Chapter 14 Reaper
The door slams behind me with a force that could shake the heavens, but it’s nothing compared to the storm raging inside my chest. Lexi, with her tear-streaked face and trembling lips, had every chance to come clean—to tell me the truth about Ace. But she just sat there, as silent as a graveyard at midnight, leaving me to chase down ghosts and half-truths. My fists clench at my sides, each heartbeat screaming betrayal.
“Which murder, Lexi? Which goddamn one did you see?” I mutter, stalking through the dimly lit hallway, the shadows clinging to me like a second skin.
The weight of her admission brings a whole new wave of questions, but I can’t turn around. Not now. Because witnessing a murder isn’t the biggest secret she was keeping. The fact that she may have robbed me of knowing my own blood is a much larger sin. It’s disgraceful. Unforgivable.
I’m halfway through the living room when the shrill ring of my phone shatters the silence. I pull it out of my cut and glance at the screen.
Matrix.His timing’s always been shit.
“Reaper,” he barks into the line. “I just heard back from my friend at the crime lab.”
“Spit it out,” I growl, the words grating against my throat.
“The DNA results came back. It’s confirmed, man. Ace is yours.”
Time stalls, the world tilting on its axis. No. Nononono. This can’t be happening—not now, not ever. I’m not father material; hell, I’m barely human some days.
“Run it again,” I snap, desperation in my tone. “It’s gotta be wrong. It has to be.”
“Already did before I called. It’s ironclad, brother.”
My hand tightens around the phone. My knuckles turn whiter than bleached bone. I’m a father? The word echoes in my skull, a cruel joke played by fate. Images of a child looking up at me, expecting … What? Love? Guidance? All things I’m fresh out of.
“Fuck,” I hiss, the word slicing through the air, raw and savage. “I’d be the worst father ever.”
“Reaper—”
“Shut up.” The walls close in, and my breaths come in short, fast bursts. “I can’t—I can’t deal with this right now.”
“Listen, you’re not alone. The rest of us, well, except Talon, we’ve all got kids. We’re here for you, brother. We’ll help you figure out how to be a family.”
“Family?” I spit out the word like it’s poison. “You think I want to drag a kid into my world? Into this life?”
“Maybe it’s not about what you want. Maybe it’s about what he needs.”
“Dammit, Matrix!” I explode. “Just—just run the damn test again!”
“Reaper, I—”
“Run it!” The command is a gunshot, final and deadly. There’s silence on the other end of the line where my brother’s voice should be, but it’s too late. I’ve already killed the call, severing our connection.
I lean against the wall, but the cool plaster does nothing to quench the fire consuming me. A father. Me? The thought is as horrifying as staring down the barrel of a loaded gun.
“Fuck,” I whisper into the darkness. “What now? Nina. She’ll know what to do.”
Pulling my keys out of my cut, I head outside to get my bike. Two prospects are sitting in the rocking chairs Nina bought us at the beginning of the summer. They immediately jump to their feet. Fear flashes across their faces.
“What the fuck are you two doing? Aren’t you supposed to be on patrol?” I get right in one of the prospect’s faces. He’s about half my size and cowers under the threat.
“Sorry, man. It’s just been so quiet since the shootout.”
“But that shit can change in an instant. Where the fuck is Tucker?”
“Reaper!” Tucker jogs over, materializing out of the forest. “What’s up?”
“These two lazy fuckers are sitting on their asses. Put them to work.”
“Right away, brother.”
As Tucker barks orders, I turn my back on them and get on my bike. I trust that he’ll be able to handle shit while I’m gone. Tucker has never fucked up. Not even once.
The roar of my Harley slices through the silence as I tear down the highway, the wind battling against me like an adversary I can neither defeat nor escape. The throttle vibrates under my grip, shuddering with enough pent-up energy to mirror the turmoil in my chest. Every mile puts distance between me and the chaos in my head, but it’s not enough. It never is.
Matrix talked about Ace becoming my family. But that would mean Lexi’s going to have to be a part of it too. But how can I ever trust her again after this? Trust isn’t something I take lightly. Other than my club brothers, everyone in my life has betrayed me.
Everyone.
As I drive up the long road to Nina’s place, the ranch’s formidable walls silhouette the horizon. The place is a fucking fortress, and it should be. It’s where we hide the people we’re helping until we can get them into a sort of underground railroad. We’ve sent dozens of innocent women, men, and children into hiding over the years. We’ve got clubs all over the country. Once we pass the person off, we don’t know where they end up. That’s part of the system. It ensures that they can’t be tracked. If we don’t know where they go, then no one else can get that information out of us.
