Three hours later, he was walking into the kitchen, feeling all the eyes turn toward him as he made himself a plate of food. Ignoring Rider, Viper, and Razer sitting at kitchen table, he went into the dining room to sit at a small table.
Reaper poured the syrup over his stack of pancakes, aware of Jewell and Stori staring at him, debating whether to talk to him. Solving the problem, he picked up his plate, going back to his bedroom to eat his meal.
He stayed closeted in his room, trying to familiarize himself with the computer on his desk. Becoming frustrated at how much they had changed, he watched several YouTube videos explaining different models. He jotted down notes for what he needed in a computer, so when he went out to buy one of his own, he would know their different capabilities.
He was adding more locks and bolts to his list when a knock sounded on his door. Opening the door, there was dark-haired woman facing him.
“Sorry I’m late. I was held up in court,” Diamond explained, stepping in when he moved aside.
“That’s fine. I’m just glad you had an opening today.” Reaper motioned for Knox’s wife to take the extra seat at the desk.
Diamond hadn’t been what he expected when Calder told him that Knox and his wife were coming to visit him at the rehab center. Like all the other times he’d been told someone was visiting, Reaper tried to dissuade them.
He expected her to be like Evie or even Jewell. It hadn’t taken him long to discover why Knox had finally settled down and put his past heartbreak behind him. Diamond and Knox’s first wife had one thing in common—they both worshiped Knox.
Sitting down at the desk, Reaper tried to think of a way to ask for her help. Calder had told him about her sister, Sex Piston, who belonged to a group of friends that included Crazy Bitch and Killyama. Calder had joked before getting serious, saying, “She knows how to keep her mouth shut about what she’s working on, and she knows how to get to the bottom of things. She’s one of the best defense lawyers in Kentucky. She’ll do right by you.”
That didn’t matter to Reaper. What he had done was going to come out. He needed to be punished for it. Maybe that way, he wouldn’t see the face of the woman he killed every time he closed his eyes.
“You wanted to talk to me about a legal matter?” she prompted when he remained silent.
“I need you to find out some information for me and represent me when I turn myself in to Knox.”
Hers eyes widened. “Let’s not jump ahead of ourselves. What do you think you’re responsible for?”
“I don’t think. I know I killed a woman when I was held captive. I want you to find out who she was so I can turn myself in.”
Reaper expected her to make an excuse to rearrange the meeting or at least ask to go downstairs to be around others after confessing to murdering someone. Not many women would want to be alone with a murderer without bars between them.
“Are you so anxious to be locked up again?”
Reaper blanched at the thought.
“Are you sure you’re responsible for her death?”
“I strangled her. I don’t remember much about how it happened, but I know I did it.”
“First off, quit saying that and make sure you don’t say that to anyone else. Let’s get the facts straight before you convict yourself.” She didn’t seem repulsed. In fact, she was being discerningly direct.
Reaper smoothed a hand over his tired face. “I only remember pieces. And that’s not all I want from you. Knox told you about the tapes that Slate took of me?”
Forthright, she admitted her husband had told her the details of his captivity. “He did. Knox wanted me to be prepared for what you were going to tell me.”
“Did it work?”
“Nothing could prepare me for what he told me.”
Reaper paused, changing his mind. “Thanks for your time, Diamond, but I think it would be better if I hired a male attorney. I don’t want you to have to watch those tapes.” Reaper started to get up to open the door for her.
“I would be honored to help you, if you’d let me,” she said softly. “I have a pretty strong stomach. If I get too squeamish, I’ll tell you, okay? I’m a lot tougher than I look. And to tell you the truth, I resent that you think I wouldn’t be able to handle watching those tapes. Would you say that Knox couldn’t handle anything thrown his way?”
“No.”
“Knox hasn’t seen those tapes, nor does he want to. If you think you’re going to turn yourself in to Knox to put you in jail, think again. He would quit his job before he’d turn the key in your prison cell.”