A Reaper's Secret

By Sam Crescent

In a small tourist town, there is a secret. After years of being used and tormented, a small group rose up to take back their town, and to make sure no one took control from them again.

They’re known as ... The Reapers. No one knows who they are, just that they are locals, and their identities will never be revealed.

For years, Daniel Long and Amy Flynn have been dancing around each other. Neither of them crossing that line of friendship into more. When a tourist refuses to take no for an answer, Daniel intervenes.

Amy has always had feelings for Daniel, but she refuses to jump into bed with any kind of random guy. She has seen the fallout from her best friend. She will not follow the same path.

However, she cannot hide nor deny the attraction she has for Daniel. The moment he kisses her, all bets are off. Amy is not going to pretend they are friends anymore.

Daniel has a secret. He doesn’t know if Amy will be able to handle it. No one messes with his town. No one hurts his woman. He is not afraid to do what is necessary. For he is a Reaper.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Evernight
• Release date: May 24, 2024
• ISBN: 9780369505262

Book preview

EVERNIGHT PUBLISHING ®

www.evernightpublishing.com

Copyright© 2024 Sam Crescent

ISBN: 978-0-3695-0526-2

Cover Artist: Jay Aheer

Editor: Lisa Petrocelli

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

WARNING: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. No part of this book may be used or reproduced electronically or in print without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in reviews.

This is a work of fiction. All names, characters, and places are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

A REAPER’S SECRET

The Reapers, 1

Sam Crescent

Copyright © 2024

Prologue

What’s our next stop?

The sound of rustling set Billy on edge. He was already too nervous, but listening to a couple of tourists was the last thing he wanted to do. The only reason he stopped in this little lay-by was because it was far enough away from where he’d just come, and seemed impossible to find. He hadn’t even been able to locate it on a map, and he was hoping no one else was able to either.

His hands trembled as he lifted the black coffee to his lips. They would be out looking for him, and he needed to remember that. Staying in one place for too long would be his guaranteed death sentence. Billy couldn’t believe he had gotten this far. He’d never heard of anyone evading them, but then he’d never heard good things about those who had stolen or betrayed them.

All he’d done was stolen from them. Nothing too bad. He hadn’t betrayed them, and it wasn’t like it was a lot of cash either. About twenty to fifty thousand in cash, no big deal. He imagined most of them would have this kind of cash safely hidden away.

Sweat beaded on his forehead as a door opened and another customer entered. Was this mysterious diner usually so busy? He suddenly felt a little hot beneath the collar, and he knew for a fact that wasn’t usual.

It was hot outside, but inside he felt like he was boiling. He couldn’t help but glance around the diner and wonder who was staring at him, who was trying to check him out, to squeal on his location.

Ah, this is it, Lost Creek.

At the mention of that town, Billy couldn’t help but freeze in one place.

Lost Creek? You’re sure.

Yep, it’s right here in our plans. Remember, this has got the rumored … The Reapers.

Coffee spilled over the edge of his cup, and Billy had no choice but to put it down on top of the counter. The sweat that had been slowly building suddenly felt like it was starting to drip from him in one continuous stream.

What the fuck? Why were they talking about fucking Lost Creek, and what was more, why the fuck were they talking about The Reapers?

Come on, dude, seriously. You’re going to listen to gossip? We’re only passing through to check out the wildlife and if we’re lucky, see some bears or some shit. I’m not into trying to find any kind of … killer gang.

I know, but come on, you have to admit it is pretty cool, the other guy said.

Yeah, you’re right, it is cool, but what if they don’t exist? Come on, they’re probably just some myth to keep the thugs at bay. It’s a tourist town, and there are plenty of locals around, I imagine they use it to their advantage, and you know, anyone steps out of line, it’s probably the whole town.

It’s not the whole town, Billy said. He just couldn’t take it anymore. And trust me, if you intend to go to Lost Creek, to cause trouble, then trouble is what you will find.

Yo, man, you been to Lost Creek?

Billy nodded, but he didn’t want to admit the truth out loud. Maybe if he advised these guys not to go to that town, it would be an act of redemption, and it would give him a chance to run and hide. He was fucking terrified.

He couldn’t remember ever feeling this way, not once, but then he’d not stolen from The fucking Reapers before. Shit, what the fuck had he done?

The Reapers are real?

