Chapter 2 Lexi
The world spins. A kaleidoscope of blurred greens and grays swirls above me as I gasp for air, my lungs sucking in the charged atmosphere. Sparks of blue light shimmer like stars against a night sky, yet it’s mid-day, still hours from sunset. It’s a struggle to separate reality from the surreal dream threatening to consume me. I must have been unconscious. I was floating, wasn’t I? Among stars or beneath waves? The details slip away like sand through my fingers.
“Lexi?”
That voice—low and rough around the edges in a way that sends a flash of molten fire straight to my core—snaps me back to the present. Reaper. His name stirs a cauldron of emotions inside me. I’ve tried to erase his voice from my memory, yet it still haunts me.
“Reaper?” I croak in disbelief.
“You’re safe.”
I force my eyelids to part, squinting against the harsh light. My gaze locks onto his silhouette, crouched beside me. He’s here. He’s real. He’s not just a fragment of a feverish dream. But how can that be?
Fear seeps into the chaos of my scrambled thoughts. The last time I saw him was that terrible night when my world shattered into a million pieces. It’s been seven years, but it could have been yesterday. Reaper looks exactly the same. The darkness inside him is still there. Its palpable presence hovers over us, and I feel it seeping into my soul.
“Mommy!”
Ace swoops down to where I’m lying to hug me. I cling to him, grateful he survived the crash. I inhale his sweet scent and silently thank God Ace is still alive. I couldn’t bear to live without him. Losing the only thing good in my life would destroy me.
“Are you okay, baby?” I ask.
“Yeah.” He squeezes harder before finally releasing me. He takes a step back, looking down at me with concern.
“Where have you been?” Reaper’s gruff voice interrupts my reunion with my son.
Before I can respond, the thunder of motorcycles rumbles from somewhere down the mountain. He probably called his club, but I don’t remember hearing him say anything other than my name. How long was I out? Did he find me right away, or have I been lying here for hours? It’s all so confusing.
“Did you save me?” I ask, trying to piece together tiny shards of recollection.
“Yeah,” Reaper grunts.
He’s never been a big talker. At first, I found it strange that his communication skills involved a series of animalistic noises, but it suits him. He’s more beast than man, which is what made me so hot for him in the first place.
I shiver as flashes of our naked bodies entwined in passionate embraces flicker through my head. We used to be so good together, but those days are so far behind me now that they feel like a dream. When I found out I was pregnant, I stopped hanging around dangerous bikers. The moment I discovered the truth about Reaper, I ran. Now that I have a son, protecting him is my only job. I can’t think about Reaper as anything other than a man from my past.
“Didn’t expect to pull you out of a ditch today,” Reaper says, a hint of sarcasm in his tone. It’s the same cocksure attitude that drew me in, once upon a time, but now it’s edged with a darkness that reminds me of why I ran from this life—and him—years ago.
“Thank you,” I whisper, as tangled threads of dread and desire snake their way through my body. It would be easier if I could hate him completely, but that’s impossible. Fear is the only reason I’ve avoided him all this time. If it weren’t for that, I’d probably still be in his bed.
“Can you stand?” he asks, still hunched over the ground.
“Can you?” I counter.
A group of motorcycles stop on the road overlooking the ravine. Backlit by the sun, I can only make out four shadowy shapes, but I already know who’s up there. Scar, Nitro, Matrix, and Talon. Reaper’s club brothers. They’re here to save us, but accepting their help could doom me and my son forever.
“We’re coming down,” Scar calls. I instantly recognize his voice. He’s the president of the club, and he doesn’t put up with any bullshit from anyone, especially club girls. I know because I used to be one.
“Be careful. Loose rocks,” Reaper yells in response.
Scar’s the first to reach us. His tall frame is clad in worn leather that creaks with every move. Matrix follows, the tech wizard of the group, his dark eyes scanning the scene like he’s already running diagnostics. Talon and Nitro reach us last, flanking the others with an easy confidence born from spending years on the road together.
I remember them all. Each one is a ghost from my past. They haven’t changed one bit. They still wear their authority like a second skin, commanding the space around them without saying a word. And here I am, caught in their orbit once again, pulled in by an unexpected bout of bad luck. If that jerk in the car behind me hadn’t been tailgating me so hard, then the accident wouldn’t have happened. Why couldn’t he just pass me? Although it’s a mountain road, there are spots where passing is allowed.
“Reaper, what the hell happened?” Scar’s voice is rough, demanding answers as he strides over to where Reaper is doubled over.
Talon takes a step toward me. “Holy fuck, is that—”
“—Lexi,” Scar finishes for him.
