Page 69 of Fear the Reapers

“What should we do with her?” Mel asked, nodding her head towards the girl cowering beneath her.

We could take her life. She had almost taken mine, and it seemed the logical choice. But after everything she lost, that punishment would almost be too kind. I wanted her decision to haunt her for the rest of her life. To know, every single day, that The Reapers were mine and she would never ever get her hands on them again.

“We won’t kill her.” I said, looking at Jessie with disdain.

“Are you sure, beautiful?” Atlas asked, pulling me closer to his side. “The crime she committed is unforgivable. No one would judge you for wanting her dead.”

“I’m sure. I want her to rot in jail and think about all she lost. Death would be too easy.”

“I just t… texted my connection at the D.A. office.” Tristan mumbled, sliding his phone to Atlas.

“What is it?” I asked, seeing the surprised expressions written on their faces as the notification dings kept coming.

“Apparently,” Atlas said, narrowing his eyes, “Jessie has a long list of transgressions they’ve been dying to pin on her. They did nothing about it before because she was under our protection, but now that she’s not, she’s fair game. They want her at the station as soon as possible.”

“So what does that mean?” I asked, looking towards the four of them.

“It means,” Ezra murmured, “that she is going away for a long, long time and its time for us to go home.”

“But what about Jessie?” I asked. “And all the bodies?”

“Shit, she’s right.” Atlas cursed. “One of us needs to stay.”

“Not it.” The twins said in unison, making the rest of us laugh.

“You guys get her out of here.” Mel offered with a smile. “I’ll bring Jessie down to the station as soon as my clean-up crew shows up. I texted them earlier. I figured it was going to be messy.”

“Hey Stevie,” Mel hesitated, “when you’re feeling up to it, would you maybe want to grab brunch or something? You know, let bygones be bygones or whatever.”

“I’d really like that, Mel.” I beamed. “I’d really like that a lot.

Chapter 42

Stevie

As we drove back to our home in comfortable silence and trekked up the familiar winding road, I couldn’t help but think about the first time I ever made the journey.

I couldn't believe that our paths had crossed only a month ago, when it felt like so many things had changed. I experienced more sadness, lust, fear, hope, and anger in my time with them than I ever had in my entire life. The emotions were always there, hiding in the depths of my mind. But I had been an expert at concealing them, at building these intricate walls to stop them from revealing themselves.

Somehow, in the short time I’d been with The Reapers, those walls had come crashing down, leaving me open and exposed like never before. I expected the process to be painful, to feel rushed or overwhelming, but that wasn’t the case in the slightest. It felt as if I’d always been theirs. As if my life had always been on this trajectory to find them, and even though it wasn’t what I expected, what we had somehow made sense.

The Reapers were the knights in shining armour I never saw coming. The cold, vicious, and dangerous men who I thought would end me, but ended up being the ones to save me. It was clear to me now that they belonged to me, just as much as I belonged to them.

As I looked at the five of us, with our blood-soaked bodies and the buzz of adrenaline coursing through our veins, I knew I could no longer deny the truth. I was a fucking Reaper, through and through.

Being a Reaper wasn’t about the blood on our hands or the ruthless reputation. It was about family and protecting what was ours. This was my family, and it was perfect just the way it was. I knew that if anyone ever tried to fuck with my family again, I would end them.

We would end them…

The End.