Chapter Seven
Reaper
Reaper was going to kill him. He was going to rip his head off. Friend or not, he could not believe Sledge had said that to Amber. What the hell was he thinking, Reaper wondered. He pulled out his cellphone as he walked Amber to his truck.
“Really asshole, you told your sister that I liked her? Are we in kindergarten fucker?” Reaper sent the text.
Seconds later, Reaper’s phone dinged indicating a text message. Looking at the screen, he saw several laughing emojis from Sledge.
“You’re welcome! But all bullshit aside, if I trusted anyone with my baby sister - it would be you, bro” Sledge sent back. Reaper just shook his head.
“This is your truck?” Amber asked pulling him out of his own head.
“Yes,” Reaper said opening the passenger door.
“Nice! It fits your personality,” she replied.
“Really?” Reaper asked with a chuckle. “How so?”
Amber looked at the jacked up Ford, black on black. “Dark and big,” she said. “But I have to wonder, are you overcompensating for something?”
Reaper let out a bark of laughter as he helped her climb in and walked to the driver side and slid in behind the wheel.
“I am a lot more than a big, dark personality; I can promise you that Peaches,” he replied, “And trust me, I have no need to overcompensate for anything. My cock is just as big as my truck.”
“Hmmm...I guess that has yet to be determined Zander, so I’ll have to take your word for it,” she said with a smile. But she blushed when her eyes met his and he was wearing that panty melting smile and gave her another wink.
He actually did like her, he thought to himself. She was beautiful, ballsy, and quick on her toes. Yeah, he liked her a lot, but relationships weren’t his thing, not after Rebecca. He lived and learned, and had no intention of going through that mess again. The first time nearly destroyed him. Reaper vowed to never allow another woman to have that much control or influence on him again.
Would Amber be any different? Could he ever trust her with his heart? he wondered, but shut the thought down before he could even considerate more. No relationship, he told himself.
He tried that once and his heart got ripped to pieces and then thrown back in his face. Rebecca...that was enough to turn his mood sour, but he wouldn’t give that bitch the power today. Not today Satan, he told himself.
“Listen, I am sorry about last night,” he said, trying to change the direction of his thoughts. “I was an ass. My life before the club, my life in the military, that is, was kind of rough. There are things I will never be able to tell you. Things that happened that have molded me into the man I am today,” Reaper said as he started the truck and pulled out of the compound.
Silence filled the cab. This is not how he wanted the day to go. “Just give me time, I’ll try to talk about it, but just not today.” Reaper said. “Maybe once we are better friends. I am not the type of guy who talks about his feelings.”
“Oh, I can tell. Closed up like Fort Knox.”
“No, I just don’t trust women,” Reaper stated flatly.
“Okay. I can understand and respect that. We all have a past. Things we aren’t proud of and would rather not discuss. You really don’t owe me anything Zander,” Amber replied.
“I know. But...I don’t know. From the moment I saw you, you felt different. Like someone I would like to get to know; and if I want that, then I also have to give a little, right?” he asked.
“Right. To be honest, I feel the same way and that scares me. I feel like my instincts are broken. Like I’m broken.”
“Amber, you are not broken. You dated an asshole. So did half the American population at some point. Don’t let that reflect how you feel about yourself. Okay?”
“It’s more than just Joe. It seems every man I have trusted, excluding Devin, has turned out to be the scum of the earth. But, alright,” she sighed. “Give and take. We can do this. After all, that’s how friendships work, right?”
“Right,” Reaper said, but for some reason, hearing the word ‘friendship’ coming from Amber’s lips made his insides cringe. This woman was going to be the death of him. In less than twenty-four hours, she had his head more messed up than a downtown Dallas construction zone.
Deciding to save the mind fucking for later, the rest of the trip to Amber’s place was filled with stories of Amber and Sledge as kids and the crazy shit they did. Reaper was loving the blackmail he was getting on his buddy, that alone was a great bonus. Not to mention, it was great to hear her laugh, that alone made all the uncomfortableness between them well worth it.
Her bright blue eye sparkled with amusement. It was amazing how striking they were against her cream colored complexion and the contrast to her fire red hair. Reaper knew, he could stare at her for hours.
He did his best to open up. He told her about his childhood and the tricks he and his brothers used to play on their parents. He tried to let her in as much as he could. He could talk about this shit, he thought to himself. This he could do.
