Chapter 3 Reaper
The way Lexi’s standing there, like she’s carved out of defiance and something softer I can’t quite name, scrambles my thoughts. My gut twists with frustration and raw desire.
“Ace can bunk in the room next door,” I say, trying to keep my voice level, but there’s an edge to it I can’t sand down. “He’ll be just fine there.”
Lexi squares her shoulders, pushes a stray lock of hair behind her ear, and plants her feet like she’s ready to take on the whole damn world if she has to. “No, Reaper. I’m staying with my son.” Her voice is calm, but it’s also filled with razor-sharp certainty.
“Damn it, Lexi, it’s not like you haven’t stayed in my room before.” The reminder slips out, more accusation than memory. I hate the hint of desperation creeping into my voice. Since when have I ever been desperate for anything or anyone? I’m only obsessed with one thing—vengeance—and Lexi has nothing to do with that.
I grind my teeth together, trying to rein in the need coiling tight inside me. This isn’t just about wanting her into my bed again; it’s about the way she’s looking at me, like she can see past the leather and ink into the parts of me I don’t show anybody. There’s more than just desire in her eyes, there’s a sense of knowing, like she’s aware of all my darkest secrets. I haven’t told her anything about my past, or about what happened with Blackstone, but somehow, I sense she knows more than she’s letting on.
“Things are different now,” she fires back, her voice steady even though I see her pulse jumping in her neck. “I have Ace to think about.”
“Fine,” I growl, feeling the battle lines being drawn. But this isn’t a fight I’m going to lose, because when it comes to Lexi, losing isn’t an option. Not this time.
While we’re locked in this stand-off, Scar stands at the end of the hall watching us. He pulls his phone out of his cut and holds it to his ear. His tone is businesslike as he speaks to whoever’s on the other end of the line.
“No. He’s already got a teddy bear, so he doesn’t need a stuffed animal buddy. But he’ll need some shirts, pants, and shoes. He’s young. About six or seven.” Scar glances at Lexi, his gaze flickering between us. “Lexi, you need another set of clothes too?”
“It couldn’t hurt, at least until we get my stuff out of the car,” she says. “Is that Nina?”
“Yeah.” Scar nods.
“I still have some of your stuff,” I say gruffly.
Lexi turns to me, confusion etched in the lines of her face, her eyes wide and incredulous. “You have my things? From seven years ago?”
“Yep.” I shrug as if it’s no big deal. “Just never got around to tossing ‘em out.”
Her mouth parts slightly, but before she can question me further, the sound of boots thudding against the floor announces Doc’s arrival. He’s our lifeline when the outside world won’t touch us. A medic who knows too much about bullet wounds and road rash. He does under-the-table work for the club because we helped rescue his daughter and grandchild from his daughter’s crazy husband.
Doc’s in his mid-fifties, but he looks twenty years younger. He’s six feet tall with long runner’s legs. He’s a triathlete who’s in really good shape because he’s seen what a bad lifestyle can do to a body. That said, he eats most of his meals at the club’s bar and grill.
“Lookin’ good, Reaper. Did you finally lay off the french fries and onion rings?” Doc teases me.
“Fuck no. I just dip ‘em in less ranch.”
“I guess that’s something.” Doc chuckles.
“Lexi and Ace, go in there and wait for us.” I nod toward the empty bedroom next to my room. I’ll table the argument about sleeping arrangements for now. Later, I’ll make sure she’s in my bed where she belongs.
“I’m fine,” Lexi protests, but the strain in her voice betrays the pain she’s trying to hide. Her stubbornness is like a match struck against my patience—fiery and bright, threatening to burn us both.
“Doesn’t matter. You’re getting looked at.” The words leave no room for argument. I can bring someone back from the brink of death, but mending whatever’s broken between us? That’s beyond me. I don’t even know why she left in the first place. It’s a mystery I’m dying to solve.
“Reaper,” she pleas. “Really, I’m good.”
Seeing her so scared and vulnerable twists something deep inside me.
