Page 32 of Reaper's Rage

The man grabs his wife and drags her out of the restaurant, shooting angry glares back at Dante. They get into a beat up mini van and, with tires squealing, drive out of the parking lot.

“Are you alright, Stephanie?” Dante asks the server. She has unshed tears in her eyes, but she nods. “Put the cost of their food on my tab.” Dante tells her, “and make sure you give yourself a good tip.”

She gives him a soft smile as several of the other customers clap in approval.

Dante turns back to see me still standing next to Reaper. He must see an odd expression on my face because he asks if I’m ok.

“I’m so sorry. That was all my fault.” I blurt out. “She made me so mad, I shouldn’t have said anything.”

“What are you talking about, babe?” Reaper asks me.

“She made a derogatory comment about Reaper and about finding myself a nice white boy. So I told her that Reaper would never hit on a server like her husband just did. I shouldn’t have said anything.” I finish, lamely.

“Never be afraid to stand up for your man.” Dante says, placing his hand on my shoulder. Reaper growls, causing Dante to roll his eyes. When I bark out a laugh, Reaper squeezes me. “I’m serious, Ashlyn. You stood up for yourself and Reaper. I was going to toss them out as soon as I saw him harassing Stephanie.”

“Does Puma really own this diner?” Reaper asks as he waits for me slide back into my seat. I hear the bell on the door chime and turn to see Byte stroll in. I hadn’t even seen him leave.

“No.” Dante says, who returns the nod Byte gives him before turning his attention to a man who comes out of the back. The newcomer stops to talk to Stephanie. Dante stays standing while the rest of us return to our food. I pick up a fry, dip it in ketchup and pop it into my mouth, all the while watching Dante. When the man pats the server on the arm, Dante relaxes a bit. The man looks over at us and comes right to Dante.

“Thank you so much for looking out for Stephanie. She told me what happened. I’m Marco. I own this place.” Marco puts his hand forward for Dante to shake. Dante looks at it and then back at the man.

“You need to do a better job of protecting your staff.” Dante says. “They shouldn’t have to put up with assholes groping them.”

Marco drops his hand and nods. “I know. This was my fault. I was working in my office with the door closed because I needed to concentrate. I won’t do that again. Your meals are on the house. What else can I do to show my appreciation?”

“We don’t need our meals comped.” Dante argues. “We’ll pay. However, I want to make sure that couple never comes back in here.”

“Don and Sheila.” Marco says, nodding. “Don’t worry about that. They’ve always been rude, but I’ve never had a reason to ban them. Until now.”

Dante nods and offers his hand to Marco to shake before he returns to his seat to eat. I grin at him, so he gives me a wink. I turn when I hear Reaper growl again. “You should eat. Your stomach is growling.” I tell him.

“That wasn’t my stomach.” He responds.

“I know. I was hoping you’d take the hint.”

Ghost laughs as Reaper scowls at me before giving me a hard kiss.

“Did you do it?” Chaos asks Byte.

“You bet.”

“Do what?” Laser asks.

“Put that tracking device on Don’s car.” Byte says with a grin.

We finish eating and as we get up to leave; I see Dante hand the server three hundred-dollar bills. She blushes and tries to give them back, but he folds them into her hand and closes her hand with his. He says a few things to her, and she nods before giving him a soft thank you. By the dreamy look on her face, I know she’s fallen a little in love with him. Can’t say I blame her. Dante is hot on so many levels.

When we get outside, I follow Reaper to his bike and climb on behind him. I’m tired and ready to reach our destination, but I know this trip is one I’ll remember for years to come. I just wonder if my life with Reaper is always going to be this eventful.

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE: REAPER

For the rest of the ride, I think of how Ashlyn defended me to that cunt who suggested she date a white boy. Being black means I’m often on the receiving end of racist comments. I can’t say I’m used to it, but I’m prepared. Knowing Ashlyn defended me against a bigot gives me a sense of pride for my woman. But having her defend our relationship, fuck, that feels good.

When we pull through the gates of the Vegas chapter, the front door opens and Puma comes out. Grimm and Chaos are massive, but next to Puma, they almost seem puny. Puma’s over seven feet tall. When he played basketball, he kept his muscles lean. He needed speed over bulk. But after the accident that ended his career, he bulked up. He’s fucking terrifying to go up against and I’m grateful we’re family. I’ve always been proud of him. He gives Dante a bro hug before greeting the rest of the guys, but then he turns his attention to me.

“Reaper, those colors look good on you.” Puma says, his smile wide on his face. “But this girl is much too beautiful to be on the back of your bike.” He laughs before pulling me into a hug and clapping me on the back. He turns to Ashlyn. “You must be Ashlyn. You’re Flame’s sister, right?”

“I am.” Ashlyn says accepting a hug from him. She practically disappears in his arms.

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