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Leaning forward, I peeked around the cabinet and found what had made Reaper freeze. A camera. Trained on the backdoor, red light blinking, small antenna sticking up. A cord ran from the device into the wall. My brain stuttered, and I simply stared at that stupid blinking red light.
I’d been played. Set up. I recognized the camera—I had the same ones at my place. It had a memory card and didn’t require internet access.
“Abort!” I whispered, then raised my gun and shot the camera. As it exploded into pieces, Reaper turned and ran out of the house. I followed, staying low until I reached the power box where I found Reaper waiting for me.
Without sparing him a glance, I snatched my tablet out of my bag and sent a static shock to any and all devices within a six-hundred-foot radius, rendering them useless for the next ten minutes. Like I should have done before we stepped foot on the property.
Stupid. So goddamn stupid. This was why I worked in the background. So careless, inexperienced screwups like this didn’t happen. Berating myself the whole way, I sprinted back the way we’d come, with Reaper right behind me. By the time I flung myself into the cab of his truck, I was trying not to hyperventilate. And failing.
Reaper said something, but I couldn’t hear him over the sound of blood rushing in my ears. My body shook with self-loathing so strong and deep I wasn’t sure I’d ever find my way out.
When the truck stopped moving, I opened my eyes and stared at my adorable A-frame. I forced myself out of the truck but paused long enough to say “I’ll take care of it” before trudging inside.
Who planted the cameras? How had they gotten into the discussion boards? So many questions and zero answers. For now.
I slammed the door, then tore off my shoes and threw them at the floor before marching into the living room. I needed a large enough area to pace and freak out.
I screwed upplayed on a loop in my mind. Reaper walked in through the side door and all my anger and panic reared its head at him.
“You,” I growled. “If it wasn’t for you, I wouldn’t be in this mess.”
Reaper jerked back and blinked at me, then without a word, he turned back around. I gaped at the empty space he’d vacated, unable to believe he’d just walked out, and almost exploded into a ball of fiery rage when he strolled back in with a beer in his hand.
He flopped down onto the couch and leaned back. “Continue. It’s my fault.” He gestured with the bottle, then took a long swig.
My jaw dropped. “What do you think you’re doing?”
“You need someone to take your anger out on.” He shrugged. “Have at it. I’m not going anywhere. You’ll realize that one day.”
“You’re—” I shook my head. “You’re just going to sit there and let me yell at you?”
“Yell, scream, whatever. I don’t care. I’m not leaving you alone to deal with whatever you’ve got going on in that head of yours.” His lips twitched. “Hell, I’m not leaving you alone ever.”
I resumed pacing, but my steps were slower. Steadier. With a few short sentences, Reaper had sucked the wind right out of my sails. Damn him. Now I had to face reality. He might have given me a nudge, but the dilemma I’d created rested solely on my shoulders.
I dropped down onto the cushion next to him and buried my head in my hands. “What am I going to tell them?”
A large hand rubbed up and down my back. “The truth.”
My team was going to kick my ass. And I deserved it.
ChapterTwenty-Two
PEYTON
I was falling.My arms flung out, and I hit something hard that grunted.
“Well, that’s one way to wake up,” a sleep-roughened voice said from underneath me. Two arms wrapped around me, pulling me flat against Reaper’s hard body that I was using like a bed.
I tried to pull away, but his arms banded tighter around me. “Where do you think you’re going?” One second we were lying down and the next he had me sitting up in his lap, straddling him. He made a low hum of approval, and the vibration went straight through me. My brain came online, and all my mistakes and what awaited me at work crashed down around me.
His lips trailed down my neck, a soft kiss followed by a suck. But I didn’t want soft and sweet. I wanted hard and angry so I could channel my rage at something other than myself. Reaper would know how to handle it. I trusted him that much.
My hands slid over his shoulders and into his hair, tilting his head back to me and biting his bottom lip hard.
With a hiss, Reaper whipped off my shirt and bra. The cool air kissed my skin, making my nipples pebble. His hands were everywhere. The calluses on his hands scraped my back, and a needy whimper climbed out of my throat.
“That’s it, baby. I want those whimpers. I want everything. Show me how mad you are.” His mouth found my breast, and he flicked the nipple with his tongue before biting it. A tingle raced down my back and I ground my hips down against him. A desperate cry fell from my lips before I could hold it in. “Don’t hold back. Never hold back with me,” he growled as he rolled his hips upward.
