by Simone Elise
“Do you think I know Reaper enough to be with him?”
His eyes flashed up and locked with mine. He was silent for a while, thinking.
“He lives the life of the road; you’ll never really know the full him.” Dad put his phone down. “You’ll only know as much as he let you.”
“I’ve seen his soft side, his hard side, but what if there is another side to him that... that I can’t love?”
He huffed and straightened himself up on the bed. “I don’t want you loving any man, BUT Reaper is a straight cut man. He breathes the club, loves nothing, and leaves no weaknesses. So he bloody well must love you to let you be a weakness.”
“Great, I’m a weakness.”
“Or a strength.” Dad’s eyes zoned in on mine, and I saw a torn expression. “You be the pillar. The home he comes back to. That shit keeps a man sane. That’s what I lost when I lost your mother. But what I gained when you girls came and lived with me.”
I suppressed my smile. “So you do love us hanging around, old man?”
He grunted, and I knew that was Dad’s way of saying yes.
***
I was exhausted, hungry, and worn the fuck out.
Of course, that didn’t mean everyone else was. The club was in full swing of a welcome home party for Dad, and it was loud, so loud.
The drinks were flowing, the music was pounding, and the laughter was deafening.
Dad was on a bar stool, enjoying every minute of it.
Kim was under Trigger’s arm, and they were keeping to the shadows, whispering and stealing kisses.
I hadn’t seen Reaper once.
I wasn’t even sure if he was here.
Kim and I had brought Dad home to this massive party, and not once had I seen my boyfriend’s face.
I finished the remainder of my beer and sighed while sitting at the end of the bar, watching the party unfold. Just couldn’t find myself wanting to be a part of it.
I glanced at my watch, and it was after midnight. I was starving, and the food here wasn’t doing anything for me.
I pulled the van's keys out of my pocket. I was craving a hamburger from the hamburger cart.
Well, it wasn’t like I was going to be missed if I was to leave. So I quickly weaved in and out of the crowd and made a beeline for the van once I hit the lot.
I was nearly at the van when I did a double take. Spinning back around, my eyes landed on a familiar bike.
Only one bike I knew had a detailed Reaper painted on it.
If his bike was here, where the hell was he!
My stomach curled as my mind was flooded with possibilities, all which were bad.
What if he was in there cheating on me?
What if he was in there bashing the skull of a man in?
What if he wasn’t in there at all and was off with another woman?
I pulled my phone out and dialed his number. If he knew what was good for him, he would answer the fucking phone.
But he didn’t.
I was torn between tearing the clubhouse apart looking for him and going to go get a hamburger.
“You look confused.”
I closed my eyes and slowly turned around. All my worries eased.
“I didn’t know where you were.” I opened my eyes looking at Kade.
“Been in the garage.” He titled his head to the side, “Where did you think I was?”
“Trust me; you don’t want to know.” I shrugged my hoodie on and did the zip up.
“Where were you going?”
“Hamburger cart.”
“Want me to drive?”
“First, tell me what you were doing in the garage?” Something was eating at me like he was keeping a secret from me.
“On the phone with Jackson, finishing some shit up. Couldn’t hear fuck inside and people kept coming out to fucking talk to me out here.”
“Why didn’t you come and see me when we got back?”
“What is this? Twenty fucking questions?” Kade snapped at me. “Look, if you’ve got something to say Abby, just fucking tell me.”
“Were you cheating on me?” I crossed my arms, faking confidence. “You said yourself you didn’t do relationships.”
He closed the gap between us and lightly took my hand out of my pocket.
“Trust me, woman; I wasn’t cheating. Who the fuck would I want other than you?” He dipped his head and met my eyes. “You’re you, for fuck’s sake. You seen yourself?”
I smiled lightly. “Is that your way of saying I’m good looking?”
“You know you’re good looking, and you’re all fucking mine. Now give me the keys. Going to get my girl a hamburger.”
Smirking, I handed the keys over. “You’re kind of sweet when you want to be, Kade.”
“Don’t call me sweet.” He wrinkled his nose up at it, and I laughed, following him to the van.
I was wrong. I didn’t need to know if I could love every side of him. I already did.
Chapter 69
Abby
We all make mistakes we can’t come back from. There was an unspoken rule that bound each man to the club. Some would call it a duty. I would call it blind faith in something that was only ever going to offer them a short life and a bloody death.
Still.
I understood it.
Could understand it.
Till today.
Today my faith in this club and what it really stood for was shaken.
Earlier in the day
I rolled over in Reaper’s arms, feeling safe and at home. There was nothing like waking up in his arms every morning. His strong, tattooed arms that held me out of love and protection. I lifted my head from his chest and glanced at his sleeping face.
It was like he was a part of me and without him, something was missing. My stomach couldn’t settle; my blood pumped with nerves. Only in his arms did I feel safe and this feeling left.
He breathed heavy but remained sleeping. I traced a finger down his tattooed chest. The ink only helped define each strong muscle.
If I had to describe Reaper in one word, it would be strong.
Nothing shook him, scared him.
