“Ah … I see. You’re not afraid I’ll hurt you because of what you’re going to tell me; you’re worried I’ll backslide in my recovery.” Sardonically, Reaper didn’t know which he preferred—that Diamond was afraid of him or that he would take the opportunity to start using again. Neither reasons would make that happen. Then again, neither did they inspire confidence that he would be able to handle what Diamond was about tell him.
“I don’t need to be protected from myself. Whatever bad news you have to tell me, I’ll deal, just like any other brother in the club does.”
“I didn’t come to give you bad news. Actually, it’s good.”
“You needed Calder to tell me good news?”
“I consider it good news. Unfortunately, I don’t think you will.”
Reaper wanted to get up and pace around the room but remained seated. “Tell me.”
Diamond hesitantly began. “Have you … watched the tapes that Slate took of you?”
“No. I didn’t have to watch them; I lived them.”
“I asked you to watch them.” She sighed. “Have you discussed them with Viper or any of the other brothers? They can confirm what I’m about to tell you.”
He clenched his jaw. “I don’t know if Viper’s watched them. Some of the brothers have. I haven’t asked which tapes they’ve seen, nor do I want to. As far as talking about it with him or any of the brothers, I never will. Have you watched them?”
“You know I have.”
He had to give Knox’s wife props for not betraying her opinion of the tapes.
“Then, can you tell me how I’m supposed to talk with any of them, especially Viper?”
Diamond tightened her lips. “I can’t.”
Anyone who cared about Viper would never want him to watch the brutality that Reaper lived through for almost ten years.
“Exactly.” Tensing, he sat forward, linking his hands together. “What’s so important that you dragged Calder out so early this morning?”
Diamond slowly opened her briefcase, taking out a folder before closing the case. “I found out who she was.”
Reaper didn’t have to ask who she was. The woman he killed preyed on his mind every moment since he saw her vacant gaze staring back at him.
As Diamond held out the folder for him to take, his hand slowly reached for it while he mentally prepared himself to see the image of the woman’s face.
Expecting to see the same image back at him that had been burned into his brain from that horror-filled night, he had to blink several times after opening the folder to reconcile the image he was seeing now.
The woman in the picture was smiling laughingly at whoever had taken the picture. He had snuffed that smile out with his bare hands. It didn’t matter that he’d been drugged; it still sickened him to his soul that he had given in to Slate’s goading.
“Her name was Cecile Lelong. She was twenty-six when she disappeared. They recovered her body two days ago.”
“Why didn’t you call me?” Unconsciously, he squeezed his eyes tight, fighting back the grief that he felt at ending a life just for the sole purpose of Slate wanting to capture it on video.
“Because I was in Lexington, and I had to drive back. I only stopped long enough to meet Calder before coming here. I wanted to be here when I told you.”
Reaper closed the folder and handed it back to her. “Is that why you brought Knox here—to arrest me?” He stood up and looked down at her. “You could have saved him the trouble. I would have turned myself in—”
Diamond shook her head. “There aren’t going to be any charges brought against you.”
Dumbfounded, he could only frown at her; he was sure he misheard her.
“I was in Lexington because I was waiting for Knox to get a hit on the DNA that came back after they found Cecile’s body. It was exactly where Ink said he buried her. I wanted to wait until the autopsy and DNA results came in before telling you. Knox showed me a picture of Cecile from her missing poster, and from the tape, I confirmed it was her.
“After I confirmed her identity, I made an appointment to talk with the Commonwealth Attorney. There aren’t going to be any charges against you.”
No longer pacing, Reaper furiously strode around the room as if he were caged in, then stopped in front of Diamond. “I did it! I deserve to be in prison! I didn’t ask you to get a deal for me!”
Diamond remained sitting, her expression resolute despite his yelling. “I didn’t have to cut a deal.” Keeping her voice firm and controlled, she straightened her shoulders. “All I had to do was show him that tape,” she explained in a low voice.
He took a step back as if she had shoved him back physically. “You showed him the tape?”