Chapter 25 Reaper
Lexi snatches the phone out of my hand and screams, “Where’s my son?”
I can’t hear what Nina is saying, so I grab the phone away from Lexi and put it on speaker. “Nina, take us through exactly what happened.”
“Of course,” she says, taking a deep breath. “Ace was outside playing with the other kids while I made lunch. One of the prospects, Tommy, was supposed to be watching them. With the whole custody case and all, Scar sent extra prospects over to help keep an eye on the kids.”
“Tommy?” It takes a second before his face pops into my mind. “Early twenties, lots of acne?”
“That’s him. He’s been here before, and we never had a problem with him.” She pauses, and I can almost feel her trembling through the phone. “I was just about to bring the sandwiches out when one of the kids came running in, screaming that Tommy took Ace.” She chokes back a sob. “The kid was holding Ace’s teddy bear—the one he never lets go of.”
“Damn it,” I mutter, clenching my fist. My blood boils at the thought of someone betraying us like this. Matrix runs background checks on everyone who prospects for the club. How did this fucker slip through?
“Blackstone sent me a text,” Nina continues, her voice shaking. “He has Ace, Reaper. He wants to trade him for the teddy bear.”
“Son of a bitch! A fucking teddy bear? That doesn’t make any sense,” I snap.
“Why?” Lexi moans, tears welling up in her eyes.
Before I can respond, the door bursts open and Matrix storms into my bedroom. Lexi scrambles to cover herself, but I don’t give a fuck about clothes right now.
“Blackstone has Ace at the ranch!” Matrix shouts, his face red with rage.
“I know,” I snap, glaring at him for barging in like that. “Nina’s on the phone.”
“Tell her to keep the other kids inside. Don’t let either of them out of her sight.”
“You get that, Nina?” I ask, trying to stay calm. “Keep a close eye on the others. We’re going to get Ace back.”
Nina’s voice trembles as she apologizes. “I should’ve kept him by my side, Reaper. I’m so sorry.”
“None of this is your fault,” I reassure her, gritting my teeth. “We have a snake in our midst. We’ll deal with him later. Right now, our priority is getting Ace back.”
I end the call with Nina and slam my phone down on the nightstand, fury coursing through me like wildfire. Lexi’s face is pale and her eyes shimmer with unshed tears.
“Reaper,” Matrix says, his voice low and urgent. “I saw the prospect drive Ace onto Blackstone’s property. He drove right past my security cameras. I’m sure it was Ace and the traitorous bastard.”
“Son of a bitch,” I growl, clenching my fists so tightly that my knuckles turn white. “Ace is in that house with Blackstone.”
“Reaper, how could he know about Ace?” Lexi whispers, her voice trembling. “Our son … he’s alone with a predator.”
“Blackstone must’ve found out Ace is my boy somehow,” I say, my jaw clenched tight. “We don’t know how he turned one of our prospects against us, but we need to act fast before he does something to Ace.”
“Everyone else’s kids are highly guarded,” Matrix says, his eyes dark with worry. “He could have come after any of ours, but he chose Ace. We can’t let him get away with this.”
“Damn right,” I respond, determination filling every fiber of my being. “We’re getting Ace back, and we’re going to make Blackstone pay for this.”
“Reaper, please,” Lexi pleads, gripping my arm, her touch both gentle and desperate. “Bring our son home safely.”
“I will, Lexi,” I promise her, looking into her terrified eyes. “I’ll bring him back, no matter what it takes.”
“Let’s move!” Matrix’s urgency mirrors my own. “Time’s not on our side.”
The sound of heavy footsteps and urgent voices fills my ears as Scar, Nitro, and Talon burst into the bedroom. I can see the anger and fear on their faces.
“Get dressed,” Scar orders. “Church. Now.”
Without another word, they leave as quickly as they entered, leaving Lexi and me alone. She flings herself at me, her body trembling with fear and desperation.
“Oh God, you have to save him.” Tears roll down her cheeks. “I can’t imagine—”
“Don’t! Jesus! Don’t even think about that.” I cut her off before she can drag me down that dark path. “I swear to you, I’m going to get our son back,” I promise, gripping her tightly to my chest.
