Chapter Sixteen
It wasn’t always about sex, and Reaper held onto his Grace and just basked in the moment of peace and quiet.
They’d interrogated the secretary for the day.
The blonde’s name was Pheobe Fields, and she’d been hoping to become a lawyer, and when she started working at Cartright’s, she felt it would give her a front seat view of the job she wanted.
Her goal was to be a good lawyer, on the right side of the law.
Instead, what she ended up being was forced into sexual servitude by Cartright himself as he’d taken a fancy to her.
It didn’t matter that she told him no. He wanted what he wanted, and there was no saying no to a man like that.
Phoebe tried and failed. When she tried to go to the police, he was there.
He told her he could make her life exceedingly difficult if she didn’t comply with him. There were so many people on his side. There was no one to turn to. She’d started to lose hope, and she also realized there didn’t appear to be any right or wrong side of the law.
Cartright made her hate every single thing about the legal system.
She saw with the right money and power, it was easy to take everything away from the innocent.
That wasn’t the law to her, so instead of quitting, she started to learn everything there was about Cartright, in the hope of him stepping out of line and fucking something up, like pissing off a biker club.
She knew the shit Cartright was into, from the women he forced on the streets to whore for him.
There were even women he used to help him blackmail powerful businessmen.
According to Phoebe, all the details were contained in a single flash drive.
One Cartright had misplaced. She didn’t know where it was, but she believed Heidi had it.
The flash drive also held every piece of blackmailed evidence he’d used, from helping gang members get away with murder, and rapists to go free as well.
Phoebe had also been keeping her own records, making her the ultimate witness.
The list of what Cartright was capable of even surprised Reaper, and he was not a man that was easily surprised.
Yet, Cartright was right at the top. Phoebe was terrified. Reaper didn’t know if he should trust her. She didn’t look forced when he stormed into the office, but like she said, she was threatened and wanted to live. She wanted to make Cartright pay.
So, for now, she didn’t get to roam freely within the club.
She could keep to a single room within the basement where she had round-the-clock supervision, as well as three meals a day.
This had been going on now for three days.
Reaper expected her to crack, expected to find her trying to get to her cell phone, yet that hadn’t happened.
Phoebe seemed pretty content to just sit and allow them to take care of her.
This was why he’d taken a rare moment to bring Grace to one of his special places.
It wasn’t to fuck her, just to hold her.
He had a feeling when Cartright made his next move, things were going to get chaotic.
He loved chaos, but it also meant Grace’s safety would be at the very top.
“You’re quiet,” Grace said, lifting her head. “What do you know?”
“I don’t know nothing.”
She tutted. “I thought we promised we were not going to lie to each other, and here you are, lying. Talk to me, Reaper, or do you think I’m a spy for Cartright?”
He held her a little tighter. “I know you’re not a spy.”
She rested her head against his chest. “Is it bad?”
“It’s not good. Not by any stretch of the imagination,” he said. “Don’t worry, we’ll deal with it.”
“Do you think Phoebe’s telling the truth? Cartwright’s a judge, wouldn’t that mean he has to be careful?”
“You mean, like putting a flash drive inside a pen that no one would think to steal because he had his initials engraved on it?” Reaper asked.
She winced. “You’re right. I guess I was looking for some way to cheer you up, but I’m not helping, am I?”
“Grace, you and me, we’re alone. We’re enjoying the peace and quiet, trust me, I am more than fine right now.” He kissed the top of her head. “You’ve got to trust me.”
“I do trust you, Reaper.” She sighed. “Do you know what I was thinking?”
He shook his head, because there was no way of him ever knowing what this woman was thinking.
“I was thinking about the first time you and I met, and that already feels so long ago now, and how ... rude I was to you.” She smiled.
This made Reaper chuckle. “You being rude, you think that’s funny?”
“No, it’s really not funny, but look at us now. I mean, come on, I was horrible to you.” She winced. “How could you even want to be with someone like me?”
This made Reaper laugh. “Babe, you need to look into the mirror, because you’re fucking gorgeous.
Second, I thought it was cute. Usually, women are throwing themselves at me.
You didn’t. You were afraid, and you were angry, and it has been a long time since a woman has been so ...
cold with me. Also, I think what helped was the fact you kept looking at me, even when you didn’t want to keep looking. That is what I found cute.”
“You were nothing like my parents said you would be. You even remembered everyone’s coffee order, and all the women seemed to adore you.”
“That’s because I am adorable.” He winked at her, and she threw her arms around his neck, and she leaned in close.
He loved this woman more than anything else in the world, and he knew how special she was, how precious. Reaper was just about to ask her to marry him, when he got a call. It was Lord’s ringtone. He learned long ago to never ignore his prez, so he pulled his cell phone out of his pocket.