“Doc’s gonna check you and Ace out, and that’s final.” My voice is firm, but there’s an undercurrent of concern I can’t mask. Making sure they’re safe and that they’ll stay are the only things I care about. Everything else can wait.
“Fine,” she concedes.
“Fiery one,” Doc says as Lexi and her kid walk away. “She looks familiar. Do I know her?”
“She was a club girl seven years ago. Then she left.”
“Why’s that?”
“Your guess is as good as mine. Anyway, she and her son went flying into a ravine today. They need to be checked out.”
“No problem. You guys know you can call any time.”
“Thanks, Doc.” I slap him on the back before we all move into the vacant room.
Ace and Lexi sit on the edge of the bed in the center of the room. Doc unfolds his medical kit with practiced ease, each snap and rustle echoing in the sparse room. I’m like a shadow over Lexi’s shoulder, my presence large and looming. She tries to keep Ace from moving around, but the kid’s squirming, more interested in Doc’s shiny instruments than in sitting still.
“All right, little man, how old are ya?” Doc asks, his voice a gentle rumble.
“Six,” Lexi chimes in quickly, but Ace is having none of it.
“Nu-uh, Momma! I’m seven!” His small hands go to his hips, mimicking a defiance I know all too well.
“Almost, baby. You’re turning seven next month, remember? September twenty-fifth.” Lexi’s correction comes with a soft smile that doesn’t reach her eyes.
The kid nods, still puffed up with pride. “I’m just super excited.”
Lexi laughs, but there’s an edge to it.
I’m half-listening, half-lost in calculations that have everything to do with time—a timeline of Lexi’s leaving and Ace’s age. The gears turn as I work out the math. It’s easy to calculate. He was born in 2018, the year after left Lexi me. I exhale a breath I didn’t realize I was holding. Relief floods through me—Ace can’t be mine. It’s not possible.
“You’re making me nervous hovering like that.” Lexi’s firm tone interrupts my thoughts. “Can I have some privacy?”
I step back, reluctant as hell and ready to argue, but Scar’s hand lands heavy on my shoulder.
“Need to talk to you, brother. Church.” His voice is low, urgent.
“Fine,” I grind out, casting one last look at Lexi, who’s wincing as Doc probes gently at her back.
As I follow Scar out, I’m flooded with relief. Thank fucking God I’m not a father. But now I’ve got even more questions—like who did she sleep with after me? And why do I want to put my fist through the wall at the thought of her being with another man? I have no right to ask her anything, but I want to know everything about where she’s been the last seven years.
The heavy door to the room where we hold Church shuts with a finality that echoes off the walls. Scar’s at the head of the table, his usual spot. Talon’s seated across from where I slide into a chair. He’s caressing the long wooden table he constructed out of old barn wood. Matrix is beside him, eyeing the large antique clock that sits on the wall, clicking away the seconds. Nitro’s next to me, bouncing away in his chair. I swear that guy can’t sit still.
“Church is in session.” Scar slams a gavel down, but nothing about this feels like a typical club meeting. I can feel the weight of everyone’s gaze on me.
“All right, Reaper,” Scar starts, his voice cutting through the silence. “When was the last time you saw Lexi before today?”
“Seven years.” My voice is rough with the truth. “Valentine’s Day was the last time I saw her. She just … vanished.”
“Yeah, I remember that. But why’d she leave?” Matrix leans forward, his dark eyes sharp. “You think she was pissed because you didn’t take her out or something?”
I can feel the skepticism in their stares. It’s not lost on me how it sounds. Lexi was never the kind to expect chocolates and roses. But then again, maybe I never really knew her at all.
“Nah,” I say, trying to sound more convinced than I feel. “She was a club girl. Nothing more. We didn’t do dates.”
“Did you ever make her feel like she was more to you?” Talon’s question cuts deeper than he knows. His brow furrows, but I doubt he understands the gravity of his accusation.
“Lexi wasn’t my woman,” I answer quickly, almost too quickly. “We had a good time. That’s all.”
