Page 46 of Reaper's Rage

“Can you grab him while I take care of my woman?” I ask him. He gestures for two of his men to proceed while I circle around and gently pry the weapons from Ashlyn’s hands. I close up the baton before shoving both into my pocket. Wrapping my arms around her, I pull her into my body to calm her and bring her back to me. “Ashlyn, baby, are you alright?” I ask her, kissing the top of her head as I rub my hand up and down her back.

When she stirs, I pull back so I can see her face. Her eyes are damp, but she’s fighting the tears. I see her lip tremble before she takes back control.

“What happened?” Trouble asks. “Do you know this guy?”

I shake my head, but I feel Ashlyn nod.

“His name is James Matthews. He’s my soccer coach. And he’s the fucking asshole who just tried to kidnap me.” Ashlyn says, her voice growing harder with each word. “He tried to sedate me with that.” She says, pointing to a broken syringe on the ground near the wall.

“Fucker.” Trouble says, landing a hard punch into the asshole’s gut. “Want us to take him?”

“Not yet.” Says Ashlyn and I glance down to see her glaring at the man in question. “How did you find me, asshole?”

“I’m not telling you a thing, bitch.” Matthews growls at her. “You dare attack me? Woman should be soft. You’re a disgrace to your gender.”

Ashlyn snorts out a laugh. “Fuck that. Now grow a pair and answer the fucking question.”

I share a smirk with the other men. When Matthews still doesn’t talk, I pull the weapons back out of my pocket before handing them to Ashlyn. “I suggest you talk. She’s already taking you down on her own. Imagine what she can do to you with our help?” When Matthews stays silent but continues to glare at her, I add in my suggestion. “I suggest punching him the junk with the brass knuckles. If you hit him hard enough, he won’t be able to breed.”

“Fuck you. My wife is pregnant with my child, you piece of shit. Oomph.” He grunts when Ashlyn punches him right in the nuts. He turns pale and then an ugly green color while the rest of us wince.

“I’ll do it again.” Ashlyn promises, pulling her fist back.

“No, wait.” Matthews cries out. “Briony told me. I was with her when she called you this morning. I heard the entire conversation.”

I see the hurt pass over Ashlyn’s features as she realizes one of her friends betrayed her, but then puzzlement replaces the hurt.

“Briony didn’t know I was in Vegas.” Ashlyn says.

“No, but we knew you were here. We just didn’t know where to look. There are several of us here, looking for you. You belong to the Reverend. He wants you back before he spoils you.” Matthews says, jabbing his chin at me. The look on his face morphs into something I can’t describe. It’s one part furious and another part, something. I can’t place it and the look is gone when Ashlyn smacks him across the face, breaking the skin on his cheek.

“You sick son-of-a-bitch. You’re married? Then what the hell were you doing in Briony’s bed?” Ashlyn demands.

“God put women on this earth for two things. Childbirth and catering to the needs of men. My wife is pregnant and unable to fulfill her duties. Briony was there and willing.”

Ashlyn’s glare turns murderous. “You’re pathetic.” Ashlyn spats. “You knew Briony had a crush on you and you used that against her. Did she know you were coming here to kidnap me?”

“Of course not. Men like us don’t explain ourselves to women. We needed to know your plans for the day and she helped me discover them. Once we knew he was taking you out for the day, we knew you’d hit some of the major attractions. I saw you getting out of the gondola and I’ve been following you ever since.” Matthews says.

“Are you the one who put that note in my locker?” Ashlyn continues.

“Yes.” Matthews admits. “You belong to the Reverend.”

Ashlyn nods and I see Matthews relax. I’m not surprised when Ashlyn rears back and slams her reinforced knuckles back into his crotch. His scream pierces our ears.

“We need to call the cops.” Ashlyn says and I see the other men ready to argue with her, but I understand where she’s coming from, so I nod.

“We don’t need the cops.” Trouble argues. “We can dispose of him.”

Matthew struggles to break free, but Ashlyn releases the switchblade and holds it up to his eye so he freezes and focuses on her. “I want him arrested and in jail. His wife needs to know what he’s done. She shouldn’t have to deal with the stress of his disappearance. She needs to get herself as far away from him as she can get. I’ll press charges, so he goes to jail. He can always disappear later.”

“He’ll find you.” Matthews snarls at her. “He owns you.”

“No. He doesn’t.” Ashlyn says as Trouble takes out his phone. “He’s garbage, so are you. Luckily, I know some guys who will make it their mission to dispose of the trash.”

“Security is on the way. They’ll hold him until the cops get here. They’ll want to talk with you.” Trouble tells Ashlyn, who nods before looking at me.

I can see the sorrow and fatigue in her eyes. Pulling her into my arms, I nod my head toward the door for Trouble to follow us.

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