“No fucking way,” Talon says, eyeing me warily.
“Kid,” Nitro says, jerking his head toward Ace. “Language.”
“Sorry, bro.” Talon rubs the back of his beefy neck.
“Who’s the kid?” Scar asks.
When they all turn to stare at Ace, I want to push him behind me to hide him, but it’s pointless. I can barely move, so there’s no way I can protect him from this group. As long as we’re on their radar, neither of us is safe.
“Ace,” I whisper. “He’s my son.”
“Your son?” Matrix’s sharp gaze snaps from me to Ace and back. I cringe, doing my best to sink into the ground. If they ever find out about what I saw the night I left, I’m as good as dead. Matrix’s eyes bore into me, but I hold his gaze, unwilling to flinch under his scrutiny.
“Someone ran them off the road,” Reaper says. “Saw the whole thing happen. Stopped to help them. Didn’t know it was her ’til I got down here.”
“Damn,” Talon mutters, running a hand through his shaggy hair. “Any idea who it was?”
“Black SUV. No plates. Couldn’t get a good look at the driver,” Reaper replies. “But I’ll find him. Nobody messes with our own.”
Our own?
I shudder at the thought of being caught in their web again. I need to get away from them as soon as possible. Ace won’t be safe until we’re out of the club’s territory. But my car’s a wreck, and I can barely form a coherent thought. For now, we’re trapped. We’ll have to rely on them because we don’t have a choice.
The men glance at each other. There’s a moment of silence, heavy with the weight of unspoken vows. If they’ve decided the man in the SUV is their enemy, then that driver doesn’t stand a chance. They’ll hunt him. They’ll catch him. And then they’ll do unspeakable things to him. It’s a good reminder of why I left. They still inhabit the same deadly world I escaped all those years ago. It used to call to me with its siren song, tempting and dangerous, but not anymore. I left that life, and I’m never going back.
I push those thoughts away, forcing myself to focus on the tangible—the sharp scent of pine, the coolness of the shadows cast by the towering trees overhead, and the distant echo of birdsong. Anything to keep my mind off the way my heart is racing, off the pull I feel toward Reaper, and off the past that still clings to me like a second skin.
Scar leans over to check on Reaper. “What the fuck happened to you? Did you eat shit on the way down?”
“No. I had to do … something,” Reaper says, cryptically.
“Aw, shit.” Talon joins us. “You used your abilities on her!”
“Shut up!” Matrix snaps.
Abilities?Confusion worms its way through the fog in my brain. Since when does Reaper have abilities? What does that even mean? The ghost of a strange dream flickers at the edge of my consciousness, elusive as smoke. Could Reaper be tied to the surreal experience I had as I was waking up?
“That’s club business,” Nitro says, bouncing on his heels while glaring at Matrix.
“We’ll talk about it later,” Scar says before turning to me. “What about you? Are you feeling all right? Does anything hurt?”
“Everything,” I admit.
“Can you feel your legs?”
“Yes.”
“What about your arms?”
“They’re fine.”
“Can you walk?” Scar extends a hand to me.
“Maybe.” I don’t have the luxury of choice right now, so I reach up and grab his hand. As he pulls me to my feet, sharp pain radiates down my spine. “Oh!”
“Where does it hurt?” Matrix asks.
“My back.”
“We’ll call Doc,” Talon says.
“No, I’m not—”
Reaper silences me with a dark look. “Someone carry her up.”
“I can try on my own.”
“Lexi …” Reaper slowly rolls onto his butt to sit beside me. “Let them help you.”
He reaches for my hand. The moment we make contact, a wildfire of memories blaze through me—memories of skin on skin and breathless whispers in the dark. He skewers me with the same smoldering gaze that used to unravel me. My body reacts as though no time has passed, as if I’m still the same wide-eyed girl who craved his touch every day and night.
But just as quickly as it comes, I douse the fire, smothering the flames before they can start something I won’t be able to stop. This can’t happen. I can’t fall prey to the illusion of what we once were. We’re not those people anymore; at least, I’m not. I must stay guarded and avoid the allure of old habits and reckless desires. My son needs me to be focused and clear-headed. I can’t go back to sifting through the ashes of my love for Reaper looking for a single shard of hope. I did that once, and it nearly destroyed me. I’m never going back to those dark corners of my heart again. Not now. Not ever.
“Let’s get you out of here,” Reaper whispers.
I nod, focusing on the solid ground beneath me. All I need to do is get through the next hour. Once I get out of this ravine, I’ll be able to disappear again. I’ll go somewhere safe where he won’t be able to find us.
