Page 19 of Reaper

"GET OUT!" I can barely recognize my ownvoice."I never want to see your faceagain."

Sandy flinches like I've struck her, but she doesn'targue.She gathers her things in silence--her cut, her boots, the gun I now know she alwayscarries.At the door, shepauses.

"For what it's worth," she says softly, "every choice I've made in the last five years has been about keeping you and the people actually in your cornersafe.That won't change, even if you end up hating me in theprocess."

Then she's gone, leaving nothing but the lingering scent of jasmine and the echo of shatteringglass.

I stand there, staring at the closed door, feeling like my chest has been rippedopen.Everything I thought I knew--about Sandy, about Timer, about my father's death--lies in ruins at myfeet.

My phone buzzes. Ranch's name flashes on thescreen.

With numb fingers, I reach for Sandy's phoneinstead.It unlocks with my birthday--just like it did five years ago--and there it allis.Photos of Timer meeting with armsdealers.GPS coordinates that match perfectly with my father's lastroute.Audio files labeled with dates that make my stomachturn.

The truth I didn't want to believe, laid out in perfectdetail.

I dial Ranch with shakinghands.

"It's handled," I tell him when he answers. "But we've got bigger problems. Timer--"

"I know." His voice is grim. "Sandy just sent meeverything.All ofit."

"What's the play?"

"Get to Serenity County. We handle this in person." Hepauses."For what it's worth,brother?I think she really was trying to protectyou."

I end the call without responding, my eyes landing on the bed where just hours ago, I'd held Sandy in my arms and believed in secondchances.

The truth sits heavy in my chest, she was protectingme.Has been protecting me for five years while I cursed her name and nursed my woundedpride.

But some betrayals cut too deep toforgive.Some lies, even told with the best intentions, destroy everything theytouch.

And Sandy Mitchell just destroyed my whole fuckingworld.

Again.

8

SANDY

Every inch of my body aches, but it's nothing compared to the pain in mychest.My hands shake as I check into another room at the hotel, fumbling with the keycard twice before managing to get the dooropen.I drop my go-bag on the bed, barely registering how the mattress bounces, before sinking into a chair by thewindow.From here, I have a clear view of Reaper's bike in the parkinglot.The sight of it makes my throattight.

The memory of his face when I confessed about Timer hauntsme.That mixture of betrayal and rage and heartbreak - God, I never want to see that look in his eyesagain.But I had no choice. Timer's treachery had to comeout.

I should have told Reaper everything from thestart.Should have trusted that what we had was strong enough to survive thetruth.Instead, I played it safe, tried to protect him, and ended up destroying usboth.Story of my life - trying to shield people from pain and just making everythingworse.

My burner buzzes. Handler. I consider ignoring it, but that would only make him moresuspicious.

"Tell me you didn't blow five years of work by sleeping with your mark," he says withoutpreamble.

"He's not my mark." My voice comes out raw, scraped over with emotion I can'thide."And Timer's blown. I sent everything toRanch.You need to move now before the Saints handle it theirway."

"You sound emotional, Mitchell. Getting too close to the situation?"

"I'm doing my job." I force steel into mytone."Timer's the target. Always hasbeen.The Saints are clean - you've seen theevidence."

"Evidence you've carefully curated over five years," Handlercounters."Are you suggesting they'll kill Timer before we can movein?"

"I'm suggesting Timer's smart enough to run the second he realizes we're onto him." I press my forehead against the cool glass, watching Reaper pace near hisbike.The familiar way he runs his hand through his hair when he's agitated makes my heartclench."He's got contacts all over the country, bolt holes we don't knowabout.If we don't move fast, we loseeverything."

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