$10 Billion Bounty: The Reaper's Reckoning
William Hartwell · Ongoing · 158.0k Words
Introduction
Now he returns to settle the score. But the moment he arrives, a billion-dollar bounty goes live. Every mercenary, assassin on earth wants his head.
Yet James doesn't run. He waits. Because the bounty isn't just a price—it's a clue. Someone wants him dead before he uncovers the truth about who really killed his parents. And the deeper he digs, the more the walls close in.
Chapter 1
"Mr. Anderson, there's an ambush ahead!"
In a tropical rainforest, a group of fully armed mercenaries was advancing rapidly.
Suddenly, a burly, short-haired man raised his eyebrows and spoke to the tall, handsome young man beside him.
"Interesting. After all these years, I can't believe someone still dares to ambush the Specter Syndicate!"
The young man leading the group was named James Anderson. Before he could speak, Kevin Taylor, the blonde-haired man beside him, had already responded.
However, his face showed no sign of tension about being ambushed. Instead, there was an indescribable hint of amusement.
As the best mercenary organization in the world, they had become taboo in international society!
Even the military forces of top-tier nations were unwilling to provoke them.
Especially their leader James, who was known as the king of the underworld, with the codename The Reaper!
Over the years, they had never failed a single mission!
Having grown accustomed to taking the initiative, they never expected that one day they would be ambushed.
"Don't make any sudden moves. Let's see what's going on!"
James, at the front, remained equally calm, curious about who was ambushing them here.
As his words fell, a group of men in suits, holding submachine guns, suddenly surrounded them.
The middle-aged man leading them, Oliver, walked with an arrogant gait, his eyes full of amusement, and a mocking smile on his lips.
"James, you really made me search hard for you!"
"Really? Do we know each other?"
Oliver's attitude surprised James, who looked at him with slight hesitation.
But to Oliver, this expression was clearly a signal of weakness.
Already holding the upper hand, he became even more confident.
"You're not qualified to have me answer your questions!"
His response actually made James laugh.
"You're the first person who's dared to talk to me like this!"
Oliver was also amused by James's words.
"Listen to yourself, you sound pretty cocky."
"A homeless guy abandoned by the Anderson family, still so arrogant. Do you still think you're the heir to the Anderson family?"
The Anderson family?
James's expression darkened considerably, and his eyes filled with killing intent.
"Who sent you?"
"None of your business!"
James's gaze grew even colder. "I'll give you one last chance. Who sent you?"
"As long as you tell me, I might consider sparing your life!"
Oliver acted as if he'd heard the funniest joke ever, laughing until tears came out.
The others behind him all had the same expression, looking at James like he was an idiot.
"James, you don't seem to understand the situation. Right now, your life is in my hands, not the other way around!"
"I was going to let you die knowing the truth, but looking at your brain, there's no need for that!"
After saying this, a cruel smile curved Oliver's lips.
Then he waved his hand. "Boys, move out!"
But the next second, Oliver's confident expression froze.
James, who he thought was as good as dead, moved with ghost-like speed to snatch a gun from one of the killers, his other hand gripping the killer's throat tightly.
The killer's face turned from red to purple, his hands futilely slapping at James's arm, as if hitting a steel pillar.
"How is this possible? My men are all elite." Oliver's voice trembled, his words growing less confident.
"You mean this trash?"
James's gaze swept toward him. With a twist of his wrist, the killer whose throat he was gripping was flung out like a rag doll, crashing heavily into two other killers.
The three rolled together in a heap, moaning in pain.
Meanwhile, Kevin had already kicked away the last standing killer, dusted off his hands, and flashed Oliver a bright smile.
"This is all you've got?"
In just ten seconds, none of the twenty-plus elite killers Oliver had brought could still stand.
The arrogance on his face had completely vanished, replaced by bone-deep fear.
"Don't, don't come closer. If you kill me, the Harris family and the Anderson family won't let you go!"
He tried to raise the gun in his hand, but found his fingers shaking too much to grip it.
"The Harris family and the Anderson family? Won't let me go?"
James stared straight at him.
In that moment, Oliver felt like he was being watched by a demon, his blood freezing.
"You seem to have gotten something wrong."
James began walking toward him, unhurried.
With each step, Oliver felt death approaching.
"I'm not some homeless guy kicked out by the Anderson family, but the Grim Reaper coming to collect a debt from them!"
Oliver's pupils contracted. Looking at the symbol on James's helmet, something seemed to dawn on him.
"You, you're actually the leader of Specter Syndicate!"
"That legendary Reaper?"
James looked at him with interest.
