Chapter 27
RAZOR
It’s been a few months since Sunday left me for two days, and this will be the first one we will be apart.
She kind of moved in with me, no labels attached to her luggage. The others accept we are together, but not official.
It’s exactly what I hoped for; I’m guessing she still hopes for more and occasionally we clash on that.
She never gives up asking me to make this official. Occasionally threatening me, never going through with it.
I am in paradise; this is perfection, and why would I ever want to change that?
There’s an ominous tension in The Rubicon. It’s as if a cloud sits above us and is threatening to unleash the biggest, deadliest storm we’ve ever faced.
Sunday is nervous as she sits on my bed, freshly fucked as always, biting her lower lip with anxiety.
“I’m worried about you, baby.”
Her words are fearful, and I shrug.
“Worry about the fuckers in our sight.”
“I can’t believe this is happening.”
Her eyes are wide, and I set my mouth into a grim line.
“Ryder is pissed, Ashton is upset, and Flash and Jennifer, along with Lou and Brewer, are beside themselves.”
She reminds me what’s at stake because we had word that our kids are in danger and it’s happening tonight.
I pull on my boots, and she whispers, “What if?”
I glare at her. “There will be no what if’s, darlin’. The kids will be coming home with us.”
“I believe you, Razor, but–”
“No buts either. Drake has assured us he has it under control. We are going to get our family.”
Cassie, Ryder’s daughter, Jack, Lou and Brewer’s son, and Imogen, Flash and Jennifer’s daughter, have got mixed up in some shit at Rockwell Academy, their college.
Drake is a fellow Reaper who was sent in to watch out for them disguised as a history teacher.
He reported back that on prom night they are in danger and we are heading there shortly.
When we head out on a mission, danger claws at every breath I take, but when it concerns our own, that breath is on fire.
Ryder is not a man to fuck with, and his daughter is everything to him.
His wife will understandably be fearful, and his family’s happiness has always been his number one priority.
I add, “If you’re worried about anyone, darlin’. Spare a thought for those kids because when they return here, their lives won’t be worth living.”
“They’re just kids, Razor.”
“Kids who messed with the wrong crowd and could end up dead. If you think Ryder is gonna let Cassie out of his sight from now on, you don’t know shit.”
“I’m worried about you — all of you.”
Her eyes are spilling tears, and I drop down beside her and wipe them away. My mouth swooping in for one last lingering kiss and only the thump on my door distracts me back to the job at hand.
“I’ll be okay, darlin’. It’s the others you should worry about.”
I reluctantly head to the door, and as I open it, my brother stands there, his expression grim, his resolve set.
I slam the door behind me and my attention is no longer on my girl. It’s on what happens next at Rockwell fucking Academy.
We head to the armory to tool up, and Blade says gruffly, “Word is, it’s some freaking shit show called The Serpent Society. By all accounts, the principal is heavily involved in that, and there’s some kind of sacrifice scheduled for tonight.”
“Sacrifice!” I blow out a breath. “Fuck that weird shit.”
Now I’m worried because if Ryder sees his kid in danger, he’s liable to lose his shit big time, and as I witness the soldiers spilling from the armory, my heart starts pumping retribution.
I can’t help it. I love the battle; I always have. The anticipation, the danger, the uncertainty of what it will bring. My adrenaline is high and my excitement supercharged, and as we tool up, I can’t wait to get going.
Fifty bikes start their engines, and as we ride out, I settle beside my brother in the middle of the pack. It’s an ominous sight for sure, and the journey will be a few hours, despite the fact we ride like fucking racers, whipping up the miles as if we can fly.
* * *
It takes a while, but we come to a stop in the middle of nowhere. Apparently, there is a disused house that this society uses for its activities.
We received instructions, and Blade heads off with Flash to storm the building when we start firing, to grab the hostages and get them the hell out of there.
I doubt Flash will get the chance because by all accounts, Drake has fallen for his daughter and is liable to fight to get to her first. It’s a volatile situation loaded with danger, and for the first time in my history with the Reapers, nerves swirl around us like an unwanted visitor.
There is too much to lose if shit goes south, which is why it’s important to follow orders and treat it like a military operation.
We are not the only ones here.
Ryder approaches a group of men in black suits who surround the house, stepping back to allow us through.
“Fucking mafia.” Snake growls, “Cassie is seeing one of their sons. Ryder is going to have a lot to say about that.”
I notice Drake entering the house with Flash and Blade, and as we head to our position, I sense the net closing on the targets within.
I join Snake and several others as we approach the property from the rear.
Our instructions are to head upstairs to the galleried landing, remove the kids to safety and take out the threat below us.
Shoot to kill was the instruction. Any fucking robed figure will be fair game.
It’s a delicate situation that could turn to shit, so precision is key as we rescue our family.
I hear chanting as we approach, and as expected, there is security in front of us, their guns drawn, the triggers pointing at the heads of the kids.
My rage is palpable as Snake hisses.
“Take it slow and steady.”
He is right to advise caution because one false move and those fuckers could put a bullet in the kid’s brains.
I prime my gun, the silencer effective as I ease toward the target. My mind focused.
Beneath us, a man cries out, “What the fuck is going on? Who the hell are you?”
I understand the mafia will be closing in on the scene below and have obviously arrived, creating the distraction we need. A different voice, low and husky, reaches us from below, referencing the threat to the kids in front of us now.
“First, tell your men to lower their guns and let the kids go.”
“Now why would I do that?” The man says with a sinister edge to his voice.
Snake growls, “Now.”
I act fast, moving out of the shadows, my trigger close to the guard’s head as I pull it, his brains exiting from the hole, his body slumping to the floor.
I grab the kid in front of me and run like hell back the way I came, leaving many of my brothers to replace me, their sole concentration on what is happening below.
We fall out into the night, and Snake has Cassie, who is sobbing in his arms. I’m guessing she’s shocked, frightened, and fearful of what happens when her daddy appears. Snake has his arms around her, her head against his chest, whispering words of comfort.
I guard the kid in my grasp, whose eyes scan the area, and then she says with a slight tremble to her voice, “Thank you.”
Her eyes find mine in the darkness, and her gaze lingers on another kid nearby. She whispers, “Can I go to my boyfriend?”
“Sure.”
I move with them, noting how she falls into his arms, and I sigh inside. Fucking kids. They would follow their leader if they jumped off a fucking cliff. Let’s hope they learned a huge lesson tonight.
A siren alerts me to a wailing ambulance, and I catch Blade heading out of the house, carrying a body, closely followed by Drake and Flash.
They jump into the ambulances and head off screaming, and I notice Cassie in some kid’s arms as Brewer’s son Jack heads toward them, and its obvious their conversation is an intense one.
I note the mafia leaving the building, searching for their kids who are being guarded by our small army. As the families reunite, I note trouble approaching and wonder if Cassie realizes just how angry her father is right now.
Ryder is striding toward the group, and Cassie breaks free and runs at speed toward him. As he holds out his arms, I swallow the lump in my throat as she falls into his arms that close around her like a steel cage.
Snake moves beside me and says in a low, husky whisper, “Brewer is reading Jack the fucking riot act back there. I’m guessing Cassie is about to hear the same script.”
As I continue watching, I doubt that because Cassie can do no wrong in her father’s eyes and all that will matter to him is that she’s safe. They all are.