I slow as I approach Nina’s place. The security gate stands before me, a barrier that keeps the outside world away. I pull up to it and put my foot down to balance the bike while I wait. When the dust settles on the gravel, I kill the engine. Silences settles around me. The chirp of birds in the trees and the vibrant blue sky overhead do little to ease the rage bubbling up inside me.
I look up at the camera. Its unblinking eye fixes on me, and for a moment, I’m tempted to turn around. To run from what awaits me on the other side of that gate. Nina’s shrewd, and she calls me out on my bullshit, but I need her take on things. I’m willing to deal with her judgment if it means earning a little wisdom along the way.
The gate buzzes. The sound grates against the birdsong while the gate slides open. Nina didn’t even ask why I’m here. She probably already knows. At this point, Matrix must have told everyone. The whole club knows about it, but they’re smart enough to leave me alone.
I throttle the bike, guiding it through the gate with a steady hand. When I reach her modern farmhouse-style porch, I park. The door doesn’t open, so I knock.
“Out back,” Nina calls from somewhere behind the house.
I find her standing on the back porch with an iced tea in her hand. Her gaze isn’t on me; it’s focused on the yard, where Ace, my son, plays unaware of the storm brewing just a stone’s throw away.
“Apparently, Ace is mine,” I say, the words feeling foreign on my tongue. They hang heavy in the air, weighted with a significance I’m still grappling to understand.
“Are you sure?” Nina turns sharply, her eyes widening.
“Figured Matrix texted you already,” I mutter.
“No. Do you need a drink?” Her voice is steady, but there’s an undercurrent of something else—something that sounds a lot like joy. It’s fucking weird.
“Not right now. I’m only swinging by for a minute.” I shove my hands into the pockets of my leather cut. “Matrix called me with the DNA results. He says there’s no doubt about it. But I’m making him run the DNA again.”
Her eyes flicker to Ace, who’s now laughing, caught up in the simple joy of play. I follow her gaze, watching the boy with a curiosity that is unnerving. If he’s really mine, which is probably true since Matrix doesn’t fuck up, then God help him. Looking at him, all I see is possibility, a life untainted by my darkness. He could be everything I couldn’t be.
“Reaper,” Nina finally says, her voice pulling me back from the edge of the abyss. “He’s yours. Just look at him.”
“I know,” I whisper, dropping my chin slightly.
“What are you going to do?”
I stare at her, the answer lodged somewhere deep inside me behind walls too thick to break through. What am I going to do?
“I can’t even begin to imagine that.”
“What?”
“Being a father.”
“Why?”
“You know what I am.” I scowl. “I’m a killer, not a dad.”
“You think you’re too fucked up, right?” Nina’s voice is gentle, probing.
“Exactly.” I nod, feeling the darkness in me like a living thing, coiling and ready to strike. “I’m not cut out for fatherhood.”
She steps closer. Her presence is calm, grounding. “There’s darkness in you, Reaper, but there’s light too. Don’t lose sight of it. You’re not the devil—you’re a man who’s been to hell and back, yes, but you’ve also got a chance to be something more now.”
I scoff at the idea. “A flash of light in a world made of shadows doesn’t mean much.”
“Sometimes, a single flicker is all it takes to guide you through the night.” Nina’s conviction pierces my armor of cynicism. “You’re not the devil, Reaper. The only devil I know of is Blackstone.”
The name sends a cold shiver down my spine. “Lexi doesn’t know about him.”
“I still can’t believe she was working for him. What are the chances?”
“It’s so fucked.”
“At least she found her way back to you before Blackstone killed her. Did you figure out why he wants her dead?”
“No. She told me she left because saw something fucked up. Blackstone tried to lure Ace into the basement.”
“Jesus,” Nina breathes out, her face paling. “Did she stop Blackstone in time?”
“Yes, thank God.”
“We both know Blackstone needs to be stopped—and soon. If the rumors and whispers are true, then he’s getting back into human trafficking.” She spits out the words like venom. “Matrix and the boys are watching him, but we need more than watchful eyes. Blackstone needs to be put down.”
“Trust me, we’re trying to get close enough. Close enough to end him.” As the image of Blackstone’s face fuels the rage within me, I grip the railing.
“The club has to take care of it before he gets his hands on another kid.”
“I know. It’s the only thing on my mind.” The taste of vengeance is sharp on my tongue, a promise of retribution for the innocent lives shattered by Blackstone’s evil. Not just for me, but for Scar, Nitro, Talon, and Matrix. And for the kids who didn’t survive the way we did.
“Be careful, Reaper. He’s dangerous. Don’t underestimate him.” The concern in her voice isn’t lost on me. I know she’s worried about us, rightfully so. Blackstone is a demon in human form. I never thought demons could be real, but if they exist, he’s definitely one of them.
