Chapter 39
Reaper
Present
Pulling through the clubhouse gates, I finally feel myself relaxing a bit.
Originally, I had wanted to take Lark with me this past weekend for the joint Thanksgiving between the Forest Creek club and ours, but then a couple of bartenders came down with the flu.
Of course, they were Lark’s most senior bartenders, and she’d been pairing her three newbie bartenders between the three of them to help train them up.
Unfortunately, the newbies aren’t to the level where she was comfortable leaving them working alone for the weekend, which I completely understand.
And then with the bomb going off as we were heading back from Mary’s dad’s house, I’m grateful she wasn’t there.
Parking, I’m about to get out when a text comes through from Lark.
Lark: Hey, Hercules. Just got done at Ma’s house a few minutes ago. Heading back home. Nathan had to switch out with Drake though as the guys needed Nathan for something. Just wanted to let you know about the switch so you wouldn’t chew him out as soon as you saw him.
I grimace. Yeah, that had happened a few weeks ago.
I hadn’t known that one of the other brothers needed Nathan for something so he had come back to the clubhouse once Drake took over for him.
I’d seen him and lit into him when I found out Lark was still at the tavern.
It was a misunderstanding, but I still felt like shit for raking him over the coals for it.
Reaper: Thanks, Darlin’. Just got back to the clubhouse. Gonna hit the shower. Come up to our room at the clubhouse when you get here.
She sends me back a kiss emoji and I grin. Pocketing my phone, I get out and roll my shoulders. Fuck, it’s only December and I already can’t wait for spring so I can ride my bike rather than drive a cage.
Grabbing my cut off my seat, I put it on. We never wear our cuts when we’re in a cage.
Walking inside, I stop at the bar for a beer before heading upstairs.
Shutting and locking the door behind me, I head into my bathroom and turn on the shower.
Back in my room, I take off my boots and strip.
Taking a swig of beer, I look down over my torso and arms. I didn’t get caught in the shrapnel of the explosion as bad as some of the others, but I still got nicked by debris in a few spots as well as a few small bruises.
Thankfully, Patch, Phoenix, and Devil’s wounds weren’t life threatening, but fuck, were they hurting.
Taking another drink, I set it down on my dresser and walk into the bathroom before stepping under the spray.
Groaning, I let the hot water beat down on my muscles for a few minutes as I stretch my neck.
Over the last couple of months, I’d gotten damn used to sleeping next to Lark.
So much so that I slept for shit this past weekend.
It didn’t help that I woke up this morning with a kink in my neck from sleeping weird either.
Grabbing my shampoo, I wash my hair and as I rinse it out, I turn toward the bathroom door. I swore I heard something. Deciding to hurry in case Lark’s back already, I quickly wash my body before rinsing off again. Shutting off the water, I quickly dry off and wrap a towel around my waist.
Stepping out into my bedroom, my blood boils.
“What the fuck are you doing in here?” I seethe right as my bedroom door opens.
Fucking hell. This is just fucking perfect. Lark’s staring at my bed in anger as Star lays naked on my bed and is grabbing her breast as she finger fucks herself.
“Waiting for you to get done with your shower, of course. I figured you’d be up for another round. Why don’t you finish off your beer and we can get back to what we were doing?”
I narrow my eyes at her and what she’s implying. Crossing the room, I quickly pull on my jeans, keeping the towel around my waist as I tuck my cock in before fastening them. I don’t want Star making things worse. Tossing the towel aside, I turn my glare back on her.
“For starters, there never was a first round, so quit your fucking lying. Second, my door was locked so how the fuck did you get in here? And for fuck’s sake! Stop what you’re fucking doing and put some fucking clothes on!”
Lark pulls out her phone, her fingers quickly typing something out before she pockets it and crosses her arms. If Star fucks things up with Lark, she isn’t going to like the repercussions.
Star pouts as she continues to lay on my bed.
“I used the key you gave me years ago, Reaper. Since I’ve been here, I’ve been the one that you’d take after a long ride or after you get back from visiting another club.
Besides, she’s not your Old Lady so there’s nothing wrong with me helping you relieve your tension like I used to.
I don’t even mind if she watches. Now, come on.
Finish your drink and I can show you what you’ve been missing out on,” she says as she bats her eyes at me.
A phone chimes, but I don’t know whose it is. I’m barely containing my anger when I feel Lark’s hand rubbing up and down my back.
