Reaper's Stand

by Joanna Wylde

  “All right,” I said, figuring I should stop while I was ahead. I held my hand out and he took it, wrapping his strong fingers around mine. They were warm and solid. I’d bet his arms would be, too.

  He didn’t say he wanted to hold you, I reminded myself firmly. He said he wanted to “fuck your tits,” and that’s a place we don’t need to go.

  Obviously I should start sleeping with Nate sooner rather than later, before my hormones destroyed me entirely.

  Don’t question. Just find Jessica.

  “So what does she look like?” he asked. I dug into my pocket and pulled out my phone, flipping quickly to her graduation picture.

  Good lord, my little cousin was stunning.

  Jessica was tall, with long legs toned from running. Her hair was a rich, chestnut-brown and her eyes were bright with thick lashes. She looked like an all-American princess.

  He gave a low whistle.

  “Pretty girl,” he said slowly, and I glanced quickly at his face, hoping desperately I wouldn’t see lust in his eyes. He took the phone and abruptly turned and walked out of the office, leaving me to scamper after him like a puppy. I followed him back into the main lounge area where I’d first come in. I spotted Gage leaning against the wall, eyes seeing everything as he surveyed the party. Reese walked over to him and handed him the phone.

  “So we lookin’ for her?” Gage asked.

  “Yup,” he said. “She’s goin’ home with London, just as soon as we find her. And she’s out for good after that, got me?”

  “Sure,” Gage said casually. “But she’s upstairs right now with Banks and Painter. Probably already on her back.”

  I shivered, closing my eyes. Please, please, please be using condoms …

  “This way,” Hayes said, and I followed him through the partiers and across the room. The crowd parted for him like a wave, making it all too clear who was the boss.

  At the far end of the room, past the bar, was a staircase leading upstairs. Hayes started climbing and I followed. On the second level we passed through a large game room holding a pool table, old couches, a giant TV, and several generations of video game consoles. There were people here, too, although not as many. Just the occasional couple on a couch.

  Eyes forward. Not your place to judge.

  Hayes led me up one more level, into a narrow hallway lined on each side by narrow wooden doors.

  “Armory used to have barracks space up here,” he said. “I don’t think it was ever really used, but that’s how they built them back then. Now they’re our guest rooms. She’s probably in the one at the far end, because it’s the only one open.”

  He strolled down the hallway casually, as if we weren’t in a race to stop my cousin from getting pregnant. I forced myself to follow with measured footsteps, coming to a halt next to him in front of the last door. I heard moaning inside, and I closed my eyes, wishing I were at home in bed, where I belonged.

  “You sure you want to do this?” Hayes asked, and something softened in his hard eyes.

  I frowned at him. “Of course—what do you mean?”

  “We can just go downstairs, have a drink,” he said slowly. “Relax a little. Because if we go in there and drag her out, it’s not gonna change anything. If the kid’s determined to get herself in trouble, she’ll do it. You can’t stop her.”

  I clenched my teeth. Part of me whispered he was right—after all, it wasn’t like I’d been able to change Amber. My cousin hadn’t started out as the kind of person who’d shoot up heroin in front of her twelve-year-old daughter.

  But I wanted more for Jessica. Better.

  “Should I knock on the door or should you?” I asked him, determined. He shrugged, then rapped hard against the wood.

  “It’s Pic.”

  “Yeah?” a man shouted, his voice hoarse. I could imagine why, too.

  “You got a girl in there named Jessica?”

  I heard muffled voices, then another man spoke again.

  “She says no, but she looks guilty. Give us a sec.”

  We waited for what couldn’t have been more than a couple of minutes but felt like an eternity as I heard rumbles and thumps coming from the room.

  Two male voices. Then Jessica’s, raised in argument. Dear God, why did she do things like this?

