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Silence greets me as I slow the truck, still rolling as I consider which way to turn, and choose the left turn, before we get to it. As we head down the road, I’m almost sure that he’s not going to answer. But as always, he’s full of surprises.
“She was the girl who lived next door to me when I was young.” My lips press together as he speaks, not wanting to interrupt him or push for more than he’s ready for. “We were about eight, I think. Did nothing but play catch or tag on the grassy field by the trailers, but every day when she showed up and smiled at me, I forgot all about my terrors at home. She was a sliver of light and hope in a dark and twisted world, and I clung to her more than she would ever have known.”
I chance a glance at him briefly, before returning my attention to the road. Maybe I should have let him drive, I can’t focus. “Would?”
“Yeah,” he rasps. “We didn’t live in a safe neighborhood, not many trailer parks are located in the nice parts of town, but that one was the worst of the worst I stayed in.” He takes a moment, running his hand over his beard as he gets lost in his thoughts. “I also didn’t realize how dark her home life was too, until one day she didn’t show. Or the next day, or the one after that. Then there were cops, taped off areas and horror consuming the park. Listening in on conversations that weren’t meant for me, I learned that she was dead. Her momma’s boyfriend had been hurting her, and when her real pop found out, he went in guns blazing. Only thing was, the bullet ricocheted and went straight through Hattie’s chest.”
Holy shit.
“That’s awful, Axel. I’m so sorry,” I say, knowing it doesn’t cover the pain, but I needed to acknowledge him in the only way that I could.
“It’s life, Scar. We live, we breathe, we die. It’s never our choice. Not the being born part or the dying part. We just live our life as it’s intended. Sometimes, we find hope and sunbeams at the end of a storm, other times we meet our maker far too soon. Just like Dylan did. He’ll be your Hattie forever, Reaper, and I’m sorry you have to feel that.”
At the mention of him, my heart clenches, but for the first time, my initial reaction isn’t filled with pain so drenching it licks over my skin like gasoline. This time, it’s determination and strength that pumps through my veins.
“I hate that I'm breathing and he isn’t,” I admit, managing to keep my voice calm as I take the next right turn. “I hate that I’m in college and he’s just fucking dead, Ax, but most of all, I hate that he doesn’t get to see this side of me. Me, somewhat resembling a whole person. Not entirely broken anymore, or trained like a dog to sit, roll over, and kneel on demand.”
“He saw it, Scar. I’m certain of it. The confidence that you have wielded since the moment you stepped foot onto our territory is nothing shy of awe-inspiring. You were never broken, you were always you, but now, you just shine brighter.”
Words fail me as I try to scramble to put something together but fall flat. I wasn’t seeking his words, his reassurances, but he offered them anyway and it was exactly what I needed. Especially coming from the man that hated me for what felt like forever.
“Thank you,” I manage to murmur, raspy as shit, but before he can respond to me, I slam on the brakes and drive us over to the side, my heart pounding like crazy.
“What the fuck, Reaper? I didn’t think you were leading me to my impending doom just yet,” he grunts, and I turn to him with wide eyes. “What the fuck am I missing? There are no other vehicles out here and you’re driving like a crazy woman, slamming on the brakes like you’re saving us from disaster.”
I shake my head, disbelief flickering through me as I try to find the words, and settle on three. “I found it.”
“Found what?” he asks, glancing outside of the truck. “You have to help me out here, otherwise I—”
“Do you see the fencing further down the road?” I interject, pointing in the direction, and he nods.
“What of it?”
“I’m ninety-nine percent sure that’s where I killed the two men in the SUV.” I let my words sink in, watching his face scrunch up in confusion before realization dawns on him.
“Drive closer. I need that extra one percent, Reaper,” he says, and I quickly put the truck in drive and roll closer. We cover a few more meters but when we notice a couple of bikes and men standing at the open gate, I pull over.
“Is that…”
“Declan? Yeah, I think it is.”
We edge forward, squinting in our seats as we confirm it’s the filthy fucker himself.
“It’s time we called them out,” I state, anger and relief warring inside of me. We’ve finally got their compound location, but there are still traitors in our nest.
“We have to bide our time,” Axel replies, leaning back in his seat with a huff. He pinches at the bridge of his nose, frustration getting the better of him too.
“I’m sick of fucking biding our time, Axel. It’s not getting us anywhere. This is important, and we can use this.”
“We don’t know how many men are on the other side of that fence, and acting irrationally with the Ice Reapers is what fucked everything up for us and triggered all of this to begin with,” he grunts, not liking the answer on his tongue anymore than I like hearing it.
Knowing we’re not going to be making a move today, and not wanting to get caught as soon as we actually have something to our advantage, I turn the truck around and start heading to the compound, confident I know where I’m going now. “What triggered all of this was me killing Banner,” I say.
“That was going to happen whether it was you who did it or someone else. It was a job, I listed it, and I wasn’t backing down on it.”
“But—”
“It doesn’t matter, there’s no room for mistakes this time. Not when they’ve had you in their grasp. Over my dead body,” he bites, and I sigh with annoyance, slamming my fist into the wheel as the pent-up anger inside of me refuses to go. Huffing at myself, my nostrils flaring, Axel’s hand clamps down on my thigh. “Keep up with that noise and I’ll put you in your place, Reaper.”