“I’ll carry her up,” Matrix says, striding over. The look of concern etched in his rugged features doesn’t quite reach his eyes. There’s no gentleness in the way he scoops me into his arms. He tosses me over his shoulder as if I weigh nothing. His grip on the backs of my knees is firm and unyielding—like the rest of him. Overwhelmed by pain, my body goes as limp as a rag doll against his back.
“What about you?” Scar asks Reaper. “Anything broken, other than, you know …”
“Just tired. Need rest. An hour. Two, maybe.”
“You can’t ride like that,” Scar says.
“Nope.”
I lift my head to see what’s happening. Scar’s gaze flicks to his phone. He turns away from the chaos while swiping his thumb over the screen. “Tucker,” he barks into the receiver. “Bring the cage. We’ve got a situation.” His eyes briefly meet mine. They’re hard and unreadable.
My mind races as fast as my pulse. The word “cage” doesn’t mean a prison in their world. It’s what they call cars or anything that isn’t a bike. It’s a lifeline now, a way out of this ravine, away from the crash site that nearly claimed more than I can bear to lose. I can’t exactly walk down the mountain, so I’ll have to go with them, at least for now.
“Mom?” Ace’s small voice jolts me from my thoughts. I force my eyes to focus on his worried face.
“I’m okay, baby.” The words are a lie. Every inch of me screams in protest as Matrix hauls me up the side of the ravine.
Ace watches with wide eyes, but my little man is so brave. He doesn’t cry. Instead, he clambers up the slope with a determination that swells my heart with pride. If only I could summon a fraction of his courage.
Suddenly, Ace slides down the ravine, sending rocks scattering below.
“Gotcha, kiddo,” Scar’s voice booms as he steadies Ace, keeping him from falling farther into the yawning abyss. “Let me give you a piggyback ride, okay?”
“Sure,” Ace says.
Scar lets Ace climb onto his back. “Hang on tight.”
“I will.”
Using his huge hands to climb, Scar’s halfway up the ravine when Matrix and I reach the top. Although I hate to admit it, I trust Scar with Ace. I’ve never seen any of the men be mean to a child. If anything, they seem to bend over backward to take care of kids. I never quite understood what they were doing with the women and children who seemed to filter through their lives, but I got the sense they were helping them in some way.
It doesn’t make sense, knowing what I know now. That said, I still trust Scar enough to let him help Ace. I don’t know how to explain it other than it’s a mother’s instinct to know who’s safe and who isn’t. Kids are safe around these men. Adults aren’t.
“Think you can climb up the ravine?” Nitro asks Reaper.
“Maybe,” Reaper grunts.
He staggers as Nitro helps him to his feet. Leaning heavily against his club brother, Reaper attempts to scale the ravine. Talon, who’d been scanning the tree line, snaps to attention and marches over to help them. He’s a giant of a man, with tattoos snaking up arms as thick as tree trunks. Without a word, his hand closes around Reaper’s upper arm, steadying him. Together, they make their way up the slope.
The sight stirs something inside me, a sense of belonging that I thought was long buried. These men used to be my family. Years ago, we were bound together by a sense of loyalty that ran deeper than the ink in their skin. Now, everything’s different. I feel like an outsider looking in, yet the ties that once held us together seem to still be present. Why else would they help me?
It’s strange to see Reaper need so much help. He’s usually so strong. Did he fall while he was trying to rescue us? I can’t remember when he arrived or how it all happened. One minute I was in the car, and the next, I was flying through the air. Then he was just … there.
Matrix sets me down on a patch of grass on the side of the road. Scar lifts Ace off his back and sits him beside me. Talon and Nitro get Reaper settled on the other side, sandwiching me between my son and the man who was once my greatest lover.
“Tucker’s five minutes out,” Scar says after glancing at his phone.
He glances at me and Reaper before walking a few feet away to talk to Matrix, Talon, and Nitro. They form a circle, whispering so softly I can’t hear a word they’re saying. But I know they’re talking about me because they keep looking my way.
“Lexi?” Reaper’s voice cuts through my thoughts.
I turn my gaze to meet his gorgeous, dark gray—almost black—eyes. There’s an intensity there, a flicker of something that tugs at the frayed edges of my heart. I shove it down, locking it away. I can’t afford to feel anything for him—not fear, not attraction, nothing.
“Yeah?” I ask, steeling myself.
“I’m glad you’re okay.”
“Me, too.”
His eyes bore into mine with questions he hasn’t asked yet, but he will. If I stay around long enough, he’ll find out what I know. And then I’m dead.
