CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE

REAPER

Three days later…

“Do you want me to go, Nico?”

I glance up at a Bella I’ve never seen before. She still looks like the same stunning woman I’ve gotten to know, but she’s different. Unsure. I don’t have to ask why, because I already know the answer. I’ve been an asshole for the last three days. I’ve barely talked to her, and I haven’t touched her once. She was my peace. My goddamn healing source, but I pushed her away because, as usual, I can’t deal with my emotions. The voices in my head are so loud they nearly echo.

“No.”

“I don’t know how to reach you. It feels like I’m losing you, and it scares me.”

Blowing out a deep breath, I say, “Come here.”

She walks over to me, and I pull her onto my lap.

Wrapping her arms around my neck, she lays her head on my shoulder, and lets out a shaky breath.

“You don’t have to battle your demons alone.”

As I stroke my fingers through her hair, the first sense of peace I’ve had in days fills me.

“I’m sorry.”

Lifting her head up, she kisses my neck, before laying it back down.

“Will you tell me what happened?”

“Bones wants to let Frank back into the family. He has done well on his own, and he thinks he’s an asset. I told him what he did to me and then left. I think he knew. ”

“Oh, Nico,” she says, as she lifts her hand and runs her fingers through my hair.

“Are you sure? Did he say something that made you think that?”

“No. I can’t explain it well, but when he told me his plans, it felt like a punch to the gut. Like he was trying to punish me for being such a pain in the ass.”

She sits up and gazes into my eyes. “You should talk to him, Nico. He’s your brother. We’re not all given a family that cares about us. If he knew, and still did that, then yes, you should never speak to him again. But Nico, what if he didn’t?”

I open my mouth to respond, but am interrupted by the doorbell and instantly I know it’s one of my brothers, because nobody else can get beyond the gate. Bella climbs off my lap, and I run a hand through my hair as I go to open the door.

Kage stands in front of me, with a look I’ve never seen on his face. I look around him to see if he’s alone.

He shakes his head.

“It’s just me.”

I nod and say, “Come in.”

We walk to the living room, and Bella says hello to him.

“I’ll give you two some time. Do you mind if I use your laptop, Nico?”

Kissing her quickly, I say, “Help yourself.”

I sit on one end of the couch, and Kage takes a seat on the other.

“Bones is pretty fucked up about what you said. We didn’t know, man. Fuck, if we did, we would’ve killed him. Maybe dad couldn’t bring himself to kill his own damn brother, but we would have.”

Leaning back in the seat, I rest my head against the wall.

“I reacted. This was something I never planned to tell any of you, and when he said he was considering letting him back into the family, and the business, I exploded. ”

He nods. “I get it. Fuck, I wish someone would’ve told us. We were told you had a bad stomach bug, and that’s why you were in the hospital.”

Turning towards him, I say, “Dad told mom it was not to be spoken about, and you know she always listened to what he said. Speaking of, has anyone heard from her?”

He shakes his head with a chuckle.

“She’s still on that cruise. The Caribbean, I think. Bones said she’s supposed to be back before the baby is born.”

Kage looks at me, and I know his next words will make him uncomfortable.

“Look, man. I am not good with feelings. I’m probably the worst out of the four of us, but you were a kid. It wasn’t your fault. What happened to you is fucked up. You don’t get to decide you aren’t our brother, because you always will be. This is your way, Reaper. You hurt, and you shut everyone out that you can’t kill.”

He groans loudly. “Alright, I’m done. That’s my maximum capacity for emotional conversation.”

I chuckle at him.

“Bones sent you for this shit?”

“Well, he didn’t think you’d open the door for him, so that left me and Psycho. He was afraid one of you would end up dead, because neither of you assholes think shit through.”

I can’t disagree with him. Psycho and I have both always been loose cannons.

He grins wide, like a little boy that’s so proud of himself.

“So, how’d I do? Pretty good, right?”

I shake my head and laugh.

“Pretty good for a dickhead.”

He rises from the sofa and asks, “Are you gonna be okay?”

I stand to walk him out, and shrug.

“I’ll be fine. I’ll kill a few people, and be back to myself. ”

“You’re going to be the sole reason we have to repopulate the earth. Where do I sign up for that job?”

I laugh at him as he steps outside.

“You’re an idiot, you know that, right?”

Running his hand across his jaw, like he’s thinking about it, his face turns serious.

“Do me a favor and call Bones, alright? He’s a mess, thinking we lost our brother.”

I nod, and head back inside to find Bella.

When I enter the bedroom, she quickly closes the laptop.

Arching an eyebrow, I ask, “Hiding something, living dead girl?”

“Of course not,” she says a little too quickly, but I choose to let it go, because she’s with me all the time and if she’s up to something, I will find out.

“You look better,” she says, as she sets my laptop on the table beside the bed.

I nod as I walk over to her, ready to pounce on my pretty little prey.

“Nico?” she asks, but doesn’t get a response.

Grabbing the hem of her shirt, I growl, “Hands up.”

Once her hands are in the air, I pull the shirt over her head, revealing a light pink lacy bra. I quickly drop the shirt to the floor, and pull her bra straps down, and groan at the sight of her full tits.

I yank her cotton pants down and she stumbles backward, landing on the bed.

Hooking my thumbs into her panties, I pull them down too, until she’s exactly as I want her. Naked .

“Get comfortable, and show me how you played with my pussy on the grave.”

“Nico,” she gasps, “No.”

Pulling my own shirt off, she stares at me with the same hunger I feel for her .

After I get out of my pants, I stroke my cock, and she licks her lips while she watches me with such intensity, that I know she’ll do anything I want her to. Good little slut.