you that I’ve been seeing a little boy named Chris—well Reaper?” Lizzy asked.
“Yes,” Lyra said. “You said he was a brat who threw sand at you.” Reaper barked out his laugh at the thought of Lizzy calling him a brat. Honestly, he was kind of a pain in the ass at that age. He was just starting to notice girls and he was pretty damn confused about everything going on in his pre-pubescent body.
“Who the hell is that, Beth?” Lyra questioned.
“Reaper,” Lizzy breathed. “I found him and well, he needs my help.”
“So, you took off with a strange man you never met before and what—didn’t call to even tell me?” Lyra’s tone sounded accusing and Lizzy flashed him a smile and rolled her eyes.
“I’m supposed to be the older sister here. I think you’re saying my lines now, little sister,” Lizzy teased.
“Yeah well, that’s pretty damn stupid,” Lyra chided. “You can’t just take off and not tell me.”
“Sorry,” Lizzy said. “I wasn’t thinking straight. Listen, we’re on our way back to NOLA now and we need to get you and Delilah someplace safe. The man who is after Reaper is bad news and he knows about me. He’ll be able to put two and two together and find you and Lil.” The worry was back in her voice and Reaper hated that he was putting them all through this.
“Oh my God, Beth,” Lyra shouted into the phone. Lizzy held the cell away fr
om her ear and winced.
“We don’t have time for you to scold me. I need for you to look at a picture. I’m texting it to you now.” Lizzy hit send and waited for Lyra to receive the picture of Anthony Sr. If it was the man in her dream, who she saw going after Sophie, things could get very messy.
“Got it,” Lyra said. “That’s him—the guy from my dream. How did you get a picture of him?”
“I was afraid you were going to say that,” Lizzy moaned. “He’s Reaper’s business partner and he’s in the human trafficking market. Listen, his boss knows who I am now, so there is a good chance he also knows about you and Lil. Where is she?”
“She’s with her dad,” Lyra said.
“Okay I need you to grab her and head to the address I’m about to send you. It’s a safe house that Reaper has secured for the two of you,” Lizzy said.
“What about you, Beth?” Lyra said. “You’re in danger too and what about that poor girl from my dream?” Lyra’s voice broke into a sob and Reaper’s heart sank at what Lyra might have seen. His sister was the poor girl she saw and he felt as though he had a right to know what was going to happen to Sophie.
“I’ll be safe,” Lizzy said. “Reaper won’t let anyone hurt me. Right now, you need to send me any more information you can think of from your dreams. It’s important Lyra—that girl is Reaper’s sister and they both need our help.”
“They are all connected?” Lyra whispered her question to herself. “Both of our dreams, everything we’ve seen, it’s all connected, isn’t it Beth?”
“Yeah,” Lizzy admitted. “I think you’re right, Lyra. Will you help us?”
Lyra hesitated and Reaper’s stomach dropped at the thought of losing his only connection to his sister. He didn’t know Lyra but he believed in what she and Lizzy could do. Hell, he’d seen her abilities firsthand and if Lyra could do the same and had a connection to Sophie, he needed her to be on board.
“Please,” he begged. “She’s my little sister.”
“I’m assuming you’re Reaper,” Lyra said. “How do I know that you’re going to take care of my sister? You might just be using her to get what you want from her.”
“No,” he breathed. “That’s not possible. I’m in love with her,” he admitted. Lizzy smiled over at him and nodded.
“Wait, what?” Lyra stuttered. “Beth, you want to explain what’s going on?”
“Sure,” Lizzy said. “Reaper and I have some sort of crazy connection and I know it’s fast, but I’ve fallen in love with him too.” Hearing Lizzy say those words to him made him feel as though his heart might beat right out of his chest.
“Oh,” Lyra said. “Well, that’s a different story then. I trust you, Beth and if you want to help Reaper and his sister, I’m in. I’ll help you.”
“Thanks,” Reaper said. “I owe you.”
“You keep Beth safe and that’s all the payment I’ll need,” Lyra ordered.
“Yes Ma’am,” Reaper agreed. He had planned on doing just as ordered and he knew the only way to do that would be to make sure Lizzy went to that safe house with her sister and niece.
Elizabeth
Reaper seemed nervous about his sister’s call and Beth wished she could help relieve some of his anxiety. “She was supposed to call five minutes ago,” he growled. If Ringer double crosses me, I swear I’m going to ring that fucker’s neck.”
“Maybe she’s unavailable to talk right now,” Beth said, trying to help, but judging the look Reaper shot her, it wasn’t as helpful as she had hoped.
“I texted him this number and he said she’d call me in ten—that was fifteen minutes ago,” he grouched.
“Maybe it’s a loose ten minutes—you know some people don’t sit and watch the minutes tick by while waiting,” she teased. “I’m sure everything is fine. My sister said that what she’s been seeing shouldn’t happen for a few days. If that’s the case, we have time to change everything so another outcome occurs.”
“Have you done that before?” he questioned. “Changed the outcome of what happens.”