"Didn't expect you to know so much!"
"Too bad, anyone who knows my true identity has to die!"
Seeing the change in James's eyes, Oliver didn't hesitate to start kowtowing to him.
"Mr. Anderson, no, The Reaper, please don't kill me! I'll tell you everything I know!"
"Trevor has never given up trying to kill you all these years."
"Edward from the Harris family ordered us to kill you to curry favor with the Anderson family. I, I'm just doing a job for money. I've confessed everything now, please spare my life!"
A dark stain spread across his pant leg, the stench of urine filling the air.
Disgust flashed in James's eyes as he picked up the phone Oliver had dropped.
On it was a pre-written message saying "Mission accomplished," addressed to Edward Harris.
His eyes grew even colder as his fingertip lightly touched the screen.
Send.
After doing this, he lifted his foot and kicked. Oliver's head flew out like a ball.
James didn't even look at the fallen middle-aged man, as if he'd just kicked an ant to death.
"Mr. Anderson, this Trevor really doesn't know what's good for him. You haven't even gone after him yet, and he's already sent people to assassinate you!"
"Should I take our men and kill our way to the Anderson family, take out Trevor?"
Kevin, who had earlier detected the ambush, looked at James with concern.
As a comrade who'd been through life and death with him, he knew something about James's background.
Originally, James was the only son of Peter Anderson, head of the Anderson family in Pinecrest City, living a life of luxury and comfort since childhood.
However, a tragedy ten years ago had devastated Peter's family while they were abroad.
A fully armed mercenary squad had stormed into their overseas mansion, killing everyone on sight, leaving no survivors.
If Peter hadn't hidden James, he would have been just another corpse by now.
Bearing a blood debt, James's personality changed completely. Not only did he single-handedly wipe out that entire mercenary squad, but over the next ten years, he transformed Specter Syndicate from an unknown team into the world's most powerful force.
He thought it was all over, but it turned out there was more to that tragedy ten years ago!
"No need. This is my revenge. The Harris family, is it? Then everything starts with you!"
Last Chapters
#128 Chapter 128: Leader Soren
Last Updated: 8/10/2026#127 Chapter 127 All Deserve to Die
Last Updated: 8/7/2026#126 Chapter 126: When the Gift Is Given Away
Last Updated: 8/4/2026#125 Chapter 125: He Died
Last Updated: 8/1/2026#124 Chapter 124: Returned
Last Updated: 7/29/2026#123 Chapter 123: Came Out
Last Updated: 7/26/2026#122 Chapter 122: Plan
Last Updated: 7/23/2026#121 Chapter 121: Bet Once Again
Last Updated: 7/20/2026#120 Chapter 120: Replace with Another Secret
Last Updated: 7/17/2026#119 Chapter 119 Staying Behind
Last Updated: 7/15/2026
You Might Like 😍
Goddess Of The Underworld
When the veil between the Divine, the Living, and the Dead begins to crack, Envy is thrust beneath with a job she can’t drop: keep the worlds from bleeding together, shepherd the lost, and make ordinary into armour, breakfasts, bedtime, battle plans. Peace lasts exactly one lullaby. This is the story of an orphan pup who became a goddess by choosing her family; of four imperfect alphas learning how to be better. Steamy, fierce, and full of heart, Goddess of the Underworld is a reverse harem, found-family paranormal romance where love writes the rules and keeps three realms from falling apart.
First Taste in a Century
But Lysander’s arrival spells disaster. In a clumsy accident, he doesn't just ruin dinner; he obliterates her state-of-the-art scientific instruments. With her life’s work destroyed and her synthetic supply cut off, the scent of his living blood overwhelms her engineered senses. Forced to break a century-long abstinence, she takes what she needs, only to find herself addicted not just to his taste, but to the man himself.
Using the equipment as a flimsy excuse to lure him back, Vivienne battles a terrifying new obsession. She craves his body despite believing he’s taken, despising her own weakness. Meanwhile, Lysander’s initial terror curdles into a forbidden fascination. Can a relationship survive when one person feels everything, and the other only hungers?
Cursed Fates
The CEO's Unspoken Love
Before I could answer, he moved closer, suddenly looming over me, his face inches from mine. I felt my breath caught, my lips parting in surprise.
"Then this is the price for speaking ill of me to others," he murmured, nipping my lower lip before claiming my mouth in a real kiss. It began as punishment but quickly transformed into something else entirely as I responded, my initial rigidity melting into compliance, then active participation.
My breathing accelerated, small sounds escaping my throat as he explored my body. His touches were both punishment and pleasure, drawing shudders from me that I thought he felt reverberating through his own body.
