by Simone Elise
I looked at Reaper, seeing a completely different side to him. Was this the side Abby fell in love with?
“Thanks.” I took in his tattooed hand and fingers. I noticed his knuckles were red and bleeding. Everything about him would scare a sane woman away, but not Abby. “Any luck this morning?” My stomach tightened when I remembered seeing the pictures. Dad had attempted to hide them from me.
“More addresses.”
“Do I want to know what you had to do to get those addresses?”
A smirk spread across his face. “No.”
I had a strong feeling that those addresses were the result of his bloody knuckles.
He sat up in his seat and turned to me. “Can I ask you something?” His voice was strong like always. When he said something, he got attention. His voice could bring a room full of chaos to order.
“Shoot.” I started rocking the stroller back and forth.
“What’s your old man up to?”
I rolled my eyes at that. “You don’t want to know.”
“Come on. You’re the only one that has any insight into that old man. And fuck if I know what he is up to.”
“You mean dumping the club on you?”
“That and he isn’t telling me what he is up to,” Reaper sighed, frustrated.
I chewed my bottom lip. Why did it feel like I was betraying Dad if I told Reaper what he was up to? At the same time, Reaper was the mother charter president. If something was happening, he was meant to know.
“He is following up old connections,” I finally spat out. “And he has gone off his medication because he thinks it makes his mind cloudy. And right now he needs to be switched on.”
“Abby would kill him. What old connections?”
“Old members.”
“Why wouldn’t he just tell me that?”
“Because these members didn’t exactly leave on their terms. Dad forced them out because they were playing both sides. He doesn’t like bringing it up because he lost half the charter to it when I was younger. Abby and I always refer to it as the dark days. One day, Dad had a full charter. The next, half were given the boot. Didn’t help either that Dad left each one with a bullet wound.”
“So he is leaning on ex-members for information? When he personally shot each one of them for betraying the club?”
“Well, he didn’t kill one of them. Just wounded them.”
Reaper shook his head. “Twisted old man.”
“I won’t be surprised if he goes wild for a while.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“Disappears. He isn’t a president anymore. No one’s relying on him. He will do anything to find Abby. So if he disappears, don’t be surprised.” If there was one thing I knew, it was my dad. I knew him nearly as well as I knew my twin.
“Tyson Wilson.”
Both our heads snapped in the direction of the doctor. Finally.
***
I didn’t know why was I so nervous. But I was. The doctor went over Tyson. It was killing me not knowing if anything was wrong. I was moving my weight from side to side nervously.
Apart from the odd question, the doctor had remained quiet.
I waited patiently.
But it had been twenty minutes and she still showed no sign of telling me if he was OK or not.
I must have been making Reaper nervous because he put a hand on my shoulder, making me stay still.
For some reason, it calmed me, making me stand in one spot.
“OK.” The doctor finished doing Tyson’s Blooed Glucose Level. And then she smiled at me. “He is doing perfectly. He is one healthy little boy.”
I let out a long slow breath, calming down. He was OK. Healthy little boy. I hadn’t failed yet. The doctor was putting Tyson back into his jumpsuit when she looked at me.
“How are you, Mrs. Wilson?”
Whiplash. That was what it felt like. As if a whip had just gone straight across my face, whipping my heart and emotions.
I opened my mouth and it went dry. And then I tried to speak again. “I’m not Mrs. Wilson.”
She frowned. “But I helped deliver Tyson. I remember you two clearly. You look–”
“I’m her twin,” I cut her off. If this was hurting me, only god knew what Reaper was feeling.
“So how is Abby, then? Why didn’t she come to the appointment? This appointment was a checkup for her as well.” The doctor didn’t hide her disapproval.
“She couldn’t make it,” Reaper snapped rudely. “Can we go now?”
“Yes.” The doctor picked up the clipboard. “I don’t usually do this, but does Abby need a refill on the pain reliever?”
Again, another whip across my body. The answer was yes. She most likely did need pain relief. But how do you explain that she has been kidnapped?
“She is fine,” I lied and picked Tyson up. I had him in the stroller in a blink of an eye and was ready to leave.
“Make sure to make an appointment for a month from now. The girls at reception will help you. Also, tell Abby if she needs anything, just to come in.”
I nodded my head and Reaper held the door open for Tyson and me.
I made the appointment at the desk, got a card with a reminder on it and left. Reaper and I walked through the parking lot.
“Where did you park?” Reaper asked.
“Um, just there.” I pointed to my car.
Reaper looked at it with disapproval. “We need to update your car.”
“I love my car.”
“If you are driving Tyson around, you need an update.” Reaper leaned against the car as I popped the trunk. “I’ll organize it.”
“I feel insulted you don’t like my car.” I picked Tyson up and out of the stroller. Reaper folded the stroller up and put it in the trunk.
Closing the trunk, he looked at me. “Just accept the upgrade, Kim.”
I pursed my lips. Well, if I was getting a new car, I wanted a say. I doubted he would let me pick what car I got, but maybe I could push to pick the color. “Can I pick the color?”
