Page 43 of Royal Salvation

Reaper looked at Duchess as she spoke her words softer than Bás but her warning as stark. “I will.”

The words felt like a betrayal, his gut twisting painfully at the thought of ending things, but he knew they were right. If he didn’t love her as she deserved, he had no business dragging this out no matter how much he wanted to. To think he’d been trying to come up with ways to keep this going between them and not giving thought to how much he could hurt the beautiful, strong, tenacious, and kind woman made him feel ashamed.

“Good and you need to tell her about the girl. She needs to know she’s dead.”

“I know.”

“Do you want me to tell her? It might be easier and more clinical if it came from me.”

Reaper appreciated Bás’ offer but this was his mess. “No, I’ll tell her.”

Bás gave a short nod. “Do you need me to have Bishop take over?”

“No, I can handle this.” The thought of anyone else watching over Lucía just didn’t sit right with him.

“Good, stay safe and I’d say behave but that horse has well and truly bolted. Just don’t be a dick.”

“Fuck you, Bás. Duchess, always a pleasure.” Reaper hit end on the call not wanting to waste any more time on this when he wanted to be with Lucía. The feeling of time running out was like a runaway train and it was headed right for him.

Chapter 18

“Will you stop looking in the fucking mirror. The Princess will be fine with Hurricane and Valentina. Especially with those mutts of hers standing guard.”

Reaper held on to the handle above his head as Bishop took a turn too fast, his glare sliding off the man like he was coated in Teflon. “I’m not worried.”

Bishop smirked as he stopped at a traffic light. “You know, I never thought you’d be next. I had my money on Hurricane.”

That got his attention and he turned toward Bishop as the light turned green. “What makes you say that?”

Bishop shook his head like he was an imbecile. “Are you sure you’re smart?”

“I’ll throw you out of this moving car, Bishop, if you keep annoying me.”

“Fine, he was making googly eyes at that friend of Aoife’s.”

Reaper frowned. “You mean Payton?”

“Yeah, poor bloke is gone for her, but she doesn’t seem interested.”

“Huh, I didn’t see that coming.”

“No shit. Well, we didn’t see you falling in love with a Princess either.”

“We aren’t in love.”

Bishop smirked again as they pulled into the neighbourhood where his father lived. “You keep telling yourself that. You were like a mother fucking hen before we left.”

“Are you surprised? Playboy is a nasty piece of work and if he gets his hands on her….” He couldn’t finish that thought and keep his cool, and as he was about to meet with his father for the first time in five years he needed to.

“Man, I get it. When Storm and I were together I was the same.”

Bishop never really spoke about his ex-wife except to call her duplicitous and evil but Reaper wasn’t a fool and Bishop wasn’t the actor he thought he was because he could hear the hurt in his voice every time he spoke of her.

Reaper pointed at the house. “Pull up here.”

Bishop pulled over to the side of the road. The house was small but immaculate, the lawn looked like it had been cut with nail scissors. The shutters were clean and the glass didn’t have a speck of dust.

Reaper knew his father had retired shortly after his parents’ marriage broke down, but he was still a military man at heart and obviously kept the same standards as he always had.