“He’ll pay.” I’ve lived on the edge of danger long enough to dance with death like an old friend. If I ever get close enough to kill Blackstone, I won’t hesitate.
We stand silent for a moment, the weight of our conversation lingering between us like the last notes of a funeral hymn. In the distance, Ace’s laughter cuts through the tension, a reminder that innocence still exists in this tarnished world, and it needs to be protected.
“Lexi gave us a new lead. When she was working for Blackstone, she had a keycard to the ranch. She had it on her when she crashed into the ravine. Matrix is working on getting that keycard programmed. If we can get into Blackstone’s ranch with that, then it’s game over for him.”
Nina’s gaze locks onto mine, her eyes sharp as flint. “It almost sounds too easy. You need to be cautious, Reaper. You know as well as I do that your thirst for vengeance has gotten you into trouble before. Don’t walk into a trap. Blackstone’s not just another target. He’s pure evil. The kind you don’t put down with a single bullet.”
“I know.” Her warning settles into my gut like a lead weight. “I know what I’m up against, and now there’s even more at stake.”
“Because you have a son.”
“Yeah.” I swallow, feeling my Adam’s apple bob. I glance at Ace, who is playing tag with the two boys from the custody case. Someone has to protect those kids. Blood or not, they should never be forced to go through what I went through.
“Promise me something,” Nina says, her voice softer now. “Promise me you won’t go off half-cocked. You’re not invincible, Reaper. And Blackstone is more dangerous than most of the scum we’ve dealt with.”
“I promise, Nina,” I say solemnly, the words feeling almost like an oath. I mean them, too—even if every fiber of my being screams that I should charge in and end this once and for all. If I fuck up and die, then I’ll never get the vengeance I crave. Those kids, and the ones I watched die in the basement, will never get justice.
“Good,” she replies, her voice carrying the warmth of a mother’s concern. “Don’t forget, underestimating him is probably the last mistake you’d ever make.”
“That’ll never happen. I plan every move, every angle. Blackstone might be a monster, but he bleeds just like any other man.”
Nina studies me for a moment as if she can sense the tempest brewing inside me. “What does Lexi have to say for herself?”
“Nothing. I asked her to tell me the truth, but she didn’t.”
“Did you outright ask her if Ace is yours?”
“Not exactly. I told her she needed to be honest with me. Instead of telling me about Ace, she confessed she witnessed me murdering someone.”
“Who? Which guy?” Nina asks.
“No idea. There have been so many,” I say wryly.
“You two need to work things out.”
“Yeah, right. She’s a liar through and through. I can’t be with someone like that.”
“Maybe she was too afraid to tell you the truth, especially if she saw you kill a man.”
“That’s no excuse.”
“She’s not used to seeing as much death and violence as you are. It would have been shocking to her. If she ran because of that, honestly, I wouldn’t blame her. Had she seen that and stayed anyway, I’d be even more concerned. She did the normal thing.”
“I guess,” I say noncommittally, refusing to let Lexi off the hook.
“Give her a chance to explain herself.”
“Maybe.”
“Reaper …” Her voice trails off as she turns her gaze toward the yard, where Ace is playing. His grin stabs me straight in the heart. Fuck. I can’t believe he’s mine.
“You wanna give it a try?” Nina asks softly, nodding toward my son.
“Give what a try?”
“Being a dad.”
A lump lodges itself in my throat. Deep down, I know Matrix didn’t fuck up, and Ace is mine. It’s starting to hit me. I’m staring down a whole new road—one I never planned to travel. The deck creaks as I take a step closer, watching Ace laugh. His happiness is so foreign to me that I can’t even begin to understand it. I don’t think I’ve ever been that lighthearted and fun-loving. How can I interact with something I’ve never experienced? I never got the chance to be a kid, so how do I relate to that? I can’t.
“Not yet,” I murmur, more to myself than to Nina.
“Okay,” she says gently, laying a hand on my shoulder. “When you’re ready.”
I give Ace one last glance, forcing a semblance of a smile that doesn’t quite reach my eyes. The kid’s laughter is a balm I don’t deserve, not yet. Maybe not ever.
“Take care, Nina.” My raspy voice does little to conceal my emotion.
“Always do,” she replies with a small, knowing smile.
I walk back to my bike. Swinging my leg over the seat, I fire up the engine, and the familiar rumble calms the cacophony in my mind. I kick up dust as I ride away from the ranch, leaving a cloud of uncertainty in my wake. Behind me, I leave a son I’m not ready to claim, and ahead of me, the specter of Blackstone looms—my own personal demon waiting to be slain.
I don’t look back. I can’t. Because right now, all I’ve got is the open road and a promise that feels like a noose tightening around my neck.