Billy simply nodded his head for a second time.

I heard they’re a secret society.

No, I heard they’re a gang, and you know, like to kill people.

Billy reached into his wallet and pulled out a couple of bills, leaving them on the bar for the waitress. No one ever remembered a good tipper, not really.

Trust me, if you can, avoid Lost Creek, and if you can’t, don’t try to piss off the locals. Everything you heard about The Reapers is true.

They’re a freaking urban legend, dude. No one knows who they are.

No, not until it’s too late, Billy said. You only ever have a hint of who it is. For Billy, he had a feeling the bar called The Reaper was owned by one. He just had a feeling. There had also been rumors of lawyers, mayors, everyone, providing they had the same goal and had proven themselves to the group.

Billy didn’t even know for sure if he had stolen from them, but he had stolen from The Reaper bar, and that was a good enough reason to believe he had done so.

The two tourist men tried to talk to him, but he wasn’t interested in continuing a dialogue with them. He’d already said too much, and it was now time for him to move on. The only way for him to survive was to keep moving.

Leaving the diner, he stepped out into the hot summer night. It was still light out, but the sun was slowly starting to set. He was going to have to get a move on if he wasn’t careful. He’d already ditched his car, because he figured that monster would leave a trail for them to find, and he didn’t want to make it too easy for them.

There was also a chance he was panicking for nothing, and no one was going to be following because it was all just rumor. He shook his head. No, that was bullshit. The Reapers existed, and they were not men to trifle with.

The temptation of the money and an easy life was just too irresistible for him, and he’d already taken the cash before he truly thought about what he’d done.

Now, he knew he was fucking everything up. He also felt a horrible need to turn around, go back, and beg forgiveness. But if he did that, he was going to have broken body parts, and he wanted that even less. He didn’t like pain.

Walking down the long road, he didn’t see any cars. Was that normal? He didn’t even know if The Reapers had any kind of sway, and as he took another step, he heard it—the sound of a twig snapping. He spun around in a circle, hand raised into a fist, ready to take on whatever came at him.

The perspiration was dripping off him at this point, and he couldn’t seem to control it. He felt sick to his stomach. There was no sign of anyone, no indication of someone walking close by, or for that matter, any reason why he heard the twig snapping. He was losing his mind, it was so clear to him now. The paranoia was eating away at him and causing him to hallucinate.

Billy started to walk forward again, and this time another twig snapped, and as he spun around, about to do the same dance, he froze. Three men stood in line a few feet away from him. None of them moved or spoke a word.

He knew exactly who they were and what they were doing here. Fear raced down his spine, and without another word, he took off, trying to run, only to come to a stop. While he’d been looking behind him, another man had appeared in front of him.

Hello, Billy, he said.

Billy froze. He tightly gripped the bag with the stolen cash inside. This was supposed to be his meal ticket, but he knew without a shadow of a doubt he wasn’t making it out of this alive. No amount of begging or pleading was going to work.

He was a dead man, and it was all his doing.

Are we going to do this the easy way, or the hard way? he asked.

Every fiber of Billy’s being was begging for him to do this the easy way, but then he drew out his pocketknife, flicking it open. He wasn’t going down without a fight.

There was a chuckle from the man in front of him. Good, I was worried for a second you were going to make this easy.

And in that moment, Billy knew what made The Reapers so terrifying. They were not afraid of death. They did not feel fear, and any threat actually thrilled them. No one would ever be a match for them, and he knew by the end of the night, if not the end of the hour, he wasn’t going to see daylight.

Chapter One

Amy Flynn was a waitress down, but she wasn’t going to allow that to stop her café from getting the job done. They were at the height of summer, and the tourists were flowing through town like a nice stream. So far, for the season, everything had

Reviews for A Reaper's Secret

[Kate · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Dan is a bar owner and vigilante in the small town of Lost Creek. Amy is a cafe owner, targeted by a nasty tourist, whose advances she rejected. Time for her protector to swing into action!

Dan and Amy have known eachother for years and it's not clear why they decided now is the time to end their celibacy and start having sex in every position possible. For people who have known each other for so long, Dan loves Amy's curves but I didn't feel a deeper attraction/connection between them.

Also there is a lot of psychoanalysing of the friend, Penelope, who has a string of one night stands. Not sure if this was setting up for another book set in this town?