“Yes,” she said, trying to sound as confident as possible. “Well, only once,” she amended. “I was dreaming that my best friend was moving away because her father was going to get fired from his job. I was young—maybe fifteen or sixteen. Anyway, I was telling my friend about my dream and her mother overheard me. She burst into the room and began asking a ton of questions and then she left. I thought I was in trouble or something, but she never spoke about any of it again. About a month later, my friend’s father lost his job, just as I had seen but they didn’t have to move.”
“No?” he asked. “Why not?”
“I overheard her parents talking that night about him feeling damn lucky that he was able to find another job before the layoffs. He told his wife that he’d never be able to thank her enough for sharing her fears of a pending layoff with him and when he questioned her about how she figured it all out, she just shrugged and said something about women’s intuition,” Beth said. She remembered that day like it was just yesterday. She was so angry that the woman had taken credit for her vision, but when she ran home to tell her grandmother, she simply shrugged and said it was for the best. When she asked her Gram why she felt that way, she warned her that not everyone would be as accepting of her gifts and that some people might be out to hurt her or worse—use her for her abilities.
“She took your credit?” Reaper asked.
“Yep,” she confirmed. “But that was actually a good thing.”
“How so?” he questioned.
“Well, that night I went over to my grandmother’s and told her the whole story and she told me that some people might be out to exploit or use my powers for their gain. It was a good life lesson, really. Gram told me that I should always be proud of who I am, but there were only certain people who I could trust with my secret.”
“Makes sense,” Reaper said. “Your grandmother sounds like she was an amazing woman.”
Beth smiled just thinking of her Gram. “She was thanks.”
“Has anyone ever found out about what you can do and tried to hurt you or use you for your gift?” Beth loved that Reaper referred to her visions as her “gift”. She hadn’t always considered them a gift, but after some time had passed, she did.
“Sure,” she said, shrugging off his question.” In school kids found out and teased me. I was picked on and bullied because I was different. They called me a freak and really, they weren’t wrong. I was a freak. I was different—special and that scared them. People always mock what they are afraid of, my Gram used to say.”
Reaper nodded. “Well, I think they were just assholes,” he said.
Beth giggled,” Reaper, you can’t just call kids assholes when they don’t agree with you or say things to hurt you—even if they were complete assholes,” she said. Reaper laughed and she instantly felt better about telling him her tales of woe. Being picked on by the other kids always made her feel so alone. She counted herself lucky to have Lyra in her life and she wanted to be there for her sister now that she was discovering her own gifts.
“I’m just careful about who I tell about my visions. I won’t deny what I can do or even try to hide my gifts, but I am very selective about who I tell,” she admitted.
“Well, thanks for telling me, baby,” Reaper said.
Beth laughed, “Yeah, sometimes fate gives you no other choice than to just accept it. I’m glad that it brought the two of us together.”
“Me too,” he said. His cell rang and they both jumped.
“It’s Sophie,” he said, holding up the phone.
“Sophie,” he growled into the phone. “What took you so long?” He placed the call on speaker, just as Beth had done with her own sister.
“Well, it’s good to hear from you too, big brother,” Sophie said.
“Where are you? Tell me you’re okay and that Ringer is keeping his fucking hands to himself and taking care of you,” he ordered.
Beth could h
ear Sophie’s sigh into the other end of the phone and she knew that Reaper might not like her answer. “I’m fine and Ringer is taking good care of me,” she sassed. Sophie seemed to know exactly how to push his buttons and leaving out the part about Ringer keeping his hands to himself seemed like her way of telling him her private life was none of his business.
“And,” he growled.
“And, nothing,” Sophie said. “We’ve had this discussion before and I might be your little sister, but I’m a grown woman and I’ll make my own decisions. What I choose to do or not do with Ringer isn’t your business,” she said.
“It’s very much my fucking business,” he yelled into the cell. Beth put her hand on his arm and he seemed to take his anger down a notch. “Listen, we have a plan—just do what Ringer tells you to,” he said. “But, not everything he tells you to,” Reaper amended.
“Right,” Sophie said. “I’ll try to figure out which of his orders are to keep me safe and which ones are just him trying to get in my pants,” she teased. Reaper groaned and Beth tried to stifle her giggle but it proved useless.
“Just stay safe and stay in touch. When I get a chance to grab another cell, I’ll message Ringer with the number,” Reaper said.
“I will,” Sophie promised. “And, Reaper—you stay safe, too.” Sophie ended the call and Reaper tossed the cell onto the dash.
“So, now what?” Beth asked.
“Now, we get our lives back,” he said.
****
They were back home within a few more hours’ drive and Lyra texted that she and Delilah were at the safe house and secure. It made Beth breathe a little easier knowing that her sister and niece were safe.
“What’s the plan?” Beth asked. A part of her was worried that Reaper was going to dump her off at the safe house with Lyra and not look back. She worried that this whole whirlwind trip and affair would end once they crossed over state lines and headed home.
“We can’t go back to either of our places,” he said. “I also don’t want to take the chance and go to the safe house, just in case we were followed. First, we meet up with some of my buddies and enlist their help. Then, we’ll ditch your car and grab my bike.” Reaper flashed her his sexy smile. “Have you ever have been on the back of a motorcycle, Lizzy?”