He rolled his eyes. “You sound like your sister.”
“Did she get to pick the color of her car?”
“No. She didn’t.”
“But you knew she liked black.”
He sighed, running a hand through his hair. “Fine, what color?”
I grinned. “Red. And it better not be a tank like Abby’s. Fucked if I’ll be able to park a thing like that.” I pointed a finger at him.
He took Tyson from me and strapped him in. “I’ll make sure you have it by the end of the day.” Reaper closed the door.
“That’s quick.” It was after one and I knew Reaper had more important things than car shopping to do.
“It’s just a phone call. Make sure you are around the club to sign for it.”
“Reaper?”
“Yep.”
“Did you get a solid lead on Abby today?”
I watched his expression drop. The muscles in his face tightened. He pulled his sunglasses down from his head and shielded his eyes.
“I have more than what I had this morning.”
I nodded my head and that tight knot in my stomach twisted. Whenever I thought about Abby, that feeling suffocated me. The knot got tighter. And, as more time passed, it was getting more painful.
“I’ll see you when I see you.” I walked around my car.
“If you have any problems, call me.” Reaper headed back toward the hospital to where his bike was parked.
I got in the car and put the key in the ignition. I wondered what Abby was doing right now. I wondered if she was OK. But most of all I wondered if she was still alive. The note said he was going to kill her. Slowly.
We just had to bet on Reaper finding him before he followed through on it
Chapter 3
Roach
I had put my life into the club. I had put that club before my family. I pu
t it before my wife. I was too busy with club business to watch her take her final breaths. I had lived for my club. I would have died for it. But now, now I was seeing things clearly and realizing that the club really was the second thing in my life. What came first was my blood family. My daughters. They held my heart. I lived for them. All this time, I had treated them second to the club. I had struggled to put them first. I had struggled to bring them up while handling the largest charter in the country.
And now? Now, half of my heart was missing. Her room was empty. Her son cried for her. I cried for her. Those pictures were smashing the sense out of me. So, was I desperate? Yes. Was I willing to do anything? Yes. Which had me here, at a bar, on the seedy side of town.
He drank here every Tuesday, as far as I knew. I doubted his habits had changed. I pushed the door open and scanned the booths. I spotted his gray hair and wild beard. We had history and it wasn’t good. But I knew he had connections with Jake. I also knew he used to gamble with him.
So, if there was one person who knew where Jake was holed up, it was Billy, my first vice president, and ex-member. I had personally shot him in the leg, causing him to have a limp.
That was back when I saw things as black and white. You either stood with us or against, not on both sides.
“Billy.” I came to a stop at his booth.
He was smoking a cigar and drinking before midday. Some people don’t change. Though I had been taken to the bottle early lately. But I doubted Billy had a reason like mine. I doubted his daughter was missing.
Shelly was the same age as Abby and Kim. It was one of the things that brought Billy and me closer. Having daughters the same age. Both being single parents, we were close. Which made it even harder when he betrayed the club. Turning his back not just on the club, but on me too.
He looked up from his beer, his eyes widening. He took the cigar from his mouth. “Roach.”
I sat down on the other side of the booth. So here I was, about to ask the last man who would want to help me for help.
“What do you want?” Billy was straight to it. He ran a hand down his long gray beard.
“You still in contact with Jake Frankston?”
He chuckled darkly. His beady little eyes flashed to my vest. “You’re missing a patch, brother.”
“I’m not your brother.”
“No. You made that clear when you shot me.”
“I told you then. I’ll tell you now. You betrayed my trust. I don’t forgive that.”
“But I see that president patch you were so fond of is gone. Finally found your match, have you?”
“Passed the club on to good hands.”
“You must think a lot of him to pass your club on to him.”
“He’s my son-in-law.”
“Ah, yes. The Reaper.” Billy nodded his head. “Heard dark stories about that one. Didn’t think a serial killer would be the one you finally gave the club up to.”
“Men will respect him or fear him. Either way, they will follow him.”
Billy took a few gulps of his beer. “Just because he scares the shit out of people doesn’t give them a reason to respect him.”
“No, but what he’s done for this club to earn him that reputation HAS earned their respect.”
Billy put his hand up for the bartender to refill his beer. “You thought it through, like everything. But I doubt you came here to get my approval.” His beady eyes were on me. “What do you want, Roach?”
“My daughter was kidnapped.”
“Heard about that.”
“Jake Frankston is behind it. You know where he is. I know that. So, I’m here asking nicely for you to tell me. Otherwise, I’ll tell Reaper and you can deal with him. And you know he isn’t scared of torture.”
He laughed dryly and the bartender replaced his glass with a fresh one. “Reaper enjoys killing, doesn’t he?”
“If you mean he isn’t afraid of it, then yes. His hands get bloody. And I’m telling you now, he is on a manhunt for answers. So if he even just thinks you know, he will come for you.”
“But if I tell you, you will what? Not tell him I was involved?” Billy’s fingers ran around the edge of the glass.
