Reaper
“Cocksucker’s not even trying to hide,” Jase sneers from beside me at the window.
Jase is right. I don’t know what’s more unsettling. The fact that Belanger is sitting out in front of the shop on what can only be a stakeout, or the fact that he’s sitting outside of his car, not giving one single shit who sees him doing it. No cop on the straight and narrow would survey his suspects so boldly. There’s something seriously wrong with this guy.
Ryker stands behind me, talking to Bax on the phone, pissed as hell and trying to get an answer one way or the other if this kind of stakeout is even legal, and if there’s anything we can do to get the motherfucker to back off. I turn and watch him as he paces, his hand gripping the phone tightly, his face dark. “Fuck,” he mutters. “All right. Thanks, Bax.”
“Cocksucker,” he screams as he crams the phone into his pocket, then kicks at a piece of wood lying on the showroom floor. It goes flying, coming to a crash against the wall, leaving a sizeable dent in its wake. Jase and I exchange a look, but even he knows enough to keep his mouth shut when Ryk’s this worked up. “If we feel Officer Belanger is harassing us, we have the option to file a complaint with the police department,” he informs us through gritted teeth. “Bax knew that wouldn’t fuckin’ fly, so he told us to just ignore the prick and by no means engage. That’ll be the hard part. I’d like to walk right out there and shove my boot up his ass.” He takes a deep breath, shakes out his shoulders and looks to Jase. “Get a hold of the guys. Yet another fuckin’ emergency meeting at base. Church in an hour.”
Jase doesn’t argue. He just pulls out his phone and gets to work. This whole situation is one fucked up mess. Just when the club is starting to walk the straight and narrow, this son of a bitch shows up and starts tracking our every move. He won’t find a damn thing now, but if he starts digging around in our pasts, shit’s gonna hit the fan.
Pulling out my own phone, I cue it up to call Cam and hold it to my ear. It only rings once before he answers. “Yeah?”
“Please tell me you have something on this cocksucker,” I say.
“Actually, I was just about to call you myself. I’d rather not talk on the phone, though. Meet me at your place in an hour.”
“Done.”
Phone call over, I clip the phone back to my belt and look to Ryker. “Delay church a little. Cam’s got somethin’, wants to meet in an hour. I’ll see what he has. Meet you all back at base when I’m done.”
Ryker nods and moves toward the door. “I gotta go sort some shit. Bos, take Anna home.” He disappears without another word.
I look to Bosco, who’s moving toward Anna. A vision of her body wrapped around his as she rides on the back of his bike floats through my head, making my blood boil in an instant. Stepping in front of him, I hold up a hand. “I’ll take Anna. You stay here and help the others sort this shit, and be at base for church.”
He gapes back at me. “But Prez said—”
“I heard damn well what he said, Prospect,” I say, levelling him with a look that brooks no bullshit. Bosco isn’t one to shy away from anyone, even me. He doesn’t scare easily, but he knows the hierarchy of a club and when to shut his fucking mouth.
He straightens and gives me a curt nod that might as well be a salute, then looks to Anna. “See ya soon.”
“See ya,” she calls back softly, and I have to hide the sneer I feel coming on.
“Let’s go,” I order, without even glancing in her direction. I head out the door and straight for my ride, clocking Belanger as soon as my boots hit pavement. The cocky fucker has the balls to wave when I look in his direction. Responding with the classic middle finger, I swing my leg over my Harley and start it up.
Anna takes the helmet I offer her from my saddlebag and slips it on, then jumps on behind me. Her mount is much more graceful this time, her fear of touching me appearing to have disappeared. In fact, if her jerky movements are anything to go by, I’d say she’s pissed.
As soon as she’s settled, I roll out of the lot, making sure to pass Belanger as I go. I hold his gaze while passing and he doesn’t even flinch. The smirk on his face tells me loud and clear that he thinks he has us right where he wants us, wherever the fuck that is. I hope to hell whatever Cam has on this guy is good.
Anna clutches her arms around my waist as I weave through traffic and back toward Ryker’s house. I really shouldn’t have volunteered to drive her back, but no way in hell was I going to let her climb on the back of Bosco’s bike. I’d just have to haul ass to make it to my house in time to meet Cam.
