Page 33 of Reaper's Rage

“You got the looks in the family, thank god.”

Ashlyn laughs as she moves back into my arms. Where she belongs.

“Smoke kept me updated on your progress. Heard you had some trouble at Marco’s?”

Dante tells him about our lunch stop as we move inside.

“So you lost them and then sent them on a wild goose chase?” Puma says with a booming laugh that captures the attention of everyone in the common room, including a little girl.

I hear her squeal with excitement as she races across the room like a tiny pink blur before throwing herself at Scar. Laughing, he picks her up to give her a hug and a kiss on the cheek. He turns and barely keeps her from falling as she launches herself at Laser. “Mommy, mommy, look, it’s Uncle Josh and Uncle Langdon.”

“I see that baby.” Alisa says, moving into Scar’s arms for a hug before turning to hug Langdon. I remember Alisa when I was a prospect. She came to San Diego asking for help, but stunned us all when she told us she was Scar’s wife. Scar married her to offer her protection from some cartel heir who was obsessed with her. I know she agreed to a divorce so Scar could marry Caitlin. “I heard you guys were coming.” Scar and Laser both kiss Alissa on the cheek before she takes her daughter back and turns her attention to us. “You must be Ashlyn.”

I half-listen to Ashlyn and Alisa trade introductions as another woman enters the room. She smiles at Dante, who gives her a hug. She was Caitlin’s art teacher and, as we found out later, Dante’s former high school sweetheart. The same woman Dante’s father sold as a sex slave.

“Did you lose the guys tailing you?” Puma asks as he wraps his arms around Alisa. I raise my eyebrow at Puma, who smirks at me. I’ve spoken to him often over the past few weeks and not once did he tell me he’s claimed Alisa as his Old Lady.

“Fairly certain. Smoke monitored their broken down SUV for the rest of our trip here. They walked back to the gas station and made a call. It took a couple hours, but eventually a tow truck and a second SUV showed up. The original two spoke to whoever was in the second vehicle, and a few minutes later, they took off. We think they’re trying to pick up the signal from the tracker.” Byte explains. “It should take them some time before they figure out we moved the tracker before they extend their search.”

“Good. Ashlyn will be safe here. I’m leaving several prospects and patched members behind. You don’t have to stay at the compound either. We’re part owners of a casino where you can go shopping, gamble or eat without worrying about anyone hassling you.” Puma says.

“They have a great spa, too, if you want to have a spa day.” Alisa tells Caitlin.

“That would be fun, but I can’t really afford it.” Ashlyn admits.

Before I can assure that I’ll cover anything she wants, Puma speaks up. “None of that. Our women never pay. Reaper will pay.” He says, grinning at me.

I laugh and shake my head before pulling Ashlyn back against me. “You better believe I’m paying. This is your birthday trip. I want you to enjoy it. Go shopping and visit the spa. Tomorrow you are all mine. We’re spending the day celebrating your birthday.”

Ashlyn grins. “Really? Ok, can we go shopping now?” She asks Alisa, who nods.

“Let me get someone to watch Elina and we can head out.” Alisa says.

“Take Showtime and Mad Max with you.” Puma adds.

“Will you guys still be here when we get back, or are you taking off soon?” Alisa asks Puma, her hands grasping the shirt under his kutte.

“We’re leaving around six.” Puma tells her.

“Why so late?” Dante asks.

“Let’s go into Church and we can discuss the plan.” Puma suggests, giving Alisa a kiss before leading the way.

I kiss Ashlyn before handing her my credit card. I’ve never attended Church as a member before, but I’ve been in the room several times. Our Chapel in San Diego pays homage to the city’s Mexican heritage. Vegas offers homage to a very different culture.

The large table in the center of the room once sat in a conference room used exclusively by the mob. Puma bought the table at an auction before having the Demon Dawg logo etched into its surface. On the wall are various photos of locations in and around Vegas that supposedly hold the remains of various mob members. For example, he has an image of Lake Mead because rumor has it the mob used it as their favorite dumping ground. A fact that is being proven true with our latest drought. Puma uses these graveyards to drive home a point. The mob is supposed to be family, but they turn on each other for personal gain. Demon Dawgs are brother by choice and we’d die before we betray our family.

Not sure where to sit, I hang back until everyone has taken a seat. Puma nods his head at a chair near Byte, which I take.

“Need to patch in Smoke.” Byte tells Puma, who nods and gestures to the phone. A few seconds later, Smoke’s on and the meeting gets started.

“What did you find about the guys following Ashlyn?” Dante asks.

“I had to dig deep to get a line on who owns the SUVs. Each one I’ve seen has the same first three letters, GCD. They stand for God’s Chosen Disciples. They’re a religious group based here in San Diego. The leader is a real asshole called Theodore Jordan. He was in the army. They cut him loose when his wife found out he was having an affair with a woman in his unit. Later, they discovered the woman in question wasn’t a willing participant. He raped her repeatedly while several of the men in the unit protected him. The army cut them all loose.”

“So when he was out, he started his own church?” Ghost asks.

“Yeah. White, heterosexual males only. Military experience preferred. No woman. No blacks. No Mexicans. You get the picture.” Smoke says. “Sound familiar?”

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