Page 95 of Broken Pact

My mind’s elsewhere, a million miles away, when the door chimes and an unwelcome voice cuts through the air.

“Reaper.”

I slam the laptop closed and turn around. Coraline’s douchebag ex is standing in my garage, doing his best impression of a tough guy.

“Asshole,” I greet with a smirk. “The fuck you doin’ in my garage?”

His face collapses into a scowl before he sneers at me. He saunters in like that was an invitation and looks around the garage. “I’m here about Coraline.”

My blood runs cold at her name on his lips. I take a step forward, my fingers flexing as they hang at my sides. What’s that everyone says about me? Deceptively chill. It’s my goddamn superpower. And it has the added bonus that no one ever sees it coming when I rip the mask off.

“Nah, man. She’s not your concern anymore, Wolf.” I pause, pointedly looking at his torso and the lack of a Westhaven Wolves kutte. “No colors today? Did they wise up and kick your sorry ass to the curb yet?”

His eyes land on me, a scowl slashed across his face. It’s a thinly veiled challenge. “Wrong. Typical for a Reaper.”

His bravado is flailing now. His red face and darting glance gives him away.

I fold my arms across my chest and force the smirk to my lips. “Bold of you to walk into the Reaper compound and call us out, Lawson. You got a death wish or something?”

He bristles, his lips flattening. “Consider this your final warning.”

My brows rise with disbelief. “And what exactly are you warning me about?”

“She’s mine, Reaper.” Lawson’s eyes narrow, his expression twisting into something ugly. “And this—you—are an intermission, a fucking tantrum she’s throwing. Nothing more.”

Anger flares hot in my veins, and it takes every ounce of self-control not to close the distance between us and wipe that sardonic look off his face. But I force myself to stay put, meeting his gaze head-on. “Get the fuck out of my garage, before I forget all the reasons I don’t bury people anymore.”

Grant’s face reddens further, and he takes a step closer, his jaw clenched. “I’ve got connections now. You don’t wanna fuck with me.”

I close the distance between us, getting right in his face. “Listen up, motherfucker, because I don’t have time for your shit today. You don’t talk to Coraline. You don’t see her or text her or stop by her house. You don’t even fucking think about her anymore. She does not exist for you, yeah?”

His eyes widen with fear, but he masks it quickly with bluster. “That bitch is using you to make me jealous, and you’re?—”

I fist his shirt and slam his back against the wall. “If you ever disrespect my woman like that again, I’ll make sure it’s the last thing you ever say. You get me, Lawson?”

He swallows, his gaze hard as he looks over my shoulder.

I jostle him, slamming him against the wall again. “We clear, or do I need to give you a demonstration?”

“We’re fucking clear,” he says through a clenched jaw.

“Everything good, Jagger?” Hawke asks from the doorway a few feet away.

I release Lawson’s shirt, letting him stumble away from the wall. “We’re good,” I say to Hawke, my voice calm despite the anger still simmering beneath my skin. “Ain’t that right, Lawson?”

“Sure.” The motherfucker has the audacity to try to stare me down as he straightens his shirt, his face a mask of cold fury. He looks between Hawke and me, clearly weighing his options. After a tense moment, he turns on his heel and stalks out of the garage without another word.

Hawke watches him go, then turns to me with a raised eyebrow. “What was that about?”

I jerk my chin toward the door. “Meet Coraline’s asshole ex.”

He whistles low. “Damn, bro. And he showed up here to start shit with you? Is he tryin’ to die?”

I chuckle despite my anger. “That’s what I said.”

“What did he even want?”

I shake my head. “Nothing. It doesn’t matter. He’s a fucking gnat, and he’s not worth our time.”

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