Chapter 191 The Threat

Chapter 191 The Threat


Bella’s POV 

“Who,” Draco said sharply, his voice cutting through the room with enough force to pull every eye toward us.
I didn’t look away from the screen. I shook my head.
“It’s the Reaper,” I repeated, my voice steady even as something colder settled in my chest.
The room shifted instantly.
“What does he want,” Draco asked, his tone lower now, controlled but edged.
I let out a slow breath, my fingers hovering just above the keyboard. “I don’t know yet,” I admitted. “I haven’t opened it.”
“Why not.” he hissed.
I glanced up at him briefly. “Because the second I do, he’ll know I’ve seen it.”
That mattered.
Timing mattered.
Positioning mattered.
Everything mattered when you were dealing with someone like him. He would pull everything apart. He would dissect it. Rip it open.
Draco didn’t hesitate. “Open it.”
Of course he said that. I didn’t move right away.
Instead, I leaned back slightly, taking a deep breath in, then letting it out slowly. Once. Twice. A third time. Not because I didn’t know what I was doing, but because I knew exactly what I was stepping into.
And I wasn’t in the mood for it.
Not today.
I glanced over at Gino. He was already watching, his expression sharper now, waiting. Then I looked up at Draco.
He gave a small nod toward the laptop.
Do it, he said with his eyes. The way he looked at me.
I sighed softly. “Fine,” I muttered.
Then I opened it.
The screen shifted immediately, the interface pulling up the details clean and simple.
It wasn’t coded. It wasn’t hidden.
It was direct.
A job posting.
I read it once. Then again.
And my brows pulled together slightly as I leaned forward. Yeah, this is what I didn't want to see.
“What,” Draco said.
“He wants information,” I said slowly.
“On who.” he asked. 
I looked up at him. “On you.”
That landed exactly the way it should.
Nico let out a quiet laugh that didn’t carry any humor. “Of course he does.”
I turned the screen slightly, scanning it again as I spoke. “He says that now that Dmitry and Rafael are gone, and that you took one and had the other killed.”
Draco’s jaw tightened just slightly.
“He wants everything on you.” I whispered. 
Gino leaned forward, reading over my shoulder. “So he doesn’t know Dmitry’s dead,” he said.
“No,” I replied. “He doesn’t.”
“Which means,” Nico added, “we’re ahead.”
“For now,” Draco said.
I nodded slightly, my fingers already moving as I started typing.
The nerve of him. I didn’t even try to soften it.
I wrote exactly what I was thinking. ‘You didn’t take them out yourself. You haven’t proven anything. I said I would only give you information if you proven yourself worthy.’
Nico let out a sharp breath, almost impressed. “That’s bold.”
“That’s accurate,” I corrected.
The three dots appeared instantly. I stilled slightly. He was there.
Then the reply came through. ‘I would have done it.’
I stared at the screen for a second before typing back without hesitation. ‘But you didn’t.’
A pause.
‘Look.’ he wrote. 
His response came slower this time, like he was choosing his words more carefully.
‘I have information that Draco took my brother from Arthur and Dmitry.’
My fingers stilled. The room went quiet again. He wants him back.
“I want my brother,” his message continued. “I’ll pay for information. I’ll pay well.”
I exhaled slowly, my mind already moving, already calculating.
So that was it.
Not revenge.
Not power. At least not yet. It was about family. That made it worse. I started typing again.
I don’t know anything about that. A deal is a deal. I can’t help you. Draco is too dangerous, and right now he’s on a killing spree.
Gino snorted quietly. “That’s one way to put it.”
“Accurate,” Nico added.
The dots came back. Then his reply.
‘Fuck. Really.’
I leaned back slightly, watching the screen, waiting to see if he would continue.
He did. He didn't stop at all. He kept shooting the messages one after another.
The next message came slower. And the second I read it something in me went cold.
“You don’t know anything? That’s fine. I don’t need you to know.’
My fingers hovered, not typing yet. The room felt different now. I actually wasn't sure what to write next. There was not a correct response.
Then the last message came through. 
‘I don’t hunt information. I hunt people.’
A pause. Then he finished. 
‘And if my brother isn’t breathing because of Draco, then someone close to him is going to stop breathing because of me.’
There it was. The threat. Out in the open. He couldn't get his way so he made sure he had the last word.