I shift closer to Ace. The warmth of my son’s little body is a sharp contrast to the chill of uncertainty settling in my bones. They’re going to want to drop us off somewhere, but we don’t have anywhere to go. How am I going to explain our living situation?
A sleek silver sedan rolls onto the edge of the road and stops. A guy, probably in his late twenties, pops his golden-blond head out of the driver’s side. “Someone call for a ride?”
“Tucker, stop fucking around and come help us get Reaper in the cage,” Scar snaps.
“Sorry, pres.” Tucker hurries to join Matrix. They lift Reaper into the front passenger’s seat before buckling him in like a child.
Scar helps me into the back seat of the car, while Ace slides in beside me. My gaze drifts to Reaper, who’s leaning heavily against the door. I hope it’s locked. His face is drawn and so pale he looks sick. The mention of Reaper’s abilities haunts me. I’m not sure what that was all about, but I can’t help but wonder—what else don’t I know about the man I once loved? Does he have a secret that’s even worse than the one that made me run?
“Drive my bike back.” Scar hands Tucker the keys to his bike before getting into the driver’s seat of the car. “I need to talk to Reaper and Lexi.”
“What about mine?” Reaper asks.
“Tucker, get another prospect up here. Someone you trust not to fuck up Reaper’s ride,” Scar says.
“Will do, pres.” Tucker can’t stop grinning. I understand why. Tucker wasn’t around when I was with Reaper, but he’s wearing a prospect jacket, so I know which position he holds within the club. Any prospect would be grateful for the honor Scar just bestowed on him.
Scar cranks the engine to life. We roll forward, leaving behind the wreckage of twisted steel, broken glass, and what’s left of the few belongings I had. Everything I own is in the trunk of the car, but it’s not much. Hopefully, I’ll be able to get everything later.
“My purse!” I lurch forward.
“Tucker, get her stuff,” Scar yells out the window. The prospect nods and scrambles over the edge into the ravine. Scar glances at the rearview mirror. “Ace, you got your seat belt on?”
“Yep.”
“Good job, buddy. Lexi, what’s your address? Where can we drop you off?” Scar asks.
My heart stutters. I want to lie or at least tell them to just drop me off in the middle of town, but I know they’ll be even more suspicious if I do that.
“Um … I don’t have a place to go.” The truth feels heavy on my tongue. “I’m in the middle of moving.”
Homelessness was never part of the plan, but a bunch of stuff happened earlier today that I wasn’t expecting. Because of it, my life is a mess, and now we’ve got nowhere to go.
“Where were you headed?” Reaper asks.
“Nowhere, really. I was trying to figure that out when the jerk in the SUV started tailgating me.”
“Do you have anyone you can stay with?” Scar asks.
“Not really.” Tears fill my eyes, but I refuse to let them fall.
“Why not? What happened?” Reaper asks.
“It’s a long story.”
“Guess you’re coming with us then.” Reaper’s eyes meet mine in the rearview mirror. His statement isn’t a question, it’s a command, and I’m too tired to fight it.
“To the clubhouse?” I ask.
“Yeah,” Reaper says.
Scar frowns but doesn’t speak as he pulls off the grass and onto the road. I can tell he’s not thrilled by the situation, but neither am I. This is a disaster, but hopefully just a temporary one. The sooner I leave with Ace, the better.
Ace’s small hand finds mine. It’s a silent plea for stability amid the chaos. I give him a reassuring squeeze. My mind races, but I can’t think of anywhere else to go.
“Okay,” I breathe out. “We’ll go to the clubhouse.”
“Good,” Reaper says, his voice gravelly and strained.
He doesn’t look at me, but I feel his presence like a storm cloud ready to burst. Fear and desire form a knot in my belly. With every mile we put between us and the accident site, my anxiety grows. I hope I’m not making a huge mistake.
The engine’s steady thrum does little to soothe my racing thoughts. We’re moving forward, but we’re covering more than just physical distance. With each passing second, I’m being pulled back into a world I thought I’d left behind. I’m getting sucked back into Reaper’s orbit, and that terrifies me.
Behind us, the roar of motorcycle engines cuts through the air. The rest of the club rolls up behind us like a storm, their bikes kicking up dust and scattering gravel as they pull into a tight, practiced formation. I stare out the rear window and can’t help but wonder why this is happening. Of all the people to be on the road today, why did it have to be him?
We pull off the highway and onto the club’s property. Gravel crunches under the tires as we drive past the club’s bar and grill. It’s a wooden building with a large front porch. I spent years working in that place. Back then, I loved it. Bartending was so much fun, especially when Reaper was around. But that’s all in the past now.