My nightgown had ridden up, his hands discovering more of mine with each caress. We were both lost in sensation, rational thought receding with each passing second...
Three years ago, to fulfill the wish of his grandmother, I was forced to marry Derek Wells, the second son of the family that had adopted me for ten years. He didn't love me, but I had secretly loved him all along.
Now, the three-year contractual marriage is about to end, but I feel that some kind of sentiment has developed between Derek and me that neither of us is willing to admit. I'm not sure if my feelings are right, but I know that we can't resist each other physically...
Offside With You
At the hospital, Asher falls into a coma. His scans reveal bruises, internal bleeding and signs of prolonged physical abuse. Broken and furious, Aveline vows to expose the cruelty hidden behind the prestige of Crestwood Academy.
Cutting off her hair and disguising herself as her brother, Aveline infiltrates Crestwood Academy and fights her way onto the hockey team determined to unmask those responsible. Revenge should have been simple until she meets Kieran Hampton, the team’s arrogant and sharp-eyed star player. From their first clash, tension ignites. Aveline is certain he’s guilty and has no problem making his life miserable, but their undeniable chemistry only draws them closer with every confrontation.
While Aveline focuses on the wrong target, the real threat stands closer.
Cassian Thorne seems strange at first, his interest in her uncomfortably personal yet he gradually becomes her friend. Meanwhile, Kieran despite believing Aveline is male finds himself drawn to “him” in ways he can’t understand. When he uncovers her true identity, he chooses to protect her at all costs even as she refuses to trust him.
Revenge turns to grief when Asher dies, leaving Aveline drowning in guilt for falling for her brother’s supposed tormentor. Questions remain unanswered, and the truth is far darker than she imagined because Asher Carter was never just a victim. The bullying wasn’t just random.
As secrets unravel and loyalties shatter, Aveline must face one devastating question: what happens when the brother you were ready to destroy the world for isn’t who you thought he was?
Tempted By The Enemy
She escapes to Preston Island to attend the wedding without informing him only to collide with Lucas’s hot, fiery and arrogant brother, the twenty-three-year-old, Nicholas Donnelly. Sparks immediately fly between them but Alyssa refuses to acknowledge them fearing her brother's wrath.
The wedding is over and Alyssa tries hard to forget the mysterious Nicholas Donnelly but can he forget her? Can he ignore the attraction he feels for her, feelings that have resurfaced after ten years?
What will Allyssa do when she is stalked by the man who has been invading her dreams since the day she met him? What will she do when she is whisked away to a deserted island by the unpredictable Nicholas Donnelly? Can she tame her heart or surrender to sinful temptations? Read to find out!
Part of the Temptation Series. Can be read as a standalone.
Falling for my boyfriend's Navy brother
"What is wrong with me?
Why does being near him make my skin feel too tight, like I’m wearing a sweater two sizes too small?
It’s just newness, I tell myself firmly.
He’s my boyfirend’s brother.
This is Tyler’s family.
I’m not going to let one cold stare undo that.
**
As a ballet dancer, My life looks perfect—scholarship, starring role, sweet boyfriend Tyler. Until Tyler shows his true colors and his older brother, Asher, comes home.
Asher is a Navy veteran with battle scars and zero patience. He calls me "princess" like it's an insult. I can't stand him.
When My ankle injury forces her to recover at the family lake house, I‘m stuck with both brothers. What starts as mutual hatred slowly turns into something forbidden.
I'm falling for my boyfriend's brother.
**
I hate girls like her.
Entitled.
Delicate.
And still—
Still.
The image of her standing in the doorway, clutching her cardigan tighter around her narrow shoulders, trying to smile through the awkwardness, won’t leave me.
Neither does the memory of Tyler. Leaving her here without a second thought.
I shouldn’t care.
I don’t care.
It’s not my problem if Tyler’s an idiot.
It’s not my business if some spoiled little princess has to walk home in the dark.
I’m not here to rescue anyone.
Especially not her.
Especially not someone like her.
She’s not my problem.
And I’ll make damn sure she never becomes one.
But when my eyes fell on her lips, I wanted her to be mine.
Diaries Of A Hybrid And Her Mate
Beautiful Aubrianne Ivanov, raised by her single mom, had a tough childhood. With low self-esteem, she became an outcast and was alone one too many times for her liking. Time spent at her part time job, she eventually grew into a brave, confident, and determined young woman who walked right into an opportunity that would change her life forever.
Will Aubrianne truly feel whole? Will she find what has been missing in her life? Will she allow herself happiness and joy? Will she find love, and most importantly, will she survive what's to come?
