Total pages in book: 36
Estimated words: 33261 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 166(@200wpm)___ 133(@250wpm)___ 111(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 33261 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 166(@200wpm)___ 133(@250wpm)___ 111(@300wpm)
He knew Amy got to the café early in the morning to start up the food, and she’d not eaten anything. Working in a hot kitchen, doing the job of three or four people, she had passed out, only no one had gone to check on her.
Daniel had heard the commotion, gone straight into the kitchen, and found her passed out with a small cut on her forehead. Of course, the locals as well as the tourists had been concerned. He’d wanted Amy to go to the hospital, but he also knew she had a fear of them. So instead, he played waitress, Martha came in, and when Penelope arrived, he made sure the women knew, when she was on shift, she stayed there, no questions asked.
No one would disobey him, they knew there were consequences. That day, no one complained or left a bad review, as Amy apologized by giving them all free food for the day. She didn’t suffer the loss, though, Daniel made sure of it.
“You do realize this coffee is for you to enjoy?” she asked.
He chuckled. “As it happens, I don’t mind sharing.”
He watched her as she picked it up and took a sip. She wrinkled her nose. Where he loved cream and sugar, Amy couldn’t stand sugar. She didn’t mind the cream, but she was not one for the sweetness, even though he knew she loved a sweet treat.
“Do you think you’ll open up for the fair?” Amy asked.
The town mayor did this every year—it was like an ode to wind down the tourists, and let them know summer was coming to an end. The fair was over a month away, but planning had already started. It wouldn’t be long before the rides started to appear in town, and everything would get set up. There would be a lot of parties, including drunk teenagers. The last fair of the season was never his favorite, however, he did utilize the time and open his bar early.
“Always, let’s face it, the wrath of the mayor is priority enough to keep the bar open.”
Amy chuckled. “I don’t imagine for a second the mayor or anyone else could get you to do something you didn’t want to do.”
“True, very true, but then I can’t help but agree it’s a good revenue day.”
She took a deep breath. “That is so true.”
“What’s wrong?” he asked.
“Nothing, just having a moment, thinking about my parents and my grandparents. They loved this time of year, you know. They loved meeting new people, and making … memories, I guess.”
He couldn’t help watching her. Even though he was ten years older than Amy, there was just something about her. Maybe it was the sweet smile that called to him, or the kindness always in her green eyes. Where some of the locals looked at him with judgment or even curiosity, Amy didn’t. There was no agenda. Other women wanted to fuck him, play games with him, and with other single men. He wasn’t interested in games.
Nigel, Martha’s husband, had told him if he played by the rules, he could have it all. That there was a special woman somewhere who would not judge him, who would give him a smile, take care of him, and just be by his side through thick and thin.
Many people didn’t know—or they did know but pretended not to—that he was a member of The Reapers. In fact, he saw at least four other members of the group in the café. All four of them were with family members, and in fact, Nigel, Martha’s husband, before he died, had been a member of The Reapers. He didn’t know if Amy was aware, but her dad had also been a member.
Daniel had been a member since he was twenty years old, and that was now twenty years ago.
Nigel had been the last leader, and before his death, he named Daniel to take over. Their job was to take care of the town. Anyone who joined The Reapers had to stay in town. The locals were their people, and no one fucked with them and lived to tell the tale. Being a tourist town came with a lot of danger.
He knew the tale of bad times in Lost Creek, where this had been a port open to drugs, guns, and a lot of bad shit. Rumor and gossip surrounded what happened, but there was a final last straw. A young girl, whose identity remained a mystery, was raped by one of these gangs. They took turns with her. It was the biggest mistake, as one of the men, her father, knew a group of locals who were tired of looking the other way.
That night, they took their town back.
If the rumor was true, the town ran red with the blood of their enemies. No one knows the identity of anyone involved, since after they took the town back, outsiders who didn’t like their revenue being taken tried to take control. All of them left or were killed.