“One time, I was probably around five, so my brothers were three and two; our mom was in the shower, but we all wanted peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. She told us to wait, but being impatient kids, that didn’t happen,” he laughed. “So, I remember I picked up the phone and dialed 911. I told the lady we were hungry and mom was in the bathroom. Next thing I know, there was a knock on the door and a police officer was there. He asked a few questions, and then came in and made us sandwiches. My mom walked out of the bathroom, in nothing but a towel. She freaked the fuck out,” Reaper told her the story, smiling at the memory. “There we were, sitting on the front steps of our ratty two-bedroom trailer in East Texas, eating PB&J, with a cop. I’ll never forget the look on my mom’s face,” he laughed.
“Where was your dad?” she asked.
“He worked oilfield and was gone most of the time. So mainly, it was just mom and us kids.”
“That must have been rough on her,” Amber commented.
“I’m sure, but she never let it show. My mom was, and still is, a force all of her own. That woman would carry the weight of the world on her shoulders, if it meant her family would be happy,” Reaper replied.
“She sounds like an awesome woman.”
“She is,” Reaper smiled. “I never realized exactly how much she sacrificed for us, until I was older.”
“What do you mean?” Amber asked.
“Sleepless nights, practically raising three kids alone, working endless hours just to keep us clothed and fed. We didn’t have a lot growing up and I hated that back then. I wanted all the cool stuff the other kids had, even as a teenager. She couldn’t always afford it, but she got it anyway. Looking back, I can see how much of a jerk I was,” Reaper explained.
“At the same time, you can look at it as, she did what she needed to do to make you happy,” Amber told him.
“Maybe,” he shrugged. “Last year, I took her on her first real vacation. We went to the Bahamas. I had huge plans for us. Things to do. Places to see. But my mother had other ideas,” he laughed. “She sat on the beach all day, for the first three days, drinking these fruity drinks with an umbrella in them. Said she always dreamed of doing that, and since it was her first chance to do it, she wasn’t going to mess it up.”
“Hell, I don’t blame her,” Amber laughed.
“You remind me of her in ways,” Reaper said. “Tough and doesn’t take any shit. It’s a good combination.”
“Thanks.” Amber smiled.
The drive to Amber’s apartment took a little over an hour. She and Reaper exchanged more stories, about themselves and their siblings. The easy banter continued. The tension and uncomfortableness, all forgotten. They were both still laughing as she unlocked the door and walked inside. But the moment she did, all laughter stopped.
“Holy shit,” Amber whispered in total shock.
Reaper looked around the living room, the place was trashed. Furniture was scattered here and there, walls were spray painted with gang graffiti and the words ‘we coming for you’ were painted on the wall directly across from the door.
“Illiterate much?” Amber quipped.
“Don’t!” Reaper scolded. “Don’t make jokes about this.”
“Well,” she said, “It’s either that or cry. I’ll take the jokes.”
He worked hard to control his temper. What the fuck? he thought. He would never understand the need some people had to destroy another person. Looking at Amber, he could see the tension was building again, this time for a different reason. Walking to her, Reaper wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into his chest. He dropped a kiss to the top of her head.
“Stop looking. There’s nothing we can do now. Let’s go to your bedroom and get some clothes.” He hated seeing her look so distraught.
“This way.” Amber pulled away and walked down the hallway. Opening the door to her bedroom showed the same results.
“Fuck me running!” she exclaimed. Reaper watched Amber look around the room, seeing her eyes fill with unshed tears.
Clothes were thrown everywhere, some cut into tatters. The furniture was broken into pieces and again the walls were spray painted. This time, ‘you are mine’ was painted above the bed. Reaper pulled his phone from his pocket and sent a message to Sledge.
“Hey man, the place is trashed. I’ll send pictures.”
“How bad?” Sledge replied.
“It’s bad. Really Bad!” Reaper returned.
“Peaches, see what can be salvaged and let’s get out of here,” Reaper whispered, kissing the top of Amber’s head again.
Taking pictures of the bedroom, Reaper sent them to Sledge. He walked back into the living room to take some of the damage in there, again sending them off to Amber’s brother.
“What the fuck! I want the fucker found. He just signed his own death warrant,” Sledge replied.
“I agree,” Reaper sent back.
“Fuck! How is Amber? I’ll call the cleaning crew. They’ll get the place fixed,” Sledge responded.
“She is quiet. Your sister is tough. She’s pissed, hurt, and probably a little scared, but she’ll get through it,” Reaper answered honestly.
Reaper heard a door close behind him. Turning, he lifted his head to see Amber standing there, a look of total defeat on her face. She only had a few items in her hand. All that was probably left of her clothes. He held out his arms and after a second, she walked right into them. He held her while she cried, completely breaking his heart.