Page 100 of Twisted Steel

Harper’s face goes pale.

I drop the gun and the knife.Metal hits concrete, and Reaper’s smile widens.“Good.”

Harper’s eyes flash.“Steel, don’t you dare...”

Reaper hits her across the mouth with the gun and something inside me clicks into place.

Something old and final.

I take one step, and Reaper jerks the gun back to her head.“Ah-ah.”

I stop again.Blood runs from Harper’s lip.She spits it onto the floor and looks up at him.“You hit like a man who loses often.”

Jesus.Fucking.Christ.

Reaper snarls, but that’s his mistake.His attention shifts from me to her.Just for half a second, but that’s all Saint needs.The lights die, and gunfire erupts outside.Reaper fires blind, and I move.

I cross the distance in the dark by memory, by sound, by the shape of Harper’s breathing.Reaper turns too late.I hit his wrist before he can aim again, and the gun goes off into the ceiling.Harper jerks but doesn’t scream.

I break Reaper’s arm, and he screams enough for both of them as the gun drops.

I drive him away from Harper, slamming him into a hanging chain hard enough to shake rust from the ceiling.He swings at me with his good hand.I let it land, but I barely feel it.

Then I hit him.Once to the ribs.Once to the jaw.Once to the throat.And he goes down choking.

The lights flicker back on, and Saint’s voice crackles in my ear.“Clear outside.Savage entering.”

Reaper crawls backward, blood pouring from his mouth.“You kill me, she sees what you are.”

I look at Harper.Her chest rises and falls fast.Her eyes are locked on me.This is it.The line.The one she begged me not to cross where I couldn’t come back.

Reaper laughs, wet and broken.“Do it, dog.”

I pick up my knife and Harper’s voice comes softly.“Steel.”

Not stop.Not please.Just my name.A hand on my chest without touching.

Raven’s voice comes through the earbud, quiet and sharp.“Choice.”One word, but it’s the right one.

I look at Reaper.“You’re breathing.”His smile flickers.“That’s more than you deserve.”

I crouch in front of him.He relaxes, just a fraction, thinking mercy has entered the room, but it hasn’t.I drive the knife through his thigh and pin him to the floor.

His scream tears through the slaughterhouse, and Harper flinches.I hate that, but this time she doesn’t look away.

I lean close.“You don’t die tonight because she asked me to come back with something left.”Reaper sobs, clawing at the concrete, and I twist the blade once.“But you’ll wish I’d loved her less.”

Savage steps in then, gun drawn, men spreading behind him.Raven is behind him with Saint, pale but armed, eyes immediately going to Harper.She moves before Savage can stop her, crossing to Harper’s side while I keep myself between Reaper and both women.

Savage takes in Harper, Reaper, me, and his eyes sharpen with understanding.

“Alive?”he asks.

“For now,” I say.

Savage nods to Saint.“Bind him.He answers for everything.”

I leave Reaper screaming and go to Harper, slowly.The way you approach something wounded that might still bite.