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“I wanted to talk to you. I had a conversation with our mutual friend. He said your interests aligned with mine, and I want to solve your problem, but I need some information.”
“Jeremiah shouldn’t have done that. He will be in extreme danger already when they learn that he lives,” she said. Out of my peripheral vision, I could see her brows furrow in worry.
“I took care of that. I gave him enough money to get his family to another island, where they will be safe.”
“Why would you do that?”
“Because I couldn’t let him be killed because he helped me take on the Reapers. I’m not all talk. I really do want to clean up the crime on this island. I have a whole group of friends who feel the same way.”
“Don’t speak their name out loud!” she whispered harshly. She soothed her angry expression before she continued. “So you plan to come in guns blazing and endanger our people in the process?”
“No, I actually hope to be very covert. The only people who would ever notice would be the locals, when they realize there are no more kidnappings, and the Reapers, who will be sitting behind bars for the rest of their lives.” I did my best to put a cool confidence in my words. I needed her to believe me, to put her trust in me. Without her help, it might take us much longer to put an end to the senseless kidnappings and murders.
“You talk the talk, but you underestimate the reach of the Reapers,” she chastised.
I dropped the tapestry we were admiring. “Then help me understand. The more I know, the more I can accomplish. We aren’t leaving this island until we bring down the whole operation. Once that’s done, my friends will recover as many of the victims as possible and reunite them with their families.”
She stared at me long and hard, as if she was looking through a window to my soul and casting judgment. It was the first time in a long time where I actually cared what another woman thought of me. I wanted her to see me as worthy. I wanted her to see past the tough-girl bullshit and see my heart and my intentions.
After what felt like an eternity, she made her decision. “I will help you, but this must remain a secret. I’m going back to my shop down the way. I will stick my files in a black backpack, which I will stick on the wall beside the counter. Come buy that backpack, but hold onto it tightly. I don’t have any other copies. This is dangerous work,” she warned.
“Of course, I’ll be there shortly,” I said.
I was relieved to have her assistance. It would save us a lot of time. Hopefully we’d find the identity of a Reaper in those files. I wasn’t above kidnapping an asshole, especially in a country where I didn’t have any consequences, as long as the local police didn’t find out. Sometimes the lines between ethical and unethical were a little blurred. Law enforcement wasn’t black and white; it was conducted in the land of the gray.
The employerwalked away, and I kept a casual eye on where she went. I waited exactly five minutes before I purchased the tapestry I spent so much time staring at. It was folded up and placed in a nice gift bag. The storekeeper thanked me profusely for my purchase, and I could see the recognition in her eyes. She knew who I was, what I had done.
I made my way tothe employer’sshop and picked up the black backpack hanging on the wall near the counter.
“Thank you,” I told her after I paid for the bag.
“I hope you are able to do what you say you can. The world would be a much better place. Do not come back here unless it is to rain hell on them. They have laid eyes on you too many times now. Even now there are those who whisper in the ears of the Reapers to keep their own families safe. By now, they will know you are here, and they may not have any intention of letting you leave. I recommend not returning, especially not alone,” she warned.
“I won’t,” I promised. “Thank you for your help.”
“Thank you for yours. I was worried about Jeremiah, but you’ve taken that burden off my shoulders.”
I simply nodded and left her store, determined to keep scrutiny off her. I kept my head up and on a swivel. I heard the mumbling again, and every once in a while someone pointed to me. I was sure I made quite the splash between saving Jeremiah and then killing a few Reapers—or their contractors. I hoped that gave me some kind of notoriety that would keep the Reapers from making a second go of it in public. Maybe they wouldn’t want to be embarrassed or lose the fear that the locals felt for them.
I heard a cry out for help and turned. I saw a woman as she was pulled into an alley, very similar to the one I killed the two men in. A man dressed in all black had his hand over her mouth and a knife to her throat. He dragged her into the deep shadows caused by the overhead coverings extending from the rooftops. I was sure I’d be the last non-Reaper to lay eyes on her if I didn’t do something. It could have been a trap, but I didn’t care. I wouldn’t let an innocent woman die because of me. I was no coward.
The fear in her eyes sparked an instant fury in my heart.
I took off running into the alley and remained aware of my surroundings. Two men were binding her hands and ankles together. Their backs were turned, not expecting anyone to pursue them. That spoke volumes to just how comfortable they were taking what they wanted on this island—and that really bothered me. It might make our jobs easier in the long run, but that meant bad things for the locals.
I stopped just short of the man closest to me. I was as quiet as a mouse and remained unaware of my presence. I slid my arm in front of him, right around his neck. I pulled my arm back toward me, putting him in a tight chokehold. He sputtered and tried to use his hands and arms to strike me. I simply grabbed his left hand with mine and bent it backward at a painful angle. I kept my eyes on his friend, who watched me as he tried to figure out what the hell he should do. It became obvious that no one had ever stepped in to help; they were unchallenged, which made me even angrier.
“You’re her,” the friend mumbled and stood his ground.
“And who might that be?” I asked with so much malice I was sure he’d go up in flames.
“The avenging angel,” he said.
Hah, that was a good one. “Sure, we’ll go with that. Untie her right now,” I ordered, my tone cold as steel.
“I can’t…they’ll…they’ll kill me if I don’t bring a woman to them,” he said with a stutter.
“That sounds like ayouproblem. Who will kill you?” I demanded. I wouldn’t show him an ounce of sympathy if he wouldn’t work with me.
