Page 87 of Reaper & Ruin

Her soft brow furrowed. “What?”

I turned to face her and Kenji fully, my voice steady and sure. “This boat is going to blow up like we planned. But we’re on it when it does. From this moment on, all of us are dead.”

Honey’s hands trembled slightly, her usual confidence faltering. “Atlas… The Company doesn’t just let people go. They’ll come for us.”

“Not if they think we’re gone,” I said firmly. “This is our only way out. Do you trust me?”

She hesitated, then nodded, her lips pressing into a thin line. Kenji didn’t need to be convinced—he just nodded once, his expression grim but resolute.

After a quick call to Deacon, summoning him for his aid with forged documents, we trashed the yacht, setting it up to look like the scene of a bloody hit gone wrong. When the fire started to spread, we stepped onto the dock, the heat of the flames licking at our backs.

I didn’t think about anything. Anything other than freedom. Keeping my sister safe.

About not letting a person I loved be punished for something she should never have been made to do.

Silver was waiting, her face streaked with tears. I wrapped my arms around her and held her tightly as we watched the yacht burn, the flickering light casting shadows across the water and making our reflections look distorted.

Look evil.

This was it. Our lives—our old lives—were gone.

And for the first time in years, as I looked at my own reflection, I didn’t hate it. I didn’t feel like it was part of my cage.

I felt free.

For a few minutes after I recounted that night, Danika remained silent. Finally, she broke the silence, setting her mug down and fixing her gaze on me with a pointed look.

“You did it for Silver.” She said. “Like I thought.”

I nodded. “Yes.”

“Because you love her.”

“Yes.” She already knew that, so I didn’t understand why she would care to ask me again.

“It’s nice to know you can be a loyal brother.” Something strange flickered in her eyes. “But fine. Consider me appeased. Now onto the final thing.” She reached a hand into her pocket, withdrawing a knife as she grabbed a gun from underneath the couch cushion with her other hand.

“What are you doing?” My head cocked, trying to work out what she was doing.

“Playing a game.” She threw the knife onto the coffee table in front of Gio. “Pick it up,” she said, her voice calm but laced with something that sent a chill crawling up my spine.

Gio blinked, his brow furrowing slightly. “What?”

“The knife,” Danika said, her tone like a teacher explaining something to a particularly slow student. “Pick it up.”

He hesitated, his gaze flicking toward the blade and then to me. I didn’t move, keeping my expression carefully neutral. Danika was watching him closely, her eyes narrowed, waiting.

She moved her finger to the trigger. “Now, Reaper.”

With a tense jaw, he leaned forward and grabbed the knife, his fingers curling around the handle tightly.

“Good,” she said, leaning back against the couch. “Now stab Atlas.”

Gio froze, his knuckles white as he gripped the knife. His head whipped toward her, his eyes wide and disbelieving. “What?”

She tilted her head, the corner of her mouth twitching into something that wasn’t quite a smile. “You heard me. Stab Atlas.” She picked up her gun, resting it casually on her thigh, the barrel pointed toward Gio. “Or I’ll shoot you. And not with a current, but with a very real bullet.”

“You’re insane,” he spat, his anger cracking through the shock.