They nod, but Nitro stays quiet, watching me with an intensity that says he sees right through the bullshit. And he does—I know he does—because as I’m saying the words, they’re sticking in my throat as thick and heavy as a lie.
“Reaper.” Nitro finally speaks up. “You’re talking, but what are you not saying?”
I meet his gaze, and there’s no hiding from the truth. I shift uncomfortably, feeling the leather chair beneath me as if it’s suddenly made of stone.
“Nothing,” I mumble.
“Brother,” Scar says, leaning back and crossing his arms over his chest. “We all saw you with her. It was more than just sex, wasn’t it?”
“Cut the crap, Reaper,” Matrix chimes in, his tone bordering on frustration. “Spill it.”
I drag a hand down my face, the stubble scratching against my palm. They’re my brothers, my family, and if anyone can understand the chaos Lexi brought into my life, it’s them.
“Fine,” I concede, my voice barely above a whisper. “It was more than that.”
“More how?” Nitro pushes, relentless as always.
“It’s complicated,” I admit. “I liked her—a lot.”
“But?” Talon prompts.
“But nothing. I didn’t plan anything for Valentine’s Day. That’s probably why she bounced without saying goodbye.”
The heavy silence that follows my admission is like a thick fog, suffocating and impenetrable. I can feel the weight of my brothers’ gazes, but it’s the unspoken judgment that presses down on me the hardest. We’re a brotherhood bound by loyalty and our horrible past, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to spill my guts to them. They don’t need to know that Lexi still has the power to turn my world on its axis.
That realization scares me more than any rival club shootout or police chase ever could. Normally, I’m the one riding headfirst into any storm, but this time, the tempest brewing around me might be more than I can handle.
“Reaper,” Matrix’s voice cuts through the tension. “Why didn’t you ever ask me to track her down?”
I grind my teeth again, finding a bitter taste at the back of my throat. “Because it was better that Lexi was gone,” I spit out. The words are a shield, a defense against the truth I’m not willing to face. “All I want is to kill and fuck. I’m not in the market for playing house, especially with some chick who’s got another dude’s brat.”
Matrix doesn’t flinch at my harsh tone. He’s heard worse from me before. He fishes something out of his pocket and slides it across the table—a slick piece of plastic that glints under the dim light. “Found this in Lexi’s purse. Tucker pulled it out of the wreck.”
It’s a keycard with a cattle branding symbol on it. A brand that still makes me sick to my stomach. It’s Blackstone’s. He uses it on the cattle—and sometimes the kids—on his ranch.
What the hell?
“Blackstone,” I mutter, rolling the card between my fingers. “What’s this doing in Lexi’s shit?”
“Don’t know.” Matrix leans back and folds his arms across his chest. “But the card looks brand new. How’s she mixed up with Blackstone? Is she a spy?”
“No. No fucking way.” I shake my head.
“Are you sure?” Scar asks.
“Fuck!” I run my fingers through my hair.
“Figure this shit out and report back to me. I want to know if we’ve got one of Blackstone’s lackeys in the clubhouse. The kid could be a front. He might not even be hers.”
“He looks like her,” Matrix says.
“And a little bit like you,” Nitro adds.
“Shut the fuck up. He’s not mine. He’s too young. I did the math!”
“Even so, we need to know how she happened to get run off the road right in front of you. I don’t believe in coincidences,” Matrix says.
“Looks like I’ve got a new mission,” I declare, pocketing the keycard.
“Be careful, brother,” Scar warns. “You don’t know what you’re stepping into.”
“Never do,” I answer with a grim smile. “But that’s never stopped me before.”
“Good. Church is over.” Scar slams the gavel, dismissing us.
With a nod to my brothers, I stand, feeling the familiar pull of adrenaline. The meeting is over, but the hunt is just beginning. And whatever lies at the end of this road, whether it’s heartache or bloodshed, I’ll ride into it head-on. I hope Lexi’s not a spy sent by Blackstone, because if she is, she’s a dead woman. I’ll put a bullet in her myself. But something tells me there’s more going on, and until I can get to the truth, I’m going to keep her close.
Very, very close.