As I pull to a stop in front of Ryker’s house, Anna swings off the motorcycle like a pro and thrusts the helmet in my direction. I take it from her and watch as her hair whips out and she storms toward the house.
“You’re welcome,” I call, yelling over the growl of the motor.
She turns, her brows pulled down low over her narrowed eyes. I watch with amusement as her lips form a word I’m pretty sure is “asshole” before she turns again and waltzes inside, slamming the door behind her. Women.
Anna
What an asshole! For a minute there, I’d almost thought Reaper might actually be a decent guy, but after the way he’d snapped at Bosco and ordered me to follow him, I can see what a fool I was. The man’s a bossy dick.
I’m so done with men. Unfortunately, besides Charlotte, I don’t know any women well enough to sit and talk to. All my life, I’ve never really had a lot of girlfriends. I don’t know what it is about me that puts them on edge, but they’ve just never seemed to like me much, and for the most part, the feeling’s been mutual.
What I need right now is a friend. And besides my shaky relationship with my sister, I only have one. I dial Knox’s number, not even sure why I need to hear his voice, but needing it now more than ever. Knox is a member of the Kings of Korruption, MontrealChapter. I’d met him when Ryker had sent me there to get away from the Devil’s Rejects MC. I’d fucked up in a big way and owed them a lot of money.
Ryker had held them off, and the club had put me right to work, helping me earn the money the old-fashioned way. I did the books at one of their garages by day, and tended bar in their clubhouse by night. That’s where I’d first met him.
Knox was a giant of a man. He was gruff and dangerous at first glance, but he’d been the only one to extend a hand of friendship to me without an ulterior motive to get inside my pants. We’d been there for each other, and I think after a while, most people assumed I was his old lady, but that wasn’t the case. In fact, during a night of drunken stupidity, we’d attempted to get physical, but it had ended with me confused as hell, and Knox sitting at the end of the bed, his head in his hands, frustration pouring out of him in waves.
I was the first person Knox ever told he was gay. I don’t think he’d even admitted it to himself before that. He was the first person I’d ever told about my childhood and my drug abuse. We’ve been best friends ever since.
I’m about to give up on the ringing phone when he finally answers. “’Bout time you fuckin’ called me, woman.”
I roll my eyes. “It’s been, what? A week?”
Knox chuckles. “Too damn long. Look, I got some shit goin’ down here and can’t talk long. How they treatin’ you there, honey?”
I sigh and flop down on the couch. “All right, I guess. They sure don’t like me much.”
“Can you blame them?” Knox asks. “You got a lot of bridges to rebuild there, girl. But you and I both know you can do it. They’ll see who you are soon enough.”
My eyes fall closed and I let his words wash over me. Knox always knows exactly what to say.
“What is it, Anna?” he asks when I’ve been silent for too long.
“Nothing. I’m okay. Just glad to hear your voice.”
“Anna,” he says, his voice a warning now.
“I swear!” I say with a little laugh. “I’ve just had a crappy couple days. Reaper’s been giving me a hard time, and I’m thankful for your wisdom, Obi Wan.”
He ignores my sad attempt at a joke. “Giving you a hard time how?”
The last thing I need is Knox showing up here to start shit with Reaper. “It’s fine, Knox. I can deal with Reaper.”
He snorts. “Nobody can deal with Reaper. The man’s hard as stone. My advice, stay far away from him.” Someone calls Knox’s name on the other end of the line. “Look, honey, I gotta go. You just start rebuildin’ some of them bridges, yeah?”
I sigh, wishing it was that easy. “Yeah, Knox. Be safe.”
“Always am, honey. Talk soon.” And then he’s gone.
I know Knox is right, of course. I still have so much work to do, but I don’t even know where to start. I didn’t expect to move back here and have everyone accept me with open arms. I’d expected the animosity. I’d expected the struggle with my addiction. What I hadn’t expected was that I would end up having unwelcome feelings for a man that believes I’m at the root of every hardship he’s faced in the last little while, or the fact that he’s totally right. How can I come back from that?
After stewing on it until the sun starts to set, casting the room into gloomy shadows, I come to a decision. It’s time for me to stop worrying so much about what other people think of me. It’s time to concentrate on what I came here to do in the first place, and fuck everyone else. They’re not worth the space in my mind, or my heart.