“You need to come quick. I’ve got word that Cartright is coming and we’ve got the blonde, the flash drive, and a whole lot of shit headed our way.”
“I’m on my way.”
****
Grace didn’t know how they knew Cartright was on the way, but they had just enough time to make it back to the clubhouse.
Reaper changed from his bike to a car Grace had never seen before, and he was given the flash drive, as well as Phoebe.
There was no way they were going to be able to keep her safe with Cartright on the way.
She watched as Lord spoke to Reaper. The two men shook hands, and then Reaper climbed into the driver’s side of the car after securing her in the passenger seat.
He turned over the ignition, and within seconds they were out of the grounds and turning right.
Just after Reaper turned the corner, Grace heard the police sirens. Only, she wasn’t able to see them.
“Is everything going to be all right?” Grace asked, thinking about the club, the men, and the women. They had to be okay, because they had become her friends. Although that was a stupid reason. They should live because Cartright was in the wrong.
“Does that flash drive give you everything you need?” Phoebe asked.
Grace looked behind her at Phoebe. She understood why Reaper was so hesitant to trust this woman. There was a lot riding on this.
“Did you know Cartright enjoyed beating his wife?” Reaper asked.
“Yes, it’s like a secret that everyone knows.” Phoebe threw her hands in the air. “Why is that such a shock to you? Trust me, I didn’t want that man’s dick in my mouth, but I didn’t have a choice. That’s what he does. He corners you like a tiny little animal and terrifies you, and then he strikes.”
Grace had a feeling this woman was telling the truth. She dealt with dozens of women coming into the women’s shelter, and she could usually tell when they were being honest.
“He’s done a number on you, hasn’t he?” Grace asked.
Phoebe stopped ranting and looked toward Grace. “He’s made me hate lawyers, and trust me, I wasn’t too fond of them to begin with.”
“You wanted to be one,” Reaper said.
“Yeah, I wanted to be a good one, and Cartright is supposed to be a good judge, but he is as dirty as they come.” She wrinkled her nose.
“Trust me, if I could have gotten out, I would have. Cartright’s evil and the fact people are afraid of him, including myself, pisses me off.
” She let out a breath. “You have no idea how thankful I was when you came into that office, Reaper. It was the first time I have ever seen him terrified.” There was a moment of silence and Grace knew what Phoebe meant. Reaper had saved both of them.
She reached out, and took hold of Reaper’s hand.
“It still doesn’t change the fact Cartright knows you’re here. We’re on borrowed time.”
“So, the flash drive, does it really contain every little detail?” Phoebe asked. “From him hurting and abusing his wife, to the bad deals he’s made, to blackmail, and all that shit?”
Grace looked from Reaper to Phoebe, and back again. Reaper, after several seconds finally nodded his head, but she saw that he struggled. Phoebe fist-bumped the air.
“Here is what I think we should do,” Pheobe said. “We need to upload that thing.”
“Upload it?” Reaper asked.
“The whole world needs to know what kind of a monster Cartright is, but not only that, we need to show the deals he’s made. The beds he keeps jumping in and out of, all of it.”
“You don’t want to use this to get anything from him?” Reaper asked. “You have your own evidence, too. You could use that.”
“What?” Phoebe asked.
“You could use it to get some blackmail money, and find a way to escape this.”
“Fuck that. I want to bring this bastard down. I know what kind of monster this asshole is, and trust me, he would not keep to his word. The moment he could, he’d hunt me down, kill me, and take all his money back.
Cartright doesn’t play to make deals, or share the wealth.
He plays the game to win. Everyone else is collateral damage.
Look at the way he was with his own wife and daughter.
He’s not hoping to win her back. He’s not saying sorry for what he has done.
He wanted his flash drive because he thought she had taken it. ”
“She had,” Grace said. “I just don’t think she realized what she had taken exactly.”
She looked toward Reaper, and he nodded.
“Is that what you’re thinking to do with it?” Phoebe asked. “To talk some sense into that evil bastard?”
“It might help.”
“No, that is not going to help. All it will do is keep him doing what he does. There will be another woman out there, but she will not be able to wait and hold out hope, and she might kill herself. He is a monster and needs to be removed from his place of power.”
Grace saw the desperation in Phoebe’s eyes. This was not an act. She was not playing her part in the hope of getting the flash drive for Cartright. Phoebe wanted justice. She wanted to make Cartright suffer.
“You want to upload it?” Reaper asked.
“Yes, I know a guy at the local radio station on Bryne Street, and trust me, he’ll be able to get it uploaded and seen by the whole freaking world.” Phoebe leaned back in her seat.
“And who is this guy?”
“Do you have the flash drive or not?” Phoebe asked.
“You don’t make the rules here, sweetheart. You tell me what you know, and I will tell you if we’re going to play it that way,” Reaper said.