“You’d better.” She sniffs hard, clinging to my shoulders.
After I pry her off me, I quickly get dressed and head to the room where the rest of the motorcycle club is gathered. The air is thick with tension as Scar calls for an update.
“All right, what the fuck happened?” he demands.
Matrix and I start talking over each other, trying to relay all we know about Ace’s kidnapping. The urgency of the situation makes it difficult to filter through all the information.
“Wait, wait,” Scar interrupts, raising his hand. “Why does Blackstone want that bear?”
“I don’t know,” I admit, frustration gnawing at me. “But whatever his reason, it’s not good.”
Matrix gets up and walks toward the door. “I’m going to Nina’s to see what’s so special about Ace’s teddy bear. There must be something we’re missing.”
“Be careful,” I warn. “We don’t know why he wants the bear, but it could be some kind of trap.”
“Find out what you can. Every bit of information helps,” Scar says.
“Of course,” Matrix nods, already heading out the door. “I’ll text you.”
“We need to go kill Blackstone now.” I stare at each member of the club, daring them to challenge me. My hands ball into fists as rage takes over. “Every damn minute Ace is alone with that bastard, he’s in danger.”
“Agreed,” Scar says, his voice matching the intensity of my own. “Using the information you got from that guard, we should be able to get into Blackstone’s place without a huge shootout. But remember, we’re still outnumbered by his guards.”
“Clock’s ticking,” Nitro snaps, his eyes fierce.
“Damn right it is,” Talon adds.
“We ride out now. There’s not a minute to waste,” Scar says, slamming his gavel down to end the meeting.
We all stand. Urgency pulses through the room like a living thing. As we prepare to leave the clubhouse and ride to Blackstone’s mansion, Lexi comes out of my room, her fear for our son radiating off her.
“Did you get an update?” She presses her hands into her belly.
“Not yet. We’re going to Blackstone’s right now.”
“I want to come with you.”
“No. You’d be a distraction. You have to trust me on this. We know what we’re doing,” I say, looking into her eyes, so she knows I mean it. Every fiber of my being is committed to saving Ace.
“If anything happens to him …” She grips my arm. “I’ll never forgive myself.”
“Neither will I,” I admit softly, my heart pounding in my chest. The weight of what’s at stake presses down on me, but I don’t let it show. “Listen to me. I’m either coming back with Ace, or I’ll be coming back in a body bag. There’s no other option.”
Her tears spill over, breaking something inside me. But I can’t let my emotions get the best of me now. My son’s life depends on it.
“Reaper, you can’t …” she chokes out, but I cut her off.
“I won’t fail. Saving Ace is the most important mission of my life.” I pull her close, kissing her fiercely, wanting her to feel my resolve. When I finally release her, I say softly, “Ace and I will be home soon.”
She whimpers and steps back, watching me go.
I join the other men outside. Tucker joins the others, his face set in a grim expression. Scar, Talon, and Nitro have gathered around, each man checking his gun before mounting their motorcycles.
The tension is palpable, but we’re all determined to rescue Ace from a fate worse than death. I have no doubt that in our minds, we’re all back in that dungeon. We tried to save the other kids back then, but we couldn’t. Now, we have a chance at redemption.
“Brothers!” Scar’s voice commands our attention. “Let’s ride.”
As we roar down the road, my thoughts race. How did it come to this? Blackstone snatched Ace from under our noses. It’s inconceivable. We thought we were protecting Ace along with the custody case kids, but somehow, we missed something. And now, my son is in danger.
The wind whips past me, but it does nothing to cool the fire burning inside. I grip my handlebars tighter, feeling the familiar power of my motorcycle beneath me. It’s a reminder of who I am, what I stand for—loyalty, family, and justice.
“Stay focused, and you will get through this,” I tell myself, knowing that if I let my anger get the best of me, I might make a mistake that could cost Ace his life. “You’ve got this.”
As we close in on Blackstone’s mansion, I steel myself for the fight ahead. The clock is ticking, and every second wasted means more danger for my son. But one thing’s for sure—I won’t stop until I bring Ace home.