  Hayes leaned back against the wall the whole time, crossing his big arms and studying me like a trapped mouse. Then the door opened, revealing a tall, dark-haired young man with rumpled hair. I looked past him to find a very plain room with an ancient, sagging bed. Jessica stood at the foot, her face full of fury. Behind her was another man, this one with short, spiky blond hair. He wasn’t wearing a shirt, just a pair of jeans loosely fastened, and he pulled on heavy leather boots with a look of profound annoyance.

  There were smears of lipstick on his chest, trailing down across his stomach.

  Holy hell.

  “You have no right to be here,” Jess hissed at me. My eyes flicked back to her. God, she looked awful. Ragged, torn tights, uber short skirt, and two tops layered in a way that somehow covered nothing while still giving the appearance of clothing. Her eyes were smudged with thick, dark black liner, her hair was tangled and wild, and the slash of red across her mouth matched the trail she’d left on the man behind her.

  “Jess, it’s time to go home,” I said, and suddenly I felt every minute of my thirty-eight years. The blond pulled on a shirt then brushed past her and out the door, practically growling in his frustration. Hayes stepped forward and slapped his back as they exchanged a look I couldn’t begin to read.

  “I hate you!” Jess snarled.

  “For fuck’s sake,” Hayes said, his voice annoyed. “Get your ass out here, you little shit. I don’t have time for this and neither does London.”

  “Screw you. I’m an adult. I can do whatever I want, and I want to stay here with Banks.”

  The young man holding the door—presumably Banks—gave an incredulous snort. Hayes didn’t do anything, but somehow the air changed. Darkened. Jessica had made a very serious mistake and suddenly I felt scared for her. I reached over, catching his arm without thinking, my fingers curling into his warm skin as I whispered, “Please …”

  Hayes glanced down at my hand, then caught my gaze, holding it captive.

  “You owe me,” he said. “Because that little bitch doesn’t talk to me like that, you got it? Never again.”

  He turned his attention back to Jess, whose face had started to reflect some concern. Maybe she was finally realizing this wasn’t a game?

  “You get your ass out here and apologize to your cousin,” Hayes said, his voice so quiet and low I felt it all the way down my spine. “Then go downstairs and get in her car. You’re gonna drive home and you’re never coming out here again. You do, I’ll teach you a lesson you won’t forget—and don’t think for a second that smiling and flashing your tits will make a difference. I’ve seen it all before. We clear?”

  Jessica nodded, eyes wide. She stepped out of the room, moving instinctively to stand behind me, as far from the Reapers’ president as she could get without making an obvious break for freedom.

  “I’m ready to leave now, Loni,” she said quietly.

  “Okay. Let’s get out of here.”

  I turned to leave, but Hayes’s voice cut like the slash of a whip.

  “Stop.”

  We turned back slowly. His stare flayed me, stripping through my defenses, and I realized he was much, much angrier with Jessica than I’d realized. Somewhere down in the depths of my brainstem the monkey screamed in fear, absolutely convinced a predator was about to eat us.

  “Banks will take her down,” he said. “You and I aren’t done.”

  The boy stepped out of the room quickly, pulling on his Reapers vest before catching Jessica’s arm and dragging her down the hallway. If you’d seen them from a distance, you’d almost believe they were a young couple holding hands … In reality, he was more like a guard escorting a prisoner.

 
“Thank you very much for helping me,” I told Hayes once they were gone, forcing myself to breathe steadily. Show no fear. “What did you want to talk about?”

  “I want you at my place on Monday at three,” he said.

  “We can work you into my schedule,” I said slowly. “But I don’t have my calendar with me. Can I get in touch with you tomorrow, when I’m not so tired?”

  Definitely the best idea. Maybe I’d even find a way out of this, because I knew darned well going to his house by myself wouldn’t be safe. Not after seeing him like this—if anything, the man was more dangerous than all the rumors combined. He smiled at me wolfishly.

  “No, I’ll see you at three on Monday. Bolt will give you the address. That’ll cover our original deal, but have you forgotten you owe me more now?”

  “Huh?” I asked blankly.

  “I just gave your girl a damned big pass,” he said slowly, taking a step toward me. I backed up warily. “But someone has to pay for what she did.”