Join Aubrianne on her journey as she discovers who/what she is and navigates all the heartbreak, betrayal, drama, and exciting and thrilling events that come her way...
Excerpt:
She lay before him in all her magnificent beauty draped across his king-size bed in the most compelling and provocative way known to man or beast. And for Alpha Zayne, it was the most captivating view he had ever had the pleasure of seeing with his own eyes.
She stared at his every movement, lips slightly parted, her stunning brown eyes scanning every inch of his gorgeously toned and glorious body while heat radiated off of hers. He was HERS.
Her body trembled in delight and anticipation; she was ready and wanted to be with him in every way.
As innocent as she was, she wanted him to...no need him to take her in the worse ways, bringing her to heights of pleasures she had never experienced before.
Fuck she is beautiful, one fine specimen, and she is all MINE, MY MATE. A wave of pure unbridled possessiveness vibrated through Alpha Zayne. He thanked the Divine Moon Goddess, for she has truly blessed him.
He drank her in, eyes trailing up her toned sexy legs spread wide for him, and she gave him that come-and-get-it look.
The Ice Between Us.
Then comes Jax Miller.
Jax is a hotheaded rookie with a lightning-fast puck and a reputation for burning bridges. He doesn't follow playbooks, he doesn't respect authority, and he’s determined to melt Julian’s icy composure. When a viral video of their on-ice collision threatens to bankrupt the program, Coach Clain delivers an ultimatum that feels like a death sentence: they must live together in a cramped, two-bed dorm for the duration of the season.
Forced to navigate the high-stakes world of sports fame, "forbidden" locker-room tension, and the mysterious blackmailer who caught their first mistake on camera, Julian and Jax must decide what’s more dangerous: losing their careers, or losing themselves to the person they were supposed to hate.
Accidentally Crossing the Tycoon
Four years ago, the Bailey family faced a devastating financial crisis.
Just when bankruptcy seemed inevitable, a mysterious benefactor emerged, offering salvation with one condition: a contract marriage.
Rumors swirled about this enigmatic man—whispers claimed he was hideously ugly and too ashamed to show his face, possibly harboring dark, twisted obsessions.
Without hesitation, the Baileys sacrificed me to protect their precious biological daughter, forcing me to take her place as a pawn in this cold, calculated arrangement.
Luckily, in those four years, the mysterious husband never asked to meet in person.
Now, in the final year of our arrangement, the husband I've never met is demanding we meet face to face.
But disaster struck the night before my return—drunk and disoriented, I stumbled into the wrong hotel room and ended up sleeping with the legendary financial mogul, Caspar Thornton.
What the hell am I supposed to do now?
King of the Underworld
However, one fateful day, the King of the Underworld appeared before me and rescued me from the clutches of the most powerful Mafia boss's son. With his deep blue eyes fixed on mine, he spoke softly: "Sephie... short for Persephone... Queen of the Underworld. At last, I have found you." Confused by his words, I stammered out a question, “P..pardon? What does that mean?”
But he simply smiled at me and brushed my hair away from my face with gentle fingers: "You are safe now.”
Sephie, named for the Queen of the Underworld, Persephone, she's quickly finding out how she's destined to fulfill her namesake's role. Adrik is the King of the Underworld, the boss of all bosses in the city he runs.
She was a seemingly normal girl, with a normal job until it all changed one night when he walked through the front door and her life changed abruptly. Now, she finds herself on the wrong side of powerful men, but under the protection of the most powerful among them.
The Alpha King's Human Mate
“I have waited nine years for you. That’s nearly a decade since I’ve felt this emptiness inside me. Part of me began to wonder if you didn’t exist or you’d already died. And then I found you, right inside my own home.”
He used one of his hands to stroke my cheek and tingles erupted everywhere.
“I’ve spent enough time without you and I will not let anything else keep us apart. Not other wolves, not my drunken father who’s barely holding himself together the past twenty years, not your family – and not even you.”
Clark Bellevue has spent her entire life as the only human in the wolf pack - literally. Eighteen years ago, Clark was the accidental result of a brief affair between one of the most powerful Alphas in the world and a human woman. Despite living with her father and her werewolf half-siblings, Clark has never felt like she really belonged in the werewolf world. But right as Clark plans to leave the werewolf world behind for good, her life gets flipped upside down by her mate: the next Alpha King, Griffin Bardot. Griffin has been waiting years for the chance to meet his mate, and he's not about to let her go anytime soon. It doesn't matter how far Clark tries to run from her destiny or her mate - Griffin intends to keep her, no matter what he has to do or who stands in his way.
