All of the excitement seemed to be coming from beyond the next set of double doors. We crept up to the entrance and slowly pushed our way in, noting that the shadows kept us hidden. The lights were primarily focused on the stage and the girls being auctioned off. Men and even a few women sat in the rows, calmly offering up bids to own other humans like it wasn’t a big deal.
My gaze swept the room, and I clenched my fists when I saw two familiar figures. Our history was a bitter one. Shocked to find the two assholes who made my life miserable, I immediately wanted to rush forward and rip them apart with nothing other than my hands.
Sam leaned against the wall, and I could tell he was uncomfortable even if he no longer had a cast on his leg. Matt turned to the side to speak to him, and that was when it all clicked. Every. Single. Heartbreaking. Detail.
Matt was wearing a Bloody Scorpions cut. The motherfucker joined ranks with the enemy.
What the fuck? How the hell were they both involved in this?
Did those assholes take my girl!? Did they touch her?
I lost all ability to cope after that.
Rage was so brutally potent that I shook, and it seized every muscle in my body. A wild, pain-filled, primitive roar launched from my chest as the shadows surrounded me. I no longer heard the whispers and the roars alone. The shadows and my Reaper combined until all of it was just one entity. A powerhouse that ruled a monster.
People stood and frantically looked around the room as others headed toward the exits. I noticed Twitchy had snuck around and locked all the doors, barricading them with sofas and other furniture as I stood on the sidelines. Screaming and cursing filled my ears, but it was only sweet melodies that transferred. These people would suffer like their victims suffered. They would know pain at their final breaths.
Matt and Sam escaped through the only accessible door, and I followed, knowing Stefanie wasn’t in this room, but she was close. I could sense her heartbeat. Smell her sweet essence.
The Reaper knew her like I knew her. He felt her as I did. I didn’t have to wonder if he claimed her or wanted her or would protect the woman I loved. He already chose.
Stefanie belonged to us both.
Charging forward, I knew the Reaper let himself be seen because none of these people would escape. I bounded down the aisles and followed through the door behind Matt and Sam, chuckling as I picked up on their fear.
Around the corner, in the only unlocked room, stood both Matt and Sam as they pointed guns in my direction. A group of girls stood behind them, and I noticed my love among them.
Give me just five minutes, baby.
The girls were terrified, hugging one another and crying. I didn’t like that, and neither did my Reaper. Gunshots fired as I rushed them, but nothing stopped a Reaper. I found Sam and his injured leg first as I picked him up and flung his body into a stack of tables. He hit hard and went down, moaning as he cradled his side, unable to get up.
“Who are you?” Matt demanded. “What are you?”
“Death,” I whispered, closing in.
Matt was out of bullets, and I plucked the gun from his grasp, tossing it away. My hand circled his throat, and I lifted him, slamming his body into the nearest wall.
“You will never harm anyone again.”
The gravelly voice of my Reaper echoed in the room.
“Please,” he begged, fighting against my hold. “I can pay you.”
Laughter spilled from my mouth. The Reaper didn’t want money.
“You will die for the rape, kidnapping, and murder of innocents. Lucifer is ready to feast on your soul.”
“I didn’t do anything! It was all the fucking Russians.”
“Liar!” I roared, slamming him against the wall a second time as he grunted. “You knew the choice you made.”
How did two dipshit losers like Matt and Sam end up forming a business plan together with human traffickers? That was an easy answer and the connection I missed before today. The Royal Bastards had one club that was our biggest rival: the Scorpions. The Scorpions had been kidnapping girls for the Russians for the last year throughout Nevada. Our club had already intervened on several occasions.
Before this moment, I wasn’t sure exactly how to fulfill Lucifer’s soul requirement. How did you reap a soul?
A scythe appeared in my hand, and I glanced at the ghostly image. The blade was sharp and sang as I swung, echoing with the voices of tormented souls. Something about that was absolutely addicting.
My gaze turned toward Matt, and I used the scythe, slicing through the air to cut into his soul. His body jerked and then tumbled to the ground, flopping a couple of times before going completely still. Vacant eyes stared at Sam across the room as he began crying out, praying to a god who would never answer.