I hooked a leg over him and slowly pulled myself out of his arms and straddled him.
His eyes slowly opened. “Now I could wake up to that every morning.” He smirked.
I grinned foolishly down at him, wearing only one of his overly large tee shirts.
“I missed you.” I leaned down and quickly kissed his lips.
“I’ve been sleeping beside you all night.” He arched his eyebrows at me as if I was mad.
“Like I said, I missed you.” Our hands interlocked, and his arms flexed as he took my weight, and I leaned down to kiss him.
“You’re a strange woman at times, Abby.”
“You wouldn’t have it any other way.”
“True.” He kissed my forehead.
At this moment, everything was perfect. He, I, we were perfect. Happy and content. I didn’t want to face the day. I didn’t want to leave this bed.
Just as I thought it, his phone buzzed on the bedside table.
“Don’t get it.” I pleaded, not wanting our moment to be over just yet.
He cocked his head to the side. “Could be important, babe.”
“Could also ruin our morning.”
He scoffed and reached for it anyway, letting go of my hand. Sighing, I dropped off him and lay at his side.
“Roach,” Reaper answered the phone, and I automatically rolled my eyes. Of course it would be my father ruining our moment.
He hadn’t really taken to Reaper and I being in a relationship that well. He ignored it. Like you ignore a fly buzzing around. He treated us like that.
“I’ll be there in ten.” Reaper hung up.
“What was that about?” I asked, already expecting a ‘nothing or don’t worry about it babe’ response.
“Your old man wants a word.” He ruffled my hair as he got up. “Stop looking so s
tressed; frowns don’t suit you, babe.”
“Ever get that feeling where you just know something bad is going to happen?”
“No.”
“Well, I’ve got that feeling.” I slipped out of bed and searched for my clothes. “Just promise me today you will be extra careful.”
He shook his head as if I was a mad woman. “Fine hun, I promise I’ll be extra careful.”
I tightened up my jeans and took off his top, tossing it to the bed and threading my arms through my bra.
“I mean it, Kade. I have this…”
“I know, bad feeling.” He cut me off and strolled around the bed, doing his pants up. “Stop stressing over nothing. Fuck Abby, the day has only just started.”
“And I wish it was over,” I muttered while picking up my top. “Did Dad say what he wanted?”
“Something about a job.”
I arched an eyebrow. “Well, that doesn’t sound dangerous at all.”
He rolled his eyes, picking up his keys and wallet. “Promise ya, nothing will happen.”
Still, my stomach rolled with warning, and my nerves were raw with a knowing of an unseeable threat coming.
I nodded my head. I couldn’t ask any more from him.
“You coming out with me or staying in here?” He asked with a hand on the doorknob.
“Coming.” Like hell I was staying here to worry.
“Righteo, let’s go then.” He held the door open for me and slapped my butt as I walked through.
“Perv,” I threw over my shoulder, only to catch his smirk.
God, he was relaxed today, while I was a bundle of nerves.
“Finally, you’re up.” Kim greeted us as we came down the stairs.
“Didn’t realize you were waiting for me.” I eyed her. What did she want?
“Can I steal your woman for a bit, Reaper?” Kim batted her eyelashes at him.
“She’s all yours.”
I glared up at Kade for a moment, “Stay safe,” I grumbled at him.
“Yeah yeah, enough with the lovey dovey shit, let’s go.” Kim linked her arm through mine and dragged me off in the opposite direction.
“Want to explain the dragging, Kim?”
I snuck a glance over my shoulder, watching Kade walk into Dad’s office and close the door.
“Can’t say yet.” She pulled her car keys out, and her eyes told me all I needed to know.
She was up to something, and I was about to get involved whether I wanted to or not.
“Let’s go for a drive, sis.” She held the door open for me, and I sighed.
Well, at least this would distract me from my bad feeling; at the very least I could count on Kim to do that.
***
“You have to be fucking with me.” I stared at her blankly, unable to believe what she was saying.
“It’s a fucking good idea.” She crossed her arms stubbornly. “Admit it.”
“I’m not admitting to anything because you’re fucking crazy. As if the club is going to let us do that!”
“We need to earn our own, and we can’t do that if we are restricted by the club.”
“So going off and forming our own gang is the solution?” I looked at her, gobsmacked.
“It won’t be a gang. We are simply stepping in and taking charge.”
“In charge of criminals!”
“We are surrounded by them every day. What’s the difference?”
“The difference is, we aren’t leading them. We aren’t pulling jobs, for that matter, we aren’t organizing jobs! Kim, you’re crazy if you think we could even pull this off.”
“The Hellbound need someone to step up. I was talking to Amber about it while she was in town. Blake is still serving time, and we would have her backup.”
“So this is what you two were whispering about. Please tell me she said you were crazy. Dad would lose his shit.”
“Dad wants us under his thumb, controlling everything we do. He doesn’t think we have it in us to step up and take charge, and he’s wrong. It is in our blood.”
I sighed and pulled the coffee closer to me. “Dad won’t allow us to do this. The Hellbound are viewed as scum in his eyes.”
