Chapter 4
Chapter Four
THE REAPER
The moment the new guy walked in with his girl, I had this feeling that trouble was on the horizon.
I didn’t like the way he just up and left her, to go to the bar, and when she did sit with him, he acted like he couldn't care less about her.
He gave me a bad taste in my mouth, but I had to sit back and let things play out the way they did before I could intervene.
As the president of the Graves motorcycle club, I make it known to our members and those who run this bar that if anyone is ever in danger, let me know.
It can be a suspicion of something going on, or an actual confession.
Regardless, it’s important to me to help those who set foot into this bar.
Being within this brotherhood has caused me to become hypervigilant of warning signs for when people are in danger, which made me set my sights on this beautiful blonde-haired girl.
Knowing that she’s with the ass of a man, who couldn't care less about her, has me itching to get to know her and save her from him.
But then again, I'll only step in if that's something she truly wants.
Suzie is behind the bar, and she knows just what to look out for.
Part of being in my club and working at my bar, I ensured all the members and staff took a domestic violence course.
This helps to prepare anyone, if there is a situation such as the one that I know is going to go down in here.
I can see the fear in her face, the long sleeves covering her body in the warm weather, and the bruises of various healing stages. Some people don't pay close attention to these things, but for me, I sure as hell do.
Before I joined the club, I lost my sister to domestic violence. She was in a horrible relationship and was beaten to death. Ever since that day, I've made it my mission to ensure nobody else I come in contact with ends up like her. I want to be the person they can lean on and feel safe with.
Luckily, there haven't been too many people who have come through that needed the help, but for the people who have…
we ensure they get what they need. Their partners also get what's coming to them. The people who need help have to want help too. I would never walk up to someone and put their lives in jeopardy if they aren’t ready to get the support they need and deserve.
Suzie has done a good job of working the bar tonight.
She’s picked up on some of the warning signs that are coming from the girl in front of me.
She knows to be careful and not cross any limits, or she can do more harm than good.
We keep making periodic glances at each other and have certain signs when something seems to be going in the wrong direction.
This helps to keep everything under wraps.
I keep telling the club members that we should set up a system where people can easily find our bar to get help, but we haven’t made it that far yet.
I know it would be beneficial, so that’s something I’m going to have to dig a little deeper into.
I take another glance over to Suzie, and she gives me the sign that the lady in front of her used the drink code that she needs help. I give her the signal in return to come over, so I can get a rundown of what she’s seen up close.
“What’s going on?” I ask.
"She appears to be afraid of the man who came in with her.
I heard her name is Ariel when he tried to get her attention earlier.
From what I can tell, she has some bruises that were noticeable when she was drinking her drink.
She asked for an angel shot, and I immediately sprang into action.
The guy she came with seems not to be paying any mind to her and is too busy playing some pool with Baine and Bam Bam, so I think this is our one and only opening right now. "
I love how detailed she is in the assessments that she gives. Having a name is definitely important too, so she doesn’t feel like just another person. She can be called by her name and feel like a human that her guy probably never made her feel like.
“Perfect. We need to get the guys to distract him and into the basement while I get Ariel to safety. This needs to be done smoothly and not have a scene raised here in the bar. If it ever gets out that we kidnap abusers and kill them off, then there might be some bad wraps that come from the club.”
“I got you. I’ll get the message sent in the chat to get the ball rolling. You focus on the girl, and I'll be over to help shortly," Suzie says.
With that, I hear the ding of my phone.
Suzie: A.S. at the bar. New guy playing pool.
I look over and see Baine look at his watch, indicating he got this message.
Baine: 10-4.
He and Bam Bam know exactly what to do next and are able to get him moving in the direction I want him to.
It’s crazy because not once does he look back to make sure Ariel is okay.
This is perfectly fine, though, since it allows me to make my move towards her.
I know she might feel intimidated, so this is when Suzie comes into play to help.
Once I attempt to get her attention, she doesn’t bother to move a muscle until Suzie’s calming voice brings her in and gets her to move.
“It’s okay, sweetheart. You’re safe,” I say when we get into the backroom.
Now, I just need to make sure she knows that the man will never be able to lay another finger on her, without scaring her away too soon.