Page 91 of Turmoil's Target

She smells the same as always—lilac perfume and that comforting scent of home.

“We’ve missed you, Abe,” she whispers into my ear.

“I’ve missed you too, ma,” I reply, breaking away to look down at her.

“But enough of the sappy reunion,” she says briskly, “I’m ready to meet the woman who’s managed to capture your heart.”

CHAPTER TWENTY

Seraphina

The black sedan glides through the glittering streets of Vegas, whisking me away to another secret rendezvous with my mother.

I stare out at the neon signs and glowing facades, my fingers drumming an anxious beat on the leather seat.

There was something I meant to tell the guys at the clubhouse before I left.

It nearly slipped my mind in the rush to prepare for this meeting.

Damon, Dixon, Turmoil—they need to know the truth.

Thereisa rat lurking right under their roof.

My stomach twists with unease.

Who could the traitor be?

One of their own, working to undermine everything the Reapers Rejects stand for?

The thought makes my blood boil.

After all the club has been through, all the losses and strife, to have an enemy strike from within their own ranks...it’s unthinkable.

I’m terrified the rat is going to report back to my mother that I’ve been there, but only time will tell.

Still, my heart pounds in my chest.

I’ll tell them everything tonight, once I’m back from seeing my mum.

We’ll root out this rodent together and make them pay for their betrayal.

The Reapers Rejects are more than just my allies now.

They’re becoming something like family.

Dysfunctional and dangerous, sure, but fiercely loyal.

The casino looms ahead, its gilded exterior shimmering against the desert sky.

I straighten my shoulders and check my crimson lipstick in the rearview mirror.

Time to step back into my other skin—the polished veneer of a dutiful daughter.

At least until I can tear it all down from the inside.

“We’re here, Miss Bernard,” the driver announces, angling the car toward the VIP entrance.

“Thank you, Marcus,” I flash him a smile as brilliant and empty as the lights overhead. “Wait here for me, will you? I shouldn’t be long.”

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