“That’s what they are at the moment. But think of what we could do with all those men and women. We could pull real jobs.” She leaned in, “Bank jobs, security runs, the lot. All they need is someone telling them how to do it.”
“And what makes you think we would have any idea how to handle that crap? Last time I checked, all we do is pour beers and clean up bikers’ spew. We aren’t the criminals.”
“But we could be.” She really believed this could happen. “I can’t do it without you. Heck, I won’t do it without you.”
“Why? What have I got to offer you?”
“You have a fire inside you that is uncontrollable. When someone pisses you off, you turn into a machine. I need that fire on my side.”
“I’m not ruthless.”
“You can be.”
“When I don’t have a choice and am pushed to it!”
“Will you just think about it?” Her eyes pleaded with me. “Please.”
It was madness. Complete and utter madness.
“I’ll think about it.” But that was all that was going to happen. Thinking. Like hell I would ever act and become a ruthless leader of the Hellbound. I was surprised Amber thought we had it in us.
“That’s all I ask.” She leaned back in the booth, seeming pleased with herself. “No rush on the answer.”
I scoffed but kept the words to myself.
The answer was no. Never going to happen, but if she wanted to wait a few days to hear it, fine.
***
Reaper
There are times when you think life is going great. Then it pulls out a sharp knife and stabs you in the motherfucking back.
Roach butted out his cigarette. His eyes judged me coldly. But that wasn’t why he dragged me in here. That wasn’t why he pretended to call me in here about a job.
He wasn’t shoving these jobs down my throat out of fucking love for the club.
“You want me on the road?” I spoke with a harshness in my tone “Why?”
“You’re the Reaper, and I need you fucking reaping. You don’t get paid to sit here.”
I leaned forward on the seat, “Don’t fucking bullshit me. I know why you are doing this, so fucking spit it out.”
“You think I was gonna sit back and watch my daughter be your only weakness and a walking fucking target for your enemies?”
He was taking her away from me.
No.
He was sending me away from her.
“So what, you planning on taking the VP patch with it cause it looks fucking weird to have your Vice President on the fucking road cleaning up the scum?”
“Having the Reaper as my Vice President has made this club stronger. So no. I’m not taking the patch. You simply are going back to doing what the fuck you’re meant to be doing. Which isn’t fucking my daughter and putting her in harm's way.”
“I wouldn’t ever let anything happen to Abby.”
“If you really meant that, you wouldn’t be fucking her.”
I had once convinced myself that I was protecting her by staying away from her. Then I fell hard for her, and nothing could keep me from her.
Not even the fear of Roach.
Blind, numbing rage crept through me, “This is bullshit.”
“No, this is, you do as I fucking say.” He smugly stood up and glared across at me. “My girls were off limits. You crossed the fucking line, boy, and now you’ll pay.”
I stood up, challenging him. “You can order me off, but that won’t change a fucking thing between me and your daughter.”
“Distance does a fuck load. Remember your place, boy.”
“Maybe you should remember I’m the fucking REAPER. ME. I’m the one men are scared of. I’M THE FUCKING ONE THAT TAKES AND CHOOSES.”
“You’re not a Pres
ident or a fucking nomad now. You do as I fucking say. ME!” He roared back at me, gripping the table. “I say you are cutting the fucking list; you’re cutting the list.”
“You know Roach, there is nothing more dangerous than a man with nothing to lose.” It wasn’t an empty threat. If he wanted to have a fucking showdown, then I’d give him a fucking showdown.
“I won’t forget this.” I threw my arm across his table, wiping it of its contents. “This is fucking BULLSHIT!” I roared on my way out, slamming his door behind me.
If I were still President, this wouldn’t be fucking happening.
If I hadn’t walked from my charter.
If I hadn’t gone fucking soft.
Then this wouldn’t be happening.
I had no choice. I was up against a fucking hard wall, and I had no fucking choice. He had the power, and I was fucking powerless. He could send me away, and I had no fucking choice.
It came with my name, who I was. The Reaper.
The list needed cutting, and now I had been called to do my duty. That meant time on the road. That meant time away from Abby.
Who was I fucking kidding? Abby and I were over.
The Reaper didn’t come back laughing and fucking loving. I came back harder than I left. I come back a bit more soulless. I come back more Reaper than Kade.
Abby
Walking into Reaper’s room, I closed the door softly behind me. I could hear him in the wardrobe.
“You were right.” I tossed my leather jacket on the bed. “There was nothing to worry about. Unless you count what Kim told me. Seriously, you won’t believe what she told me.”
He walked out of the wardrobe, and immediately I knew something was wrong. Ice slowly melted through my body as I stared at him.
“What happened?”
He grunted and dropped the packed black bag on the bed. “Your old man happened.”
“What’s that supposed to mean? Did he threaten you?”
“Abby,” His voice was thick with emotion, and he pulled me across the room, sitting me on the bed. “I can’t be with you anymore.”
He didn’t just say that.
No.
No, he couldn’t have just said that.
“What did you say? Because if you’re fucking breaking up with me, you can forget it.” I wasn’t letting him. We had come so far.