  Hayes took another step forward, and I felt my back hit the wall. Not good. His face was cold, eyes full of ice. He towered over me, hands coming to rest on either side of my head.

  “What exactly do you mean by pay?” I whispered.

  “It’s my birthday,” he said slowly, his chest grazing the tips of my breasts. My nipples hardened without permission. “And instead of getting my dick sucked by a stripper, I just cock-blocked two of my brothers for you.”

  I felt myself starting to panic.

  “You did get …” I cleared my throat nervously. “You did have oral sex. I mean, if you want to be technical about it. You just didn’t finish.”

  “I’m aware.”

  His hips pushed down, demonstrating just how aware he was. I swallowed as I felt his hard length press my stomach. Heat rushed through me, twisting down between my legs, because no matter what else Reese Hayes might be, he was incredibly sexy. His mouth lowered toward mine, and then his nose brushed up and along the length of mine. I felt his warm breath whisper across my cheek. His lips hovered a fraction of an inch over mine and I closed my eyes.

  “Just a taste,” he whispered. I nodded. I couldn’t help myself.

  His mouth brushed mine as one of his hands slid into my hair, loosening the bandanna. His tongue traced the crack of my lips, wordlessly asking to come inside.

  Sighing, I let him.

  The kiss was surprisingly gentle in its intensity. His tongue reached deep, exploring in a game of hunt and chase that sent tendrils of desire all the way down to my toes and back up again. Without thinking, I pressed my breasts against his chest, startled and thrilled by just how good he felt around me. His hips moved in a slow, steady grind as he slipped a knee between mine. I felt a hand grip my rear and then he boosted me effortlessly, pinning me against the wall as my legs wrapped around him oh so naturally.

  Reality hit.

  Reese Hayes’s penis nestled right up against my opening, and as my body strained toward his I realized we were perilously close to the point of no return.

  I pictured Nate’s smiling face and forced myself to pull away from the kiss. Hayes released my mouth, holding my body firm, resting his forehead against mine and breathing heavily. I pushed my spine back into the wall, adrenaline surging, but there wasn’t anywhere to go. Not that the kiss had been violent or rough or even that passionate … I’d just never experienced anything quite like this man’s quiet intensity.

  And I’d never wanted anyone more than I wanted Reese Hayes in that moment.

  “I need to go,” I whispered. “Jessie is waiting for me.”

  “Stay.”

  “Can’t. She needs me. You’re a parent—you understand. I know you do.”

  “You can’t fix her,” he whispered into my ear, the heat of his mouth brushing against the lobe. “She’s a big kid and she has to make her own decisions. Sooner or later we have to let them grow up.”

  “Is that what you did with your girls?” I asked. He stilled, then shook his head with a low laugh.

  “Fuck no,” he admitted. “I tried everything I could to protect them and keep them safe. Didn’t do a damned bit of good in the end. Kit’s running wild, and Em’s shacked up with a bastard I’d give anything to put in the ground.”

  “Then you know why I have to leave now.”

  He lowered me slowly and we studied each other for long seconds, sharing a kind of understanding that I’d never have believed possible ten minutes earlier.

  “I’ll walk you to the car,” he said.

  “Thank you.”

  A strange mixture of awareness and tension followed as we walked down the stairs and passed through the club’s main lounge. Speculative gazes touched us, which I ignored.

  I could ignore the humming of my body, too—I’d accomplished my goal.

  Outside, a very subdued Jessica waited next to the van in the parking lot, Banks standing near enough to watch her but not close enough to talk comfortably. He looked bored but alert, clearly determined to follow his president’s orders.

  So much for young love.

  I unlocked the van with my key fob and Jess slid in as I reached for my own door. Hayes caught my shoulder, turning me toward him.

  “Three o’clock Monday afternoon.”

  “I’ll check my schedule.”

  “You do that,” he said with a slow, sly grin, because we both knew damned well I’d be there, on time and ready to work. I had a feeling he’d hunt me down if I didn’t. I opened the van door and climbed in, sliding the key into the ignition.

