CHAPTER TWO

BELLA

There is no way I’m begging for him to spare his life. Jeff is an asshole anyway. Nobody will miss him, least of all me. That’s not why I won’t ask for Reaper to let him live though. I’m going to save all his kindness, if he has any, for myself.

I sit on my knees watching the backseat as he climbs in beside Jeff. I keep my eyes on him like he demanded, because I don’t want to die. Reaper gets onto his knees beside Jeff and wraps his gloved hand around his throat, without taking his eyes from mine.

“Normally, I don’t do this quickly, but there are things I’d rather be doing.”

He stares at me with a heated expression while he squeezes the life out of Jeff. If he hadn’t tried to kill me, he would be attractive. His chiseled jaw and dark eyes draw me in, but it’s the way his throat moves when he swallows that makes me clench my thighs, even though I should be dry as a bone. The muscles in his arms bulge, and he has my full attention, causing me to ignore Jeff’s strangled sounds.

“Eyes on me, Bella.”

He tried to kill me once and he probably will again. Reaper is wearing black jeans and a black t-shirt, and I try to keep my eyes on his but, against my will, they move back to his arms, and I watch his muscles contract with the force of him crushing Jeff’s windpipe. While it shouldn’t be, the power in his hands is a turn on. My clit pulses as I watch Nico do the one thing no human being has a right to do.

Jeff struggles beneath Reaper, trying to get free, but he doesn’t even come close. With his hands bound behind his back, he never stood a chance. With the strength Reaper clearly has, without breaking a sweat, I’m not sure, if he had the use of his hands, that he would’ve managed to save his life anyway. I get the feeling if Reaper decides you die, you do.

Reaper releases his grip on Jeff, and I glance at his open, unblinking eyes, before looking back to Reaper. He winks at me. “I’ll be back.”

After undoing the seat belt, he climbs out of the car and pulls Jeff’s dead body out, lifts him over his shoulder, and walks off into a wooded area. I shift in my seat so I’m facing the front window and wait for him to come back, as I try to think of how I can make him choose to let me live. I don’t know what this guy’s story is, but I do know killing people is not a hardship for him. I sit handcuffed to his truck, and think back to the night we met, if you want to call it that.

A man I’ve never met stares at me with a clenched jaw, as he waits for his black coffee. Do I know him? I don’t think so, but the way his eyes focus on me suggests otherwise. I hand him his drink, but he doesn’t say a word. Silently, he puts a fifty-dollar bill in my tip jar, and turns and walks away. After finishing my shift, I grab my purse and head home. I wave goodbye to Jessie and walk out the door. I don’t live far from work, so I don’t worry too much about my safety but, having to walk down a dark alleyway littered with drug paraphernalia, and the occasional dealer hanging around, does make me slightly nervous. I do the same thing I do every night. I pay attention to my surroundings and move quickly. There’s nobody out here tonight. Not a single homeless person, just me. The silence is eerie, like in a horror movie, before the killer gets to the pretty blonde girl, who isn’t paying attention to what’s going on around her. A shiver crawls down my skin as a hand reaches into my hair, and pulls me backward. He places a hand over my mouth, stifling my scream, and growls into my ear.

“All people are beautiful when they die, but you, you’re going to be my favorite. ”

Grabbing my shoulders, he spins me around so I’m facing him, and I tremble as I beg him for my life.

“Take whatever you want, but please don’t kill me.”

I tilt my head up and look into his eyes with a gasp, as realization dawns on me. It’s my customer from the coffee shop. Did he follow me?

He tracks his thumb through my fallen tears, and groans like he enjoys making me cry.

“There is only one thing I want from you. Your life.”

“Please. I didn’t do anything to deserve this.”

He chuckles. “They rarely do.”

Winding my hair around his fist, he pulls me to a truck blocking the alleyway.

“We can do this the easy way or the hard way. Either way, we’re doing it.”

Opening the passenger door to the truck, he waves me in. My mom once told me about this episode she once saw on Oprah. Never go to a second location. I don’t see many options though. There’s nowhere for me to run to here. If I refuse, he’ll probably kill me right here.

“Having to repeat myself makes me angry. I suggest you do as you’re told, or this will become unpleasant.”

“Become?” I snort as I climb into the truck, because this has not exactly been a pleasant experience thus far.

He gets into the truck, and starts driving, with an unreadable expression on his face. Whoever this man is, he’s quiet, rarely speaking to me, but frequently staring at me. He only takes his eyes off me to look at where he’s going. It’s creepy at best.

My killer pulls off the main road over loose gravel, and I look up so I can see where we are. A fucking graveyard? You’ve got to be kidding me. I’m not one of these people creeped out by a cemetery under normal circumstances. However, considering he’s planning to kill me, I’m fucking terrified. This guy is nuts. And I know if I don’t do something to save myself, he’s going to end my life.