Page 1 of Reaper's Rage

CHAPTER ONE: REAPER

Walking out of El Bodego was the hardest thing Dante’s ever asked of me since becoming a prospect. I want to be in there, beating the answers out of that bitch Renee. Answers that will lead me to Ashlyn. I feel like I’ve drunk an entire barista worth of coffee. My nerves are shot. Fear about what she’s going through has me ready to slam back into El Bodego and demand answers.

“How you holding up?” Ghost asks me, but I know from his expression he already knows.

“I want to be in there.” I admit. “Never wanted to defy Dante before this…”

“If he knew the truth…” Ghost starts and I nod.

“I know. I also understand why he doesn’t want us in there. He wants to give Izzy and Kingsley as much privacy as he can while they question that bitch.” I say. I know Dante’s worried about Kingsley and how she’ll hold up. He doesn’t want to make it harder for her than it already is. After all, Kingsley and Izzy are teaming up to torture a woman for information. And not just any woman, a woman Kingsley considered a friend. Until she showed her true self.

“If anyone can make her talk, it’s those two.” Ghost assures me. “I saw the look on Kingsley’s face. She’ll make the bitch suffer, and she won’t stop until she has the information we need to find Ashlyn.”

I nod. Standing outside El Bodego, we can’t hear anything happening inside. The place is a soundproof fortress, well-hidden in case the authorities search the clubhouse grounds. Ghost and I are standing guard, not because we expect anyone to come rescue the bitch, but for when Dante calls us inside. He wants us close in case we need to help the women, or to handle the body they leave behind.

“You need to tell Flame about you and Ashlyn.” Ghost says, interrupting my thoughts.

“I know. But I can’t tell him right now.” I say. “Shit! I knew we should have told him sooner, but Ashlyn wanted to wait until the end of term. I think she’s nervous about how Flame’s going to react.”

“Aren’t you worried?”

“Fuck yeah, but I also know the longer we wait, the harder he’s going to take it. Although I understand why she doesn’t want to tell him.” I say, trying to not give into the pain of rejection that creeps in whenever I consider the reasons behind her hesitancy to tell her brother about us.

“Why?”

“Because I’m black.” I say, unable to keep the bitterness from coming through at those words.

“What the fuck?” Ghost explodes. “Who do you think has a problem with you because you’re black? Flame? Ashlyn? That’s bullshit and you know it. You’re the only one who thinks it matters.”

“Yeah? Would you want your sister going out with a black man with the way things are right now?” I demand.

“If that someone was you, I’d be fine with it. Look, I get it. Racism is rampant right now. Being Asian isn’t winning me any popularity points, either. But you know damn well that no one in this club, especially Flame, gives two fucks that you’re black. You’re our brother, and that’s all that matters. And if you think Ashlyn has a problem with the color of your skin, she doesn’t. Not considering how she eye fucks you every time she sees you.”

I silently mull over his words, and while I know Ashlyn cares about me, I can’t shake the feeling that I’m not good enough for her. “She’d be better off with someone else.” I grumble. “Someone who doesn’t get pulled over once a week because his skin is dark or who can’t wear a hoodie without finding himself face down on the ground in handcuffs.” I can still feel the fear coursing through me from that night. The night I went for a walk in my own neighborhood and ended up at the wrong end of a taser before getting arrested. The cops couldn’t believe that a black kid like me lived in the upper class neighborhood and since my parents were on vacation, I couldn’t prove it. Luckily, my uncle was in town playing the Lakers. The cops bent over backwards to reunite me with the great Maklin Brooks, NBA superstar. Now Maklin is Puma, the President of the Las Vegas chapter of the Demon Dawgs and the reason I’m a Demon.

“That was all before you became a Demon.” Ghost argues. “I’ve ridden with you plenty of times and I’ve never seen you pulled over.”

I shrug. “It still happens. Maybe not once a week, but I still have to be careful. The kutte helps in some ways, but in other ways, it’s just another reason for them to fuck with me.”

“But it’s better than when you were with the Spades.” Ghost persists.

I can’t deny this, so I don’t. My life changed the night two racist cops arrested me. I rebelled against all authority, deciding to become a criminal if they were already treating me like one. I made the biggest mistake of my life by joining a gang, the Spades. My parents and Puma tried everything to get me to quit, but I was stubborn. It took watching a kid die to rethink my choice.

The door to El Bodego opens to allow Grimm to exit. He’s holding a wiped out Kingsley in his arms. Dante and Izzy follow behind them. Izzy continues to the clubhouse, but Dante stops to talk to us. “You can take out the garbage now.” Dante tells us.

“Did she talk?” Ghost asks.

“Oh yeah, she gave us a name. I’ve got Byte and Smoke looking for him now. Once you’re done, come back to the clubhouse, and hopefully we’ll know where to find Ashlyn by then.”

Ghost and I make quick work wrapping Renee’s body in a cotton sheet and then a tarp. As a prospect, one of my tasks had been to help Babe dispose of bodies. He used to wrap them in just the tarp, but I suggested adding the cotton sheet. It added another layer of protection and since cotton is flammable, any evidence that transferred from the body to the sheet went up in smoke along with the body. We dispose of the ashes and any other remains in the desert.

When I took over transporting the bodies, I rigged the van to make the task easier and the possibility of getting caught almost non-existent. I painted the van to match the colors of the desert. The bodies we transport can either ride in the back, which is all metal and easy to clean with bleach. Or, if we’re only transporting one body like we are now, it can fit in the hidden compartment under the floor. We load Renee’s body into the compartment and head into the desert.

I earned the name Reaper because I specialize in disposing bodies. Knowing we needed a fool-proof solution, I built a crematorium deep in the desert and use a refractory-lined flue to control the emissions. We burn bodies and clothes. I then grind the remaining bones and teeth into ash before scattering everything in the desert. Virtually untraceable.

We finish disposing of Renee, so we can head back to the clubhouse. Seeing the pain Izzy and Kingsley inflicted on Renee eases some of my anger, but I’m still coiled tight. I can only hope Dante and the other Demons have discovered who has Ashlyn. She needs to be found safe and soon.

When we enter the clubhouse, the first person I see is Flame and my guilt rises another notch. I transfer my attention to Kingsley and give her a head nod so she knows we’ve taken care of Renee’s remains.

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