As the car rolls to a stop, my breath hitches. A bright white farmhouse, the one the group uses as a clubhouse, looms over us. It’s a sanctuary and a prison all at once, full of ghosts and whispers of a past I thought I’d outrun. The wraparound porch looks exactly how I remember it. It’s like stepping into an old photograph, one where the colors have bled out, leaving only stark contrasts. I can recall every moment Reaper and I spent together on this porch, but that was then, and this is now.
“Here we are,” Scar announces, his voice cutting through the thickness of my nostalgia. When he kills the engine, the illusion that I could still be running from this place and what it represents dies with it.
I swallow hard, trying to moisten a throat gone dry. I force myself to look away from the clubhouse and focus on Ace instead. His little face, usually so bright with curiosity, mirrors my trepidation. He squeezes my hand tightly, and I’m reminded of why I can’t let my fear overpower me—I’m not just Lexi anymore, I’m Ace’s mom, and I need to be strong for him.
“Momma, is that where you used to live with the bikers?” Ace’s innocent question slices through the tension. I told him a story about this place once when we’d passed it years ago. I didn’t think he’d remember it, but apparently, he did.
“Yes, honey,” I reply, keeping my tone light despite the lead weight in my stomach. “We’re just going to stay here for a little while.”
Steeling myself, I open the car door and step out, wincing as my body protests. My boots hit the ground, sending a small puff of dust swirling up. It’s a stark reminder that this isn’t a dream; it’s my gritty, dust-filled reality.
Reaper struggles to get out of the car, but he already looks better than he did when we left the scene of the accident. Maybe he just needed a minute to get his bearings.
“Need a hand?” His voice startles me.
Suddenly, he’s standing close, too close. He’s looking at me in a way that makes me feel like he can see right through me, like he’s undressing me with his eyes, peeling my T-shirt over my head and pulling my jeans off. Just like he used to.
“I’ve got it,” I snap more harshly than I intend. When Ace looks up at me with wide eyes, I immediately regret the bite in my words. I offer him a reassuring smile before turning back to Reaper. “Thank you.”
“Sure thing, Lex.” Reaper steps back, but the distance does nothing to lessen his presence. Even now, his aura is a magnetic field, tugging at parts of me I thought I’d long since shut down.
“Let’s head inside.” Scar gestures toward the clubhouse, his expression unreadable.
With each step toward the building, my heart thumps harder. The porch creaks. The sound was once a familiar greeting, but perhaps now, it’s a warning.
“Welcome back,” Scar says, pushing open the heavy door, revealing the dim interior that was once my whole world.
“Thanks,” I murmur, crossing the threshold and feeling the past wrap around me like a shroud. I’m back at the clubhouse, and even though everything has changed, it feels like nothing has changed at all.
Phantom echoes of laughter and the clinking of beer bottles drag me deep into the past. The first time I stepped inside, I was so young and naive. I wish I could go back in time so I could warn myself about all the trouble that was to come my way. The scent of oil and leather brings back so many memories. But soon, the lighter ones mingle with the darker ones, and I remember why I fled.
Reaper leads us through the living room past oversized couches and around the pool table. “We’ll get you set up in my room.”
Every fiber of my being is begging me to surrender to the dangerous allure of his command, but I can’t. Walking into his room would be my undoing.
“What about Ace?” I ask.
“He can sleep in the room next door.”
“That’s Talon’s room, isn’t it?”
“Not anymore.”
“He moved out?”
“We all did,” Scar says, leaning against the wall that separates the living room from the kitchen. “Reaper’s the only one left. Some of the prospects stay here to help watch the place, but the rest of us moved into our own places.”
“What happened?” I ask.
“I’ll tell you everything later,” Reaper says before turning to Scar. “Can you get Doc down here?”
“On it,” Scar says.
“I don’t need a doctor,” I protest.
“You were in a car accident. You’re going to see him, and that’s that,” Reaper says.
“You can’t tell me what to do anymore. I’m not yours.”
“We’ll see about that,” he mutters so softly I almost don’t hear him.
We glare at each other, both unwilling to compromise. The heat between us builds until the tension becomes impossible to ignore. My entire body melts as thoughts of what he used to do to me in his bed flood back. My gaze trails down his body. At six-foot-three, he’s always been tall, towering eight inches over me, but now he’s just … huge. Like a power lifter, all muscle and strength. I bet he could still hold me up in the air while fucking my brains out. It’s an image I’m struggling to shake because it’s happened before, and it can happen again. He’s sexier than ever but also more dangerous. If I’m not careful, he’ll ensnare me in his trap, and this time I won’t be alone. My son will be caught up in this mess too.