“Just tell me where the prick is keeping my daughter.”
His expression had been masked the whole way through the conversation. Until now. Now a smirk was on his face. “Remember when I came to you when Shelly got raped?”
I knew this was going to come back and bite me. I nodded my head swiftly.
“And what did you say?”
He was really going to force me to say it again? Fine. “It wasn’t a brotherhood problem.” I remembered that day crystal fucking clear. I was under a lot of pressure. It was only six months after he left the club. Well, after I forced him out of the club.
“Well, I have an answer for you, Roach. It’s not my fucking problem. And your threat of the Reaper coming for me doesn’t scare me. He would have to cut off all my limbs before I helped you.”
He knew. He fucking knew where she was. “God help you, Billy. Once I get through with this, I’m coming for you.”
“Well, Roach, when I see your daughter, which I will, I’ll make sure to pass on a hello from you.”
Grinding my teeth, I didn’t even think about it. I launched across the table at him. His beer went everywhere. He didn’t fight back. He just laughed, a sick, filthy laugh.
“NO FIGHTING IN THE BAR!” The bartender pointed a shotgun at us, making me let go of the bastard.
“This isn’t over.”
“I’ll wait for your son-in-law. Because we all know you don’t have the balls to get your hands dirty, Roach.” Billy sat up, a big smile on his face. He was getting pleasure from this.
How could I ever have been friends with this man? Let alone think he was my brother? I gave him one more look before I walked off, leaving behind the only bastard I knew who had answers. I could tell Reaper. Reaper wouldn’t think twice about torturing him to get the information. But I knew Billy. He would hold out. He wouldn’t care if he lost his life. He would rather die than help me.
I mounted my bike. Abby was alive and if Billy had seen her, that meant others would have seen her too. Who else did I know who was connected to that side? Suddenly the list of men’s names appeared in my head. All had one thing in common. They hated me. Hated the brotherhood.
Their reaction would be like Billy’s. But fuck it, I would try them anyway.
***
Kim
I lit up a smoke. Tyson was in his stroller. I took it in. Well, it was red. But he hadn’t listened when I said I wanted a small car. Did he do this on purpose? It was a four-wheel drive and there was no way I was going to be able to park it.
“Nice car.”
I turned to see Trigger. God, why wasn’t he out with the rest of them? No, God wanted to torture me and keep him around.
“Thanks.” I looked back at the car, taking my eyes off the guy I was obsessed with, whom I’d loved since I was sixteen. Who also had no interest in me, unless it was for sex. And now that he was getting that somewhere else, he didn’t need me.
“You won’t be able to park it.” I could hear the smirk in his voice.
“I will too.” I knew I couldn’t. I was going to be taking multiple attempts at parking it. I was going to look like a fool, one of those fuckers who couldn’t park their car.
“Did Reaper buy it for you?”
There was something in his voice that made me turn around and look at him. What was the look on his face? Staring at him was like a punch to the stomach and a pull on the heart at the same time. His blonde hair was messed up. He had a five o’clock shadow along his jaw line. He was wearing a tank top, showing off the ink that ran up his arms. Out of all the men in the club, Trigger had the least amount of ink. But he made up for it with muscles. He didn’t need the ink to scare people away. Just one look at him and you knew he was trouble. I knew he was tro
uble. Yet here I was, still obsessed with him.
“Yeah, he did,” I said, then sucked on my cigarette.
“You two are getting awfully close.” Trigger’s words had another meaning behind them and that pissed me off.
“What are you trying to say? That I’m hitting on my sister’s husband?” I fired at him. Did he really think I was that desperate? I could have any man I wanted. Why the hell would I go after one that was not only taken, but taken by my sister?
“You are spending time in his room. Looking after his kid. Now he is buying you fucking expensive cars.”
“Car,” I corrected him.
He crossed his arms and I knew now what the look on his face was. It was jealousy. “I’m just saying what everyone is thinking.”
“Well, clearly everyone here is as stupid as you.”
He scoffed. “Come on, Kim. You and him are getting close.”
“What does it matter?” I threw my cigarette on the ground and stomped on it with a bit more force than needed.
“You said you were over men. Clearly you were just waiting for a certain one to become available.”
I laughed and shook my head. “Yeah, that is exactly what it is. I waited till my sister was kidnapped to make a move on her husband.”
“You said it, not me.”
“God, you’re frustrating.”
“And you’re stupid.”
“Why don’t you just go back to screwing whores? It’s the only thing you are any good at.”
“Thanks for the compliment, Kim.” He smirked at me. He was getting under my skin and he was enjoying it.
“Fuck off.”
I grabbed the stroller and pushed it toward the new car.
“I bet you can’t even get that thing out of the lot.”
I gritted my teeth and ignored him.
“What, no smart comeback?”
“Fuck off, Trigger.”
I opened the back door to the car, expecting to have to go get the car seat out of my old car. But there was a brand new one already strapped in. Reaper really did think of everything.