  Jess refused to look at me, which worked out well because I really didn’t feel like dealing with her. We’d made it halfway home before she broke the silence.

  “Mom would never embarrass me like that.”

  After all that, she was going to throw Amber at me? Something ugly inside me snapped.

  “Nope, she would’ve charged them to screw you because she never gives anything away for free.”

  Jessica gasped and I immediately felt horrible. It might be true, but I had no business tearing down Amber to her daughter. I knew better …

  “I’m sorry—”

  “Fuck you,” she said, her voice cold, dark, and so full of hate I flinched. “I want to go live with her. My real mother.”

  I slowed the van to pull over, because I’d messed up and I knew it. Jess turned away.

  “Just drive. I don’t want to talk. You’re not my mom and you’re not my boss. I’m an adult. Fuck you …” she repeated, but this time she didn’t sound strong. Nope. It was a pained whisper. My heart tore in half, because no matter how damaged Jess was, it wasn’t her fault. From the instant of conception she’d been bathed with chemicals in her mother’s toxic womb, and now she had to live with that the rest of her life.

  In the privacy of my mind, I allowed myself a second curse for the night.

  Fuck you, Amber.

  CHAPTER THREE

  MONDAY

  LONDON

  “Have to admit, I thought you might have a problem with this …” I said, running a finger around the rim of my water glass. We were supposed to have a date that night, but Nate had called earlier saying he’d been scheduled to work, so we’d met downtown for lunch instead.

  He stole one of my fries, and I smacked his hand playfully. I’d missed having a man around, as much as I hated to admit it. Looking at him across the table, I felt a wave of warmth, because being with him always made me happy. He was so strong and sexy in his deputy’s uniform … Like something out of a romance book. Nate even had the tousled hair and dimples to complete the package.

  The memory of Reese Hayes’s kiss flashed through my mind, and I flushed. I hadn’t told Nate about it. We weren’t officially exclusive … or at least we’d never discussed it.

  The implication was certainly clear, though.

  “I’m not thrilled,” he admitted. “Hayes is a criminal and we all know it—but he’s not under investigation for anything right now. I do question his
motives in asking you to come out personally.”

  Yeah, I wasn’t going to touch that …

  “Well, it should be interesting,” I said.

  “How’s Jess?”

  “Same as always, I guess. I’m trying to get her job hunting. She needs to be thinking about her future, and she says she doesn’t want to do any more school. It’s frustrating.”

  “Must be,” Nate said, his voice sympathetic but noncommital. He’d made it clear from the start that whatever went on between me and Jess was our business. Totally hands off, which I found alternately reassuring and frustrating, because I was in over my head. “You think it’s safe to leave the house for a night? I’d love to take you up to Sandpoint this weekend. There’s a beautiful B&B I think you’d like.”

  I flushed, because we both knew what he was really asking. Was I ready to spend the night with him? For some reason I’d been stalling, which was strange, given how sexually frustrated I was. I couldn’t think of a single good reason not to sleep with him … Might as well just do it, I decided. Rip off that bandage, get back in the saddle.

  Great. Now I was thinking in cliches.

  “I don’t think I can leave overnight,” I replied, offering him a smile. “I’m afraid she’d have a party and burn the place down or something. But that doesn’t mean we can’t take some time for ourselves.”

  His face brightened.

  “You sure?” he asked. Nate never pushed, which was one of the things I loved about him.

  “Yeah, I’m sure.”

  He reached across the table and caught my hand, pulling it up for a gentle kiss. I heard a little sigh and glanced over to find our waitress watching raptly.

  I leaned forward and whispered in his ear.

  “I think she’s waiting for you to propose,” I said, giggling.

  “Not this time,” he replied, turning his head just enough to allow his lips to graze my jawline.

  Did he just say what I thought he said?

  Oh, wow … I knew Nate wanted to get married again. He’d been divorced for three years and had been clear he was looking for a serious relationship. Still, seemed a little early to say something like that.