Chapter 18 Reaper
Reaper
Icaught Link out back later that morning, moments before church. He was leaning against the wall, smoking.
“Walk with me,” I said. It wasn’t a request.
He fell into step, flicking the butt to the ground. We rounded the corner to a quiet stretch, out of earshot of the others. Then I turned, crowding him back against the wall.
“You think I didn’t notice last night?” I snapped. “You think you get to play guard dog with her?”
His jaw flexed, but he didn’t drop his eyes. “I wasn’t playing anything, Pres. She was outside. Fangs showed. I wasn’t about to leave her alone.”
I leaned in, close enough he could feel the heat radiating off me. “She’s not your problem to solve. You don’t get between me and her. Ever.”
He shifted his weight. “Somebody had to look out for her. You seemed pretty busy with Gabby.”
The words landed like a body blow. My fist twitched, ready to put him on the floor, but worse than the rage was the flash of shame hot in my gut. He wasn’t wrong. Gabby’s touch had been nothing but noise, but to Lucy and anyone else watching, it probably looked like I’d chosen her.
“You’re skating thin ice, Link,” I ground out. “You’re good with numbers. Smart. Don’t make the mistake of thinking that earns you rights you don’t have.”
His nostrils flared, but he didn’t back down. “I’m just saying, Lucy deserves someone paying attention.”
That fuelled something inside me. He had no claim, none of them did, and neither did I. Hell, I shouldn’t even have wanted her. But the thought of any of my brothers getting close made something dark coil tight in my chest.
Worse than that, Kingsley’s smirk was still in my head, and the way his boys had circled her. If Link thought I was blind to that, he was wrong. If Lucy thought she could walk into a place like that without consequence, she was dead wrong.
I let the silence stretch, thick enough to choke on, before stepping back. “Church in five. Don’t keep me waiting.”
He exhaled slow but nodded.
The atmosphere in church was thick with tension. Men filed in, their faces apprehensive. Riot stood at the front, waiting for me, while Boxer took a seat near the door, keeping a watchful eye on the room.
I stood at the head of the table, the skull patch on my kutte almost glowing in the dim light. I let the silence drag on for a few beats before I spoke.
“We’ve got a rat,” I said flatly, eyes scanning the room. No one dared to speak, but the shift in the air was palpable. “The shipment’s gone. The money’s gone. I want answers, and I want them now. Anyone got a problem with that?”
The room was deathly still.
I turned to Riot, who stepped forward. “We’ve got a list of names. Some of these men have been acting strange, too quiet, too nervous.”
“You think one of them sold us out?” Gage’s voice rumbled from the back.
“I don’t know,” Riot answered, his gaze hard. “But we’re gonna find out. Fast.”
My jaw clenched. “If we find the rat, it’s over. We deal with it in the only way we know how. No exceptions.” I slumped down into my seat.
At the sound of the door opening, I glanced towards the back of the room, where Lucy had slipped in quietly. She stood by the door, her eyes wide but determined. I couldn’t help the spike of irritation that shot through me. She didn’t belong here.
“Lucy,” I called, my voice cold. She straightened, locking eyes with me. “You’re not welcome in church. Leave.”
She didn’t back down. Instead, her lips curved into a small, challenging smile. “I’m not leaving until I get the truth.”
My pulse quickened. I stood slowly, the chair scraping hard against the wood floor as I shoved it back. The room went dead silent again.
“You don’t get to come in here and make demands.” My tone was sharp. Grown men had shrunk back from me using that voice, but Lucy stood still, arms folded over her chest, chin held high.
I stepped towards her, each word hitting like a hammer as my anger grew.
“This is a church meeting. You think you can walk into the heart of this club, the one place nobody steps into uninvited, and talk at me like I owe you something?” My jaw tightened, pulse racing, I was so mad, I was spitting.
“Not even the old ladies come in here. But you? You interrupt, disrespect my seat, and then smile like it’s some goddamn game? ”
“Jay—” she started.
“In here, in this clubhouse, it’s Pres. Out,” I boomed, pointing to the door, chest heaving. “Now.”
She opened her mouth, but the look in my eyes made her pause. The room stayed still, watching, waiting.
“You want answers? Fine, but not in here, not like this. You don’t disrespect the patch. You don’t disrespect me. Not ever.”
She hesitated, but only for a second. Then, without a word, she turned and walked out.
I stood there a moment longer, jaw clenched tight, before slamming my chair back into place and sitting down, the fury still radiating off me.
“That’s more like it,” Gage said smugly.
I didn’t respond. My eyes stayed locked on the door she’d walked through.
The room fell into an uneasy silence as Riot began laying out the names of suspects, the list narrowing down.
One by one, the men took turns making their cases, none of them willing to admit to anything, but their unease was palpable.
I could feel the walls closing in. We had a rat, and when we found him, all hell would break loose.