“Reaper, calm down. Your veins are sticking out so much I’m afraid you’re going to have a heart attack,” she says quietly as I hear a stampede of boots coming up the stairs.
Taking a deep breath, I wrap my arm around her waist as I pull her closer to me. Bending down, I take a deep breath of her rose scented perfume and body wash. Relief flows through me that she’s still here and still touching me.
Star shrieks in outrage as she scrambles off my bed. “You can’t seriously be turning down all of this to be with her plain jane fried ass! You’re not even pretty! You’re nothing, not even worth the shit on the bottom of someone’s shoe!”
Before I can stop her or get Lark out of the way, Star yanks hard on Lark’s hair, pulling her out of my grasp and toward her as Lark cries out in pain. I step forward, about to separate them when Lark backhands Star so hard that she crumples to the floor.
“You fucking bitch!” Star shouts as she clutches her face and she glares up at Lark.
“I’m the fucking bitch? You’re the one in the wrong here! Not me. You were the one that broke into Reaper’s room and were laying naked on his bed while you fucked yourself. And why were you so insistent that he finish his beer? What’d you do? Drug him?”
I narrow my eyes at Star as the stampede of boots draws closer.
“What the fuck,” I hear Devil bite out and I raise my head, noticing that Punisher and Python are behind him.
“Python,” Lark calls out as she steps back beside me. “Please play the footage I asked you to look for. And can one of you please ask Doc to come up here?”
Star glares up at me before turning her glare on my brothers. “Why the fuck are you all listening to her? She’s not an Old Lady—she’s just the flavor of the month! A nobody! She’s probably blackmailing him with something because who would want someone that looks like a piece of fried chicken!”
Lark stiffens in my arms and I take a deep breath. I can’t hit Star because she’s a woman, but fuck do I really want to fucking deck her.
“Just because she doesn’t have a cut doesn’t mean she’s not an Old Lady,” Punisher grits out.
Star narrows her eyes at Lark as she tries to figure out what Punisher meant.
“Python?” Lark asks.
He steps forward, handing me a tablet. Punisher leans down and grips Star’s arm, pulling her roughly to her feet.
Seeing that she’s restrained and can’t get away, I press play as Lark and Devil lean closer to watch.
On the video, Star sneaks down the hallway and fury ignites in me that she actually pulls out a key and comes in.
Once again, Lark stiffens in my arms, but thankfully she doesn’t pull away yet, but I can almost feel her anger rolling off her.
I just don’t know if it’s at me or toward Star, because I sure as hell did not give that bitch a key to my room.
Surprisingly, Star doesn’t close the door all the way so I can see her pulling something out of her pocket.
She takes a swig of my beer and I frown.
Wait. Did she put something in my beer after taking a drink?
Then, she strips off her clothes and disappears from view, but I can hear the shuffle of fabric which is probably her moving my blankets.
Pressing pause, I hand the tablet back to Python.
Turning back toward Star, she shrinks under my glare. “Where did you get that key? I have never given my key out to a fucking bunny. The only people who have copies are Devil, Mama Astrid, and Lark.”
Star’s confidence cracks a bit, but then she tries to do that fucking eye bat thing. “Sure, you did, Reaper. You gave it to me at a New Year’s party a few years ago when you told me you wanted me ready and in your bed after trips like these ones.”
The guys all shake their heads.
“Bitch, anyone who has been around Reaper for as long as you have knows how private of a man he is. He would never give a fucking bunny a key to his room. I know for a fact that you’re lying out your ass to try and make Lark jealous because Reaper never consistently took one bunny to try and avoid what’s happening now,” Devil growls as he steps closer, towering over her.
“Now tell the fucking truth. Where. Did. You. Get. That. Key!”
The bitch must be finally realizing that she’s in deep shit because I see a tremor run through her as she swallows thickly and lowers her gaze. “A few years ago when I was cleaning, I came across a spare key of Reaper’s. I pocketed it, copied it, and then returned the spare where I found it.”
“And the beer?” Lark demands.
Star’s face pales and her eyes turn glassy. “I-I…” she swallows thickly a few times before her shoulders slump even further. “It’s drugged. I thought if Reaper and I had sex again that I could show him what he was missing out on.” She turns toward Lark, glaring at her.
Lark steps forward and Devil backs up to give her room. I step forward so that if Star tries anything, I can stop it if she can’t.