“Funny enough, I don’t take orders from you any longer, Deion.” Reaper says with a sneer. “You always were a cocky asshole. You took on more than you can handle by going after my girl. Take a good look at Trask.”
Deion glances back at us before doing a double take. The look on his face would be comical if I wasn’t so angry and scared.
“What the fuck is that?” Deion explodes.
“Some of my brothers were in the service. One is a former Marine sniper. He can take out 14 men in twenty-three seconds. Release Ashlyn, or you’re all dead before the first body hits the pavement.” Reaper explains.
Hearing Reaper’s words has Trask loosening his grip on me. Seeing my opportunity, I reach up to drag the screw tip down his face. He lets out a loud bellow as he releases me completely slapping his hand over the gash. I scramble forward and don’t stop until I feel Reaper’s hands yank me behind him. “I got you baby.” He whispers as everyone yanks out their guns in a terrifying standoff. It’s silent for about two seconds before the roar of a dozen or more motorcycles breaks it. The Demon Dawgs come flying into the parking lot, their guns drawn. Each of the gang members is in the sights of at least two Demons.
“You’re outnumbered, outgunned and outmaneuvered.” Dante says over the idling engines. “Put away your weapons or we’ll end you.”
I move so I can see what’s happening. Deion is glaring at Reaper and me. He shifts his eyes over to Dante before returning his glare back to Reaper. Without a word, he lowers his gun, setting the safety before it disappears behind his back. The rest of his men do the same. Trask uses his shirt to wipe the blood off his face. His eyes never leaving my face and I can almost feel the heat of his anger pulsing off of him.
“This isn’t over.” Deion calls out to Reaper.
“You want to talk to me, call me.” Reaper snaps back. “Don’t fuck with my woman or my club.”
“You owe me.” Deion persists. “There’s no walking away from the Spades.”
“I walked away eighteen months ago.” Reaper argues. “I’m not coming back. The Demons are my family, now.”
“You forget. I can send you to jail. I still have the video.”
I’m not sure what Deion is talking about, but instead of tensing up, Reaper laughs.
“The video of me borrowing a basketball from my uncle?” Reaper replies. “He won’t press charges. You really should do your homework, Deion. You’ve got nothing on me and I’ve got no more to say to you.”
“Why did you shoot Wylan?” Deion shouts back.
“What the fuck are you talking about? I didn’t shoot Wylan. I’m the one who drove him to the fucking hospital.”
“I have a witness who saw you shoot him.”
“Well, you’re witness is a fucking liar. I didn’t shoot him. The homeowner did. Hell, his getting shot was the reason I left the Spades. You got him killed.”
I watch the emotions flit across Deion’s face. First confusion and then fury. He glances at me and I raise my eyebrow at him. I told him someone lied to him. I wonder if he’s starting to believe it.
“Who shot him?” Deion asks, shifting his attention back to Reaper.
“I told you. The owner of the house he went to rob.” Reaper says, pushing back toward his bike.
“I want the address.” Deion demands, but Dante has had enough.
“Let’s ride.” Dante calls out.
Reaper helps me onto the back of his bike, offering me the helmet he keeps for me. I see Flame watching us and the look he shoots Reaper is one of anger and betrayal. I feel a twinge of guilt because I know Flame is angry at Reaper, and it’s my fault. When Reaper and I finally admitted to ourselves and each other that we shared feelings, I was the one who wanted to wait to tell Flame. I was in the middle of finals and not ready to deal with Flame’s temper. However, it looks like the secret is out. Time for damage control. In the meantime, I wrap my body around Reaper’s back and breathe in his scent. My man came for me, just like I knew he would. I lay my chin on his shoulder and enjoy the view of the club riding in formation back to their clubhouse.
When Flame first prospected for the club, Mom and I worried about his decision. Neither of us had any knowledge or experience with motorcycle clubs. We knew Babe because he rented an apartment from us. On the surface, he seemed like a nice guy, but more than once I’d seen him return from an outing covered in blood. And his knuckles always looked like he’d been fighting. But he was always polite to us and on time with his rent payments.
Flame couldn’t tell us what he did for the club, but it was hard not to notice the changes in him over the course of the year as he proved his worth to the club. He’d grown from a lost man into one with a purpose.
I’m proud of my brothers. I know Axel will follow Flame’s example and advice. He’ll serve his time as a prospect and eventually have a kutte like Flame and Reaper. He’ll be a member of this family. I don’t know if it was when Babe moved in or when Flame became a prospect, but one of those was the start of something. It’s when our family grew to include the Demons. Or maybe the Demons grew to include us. I feel nothing but gratitude to the club for coming to rescue me. I never doubted for a minute that Reaper would come. Seeing him and Flame standing alone gave me pause. I thought they had come alone. I should have known better. Dante would never allow any member of his family to face danger alone.
When we pull in front of the clubhouse, I barely have time to release Reaper before I’m yanked off the bike and engulfed in Flame’s arms.
“Are you alright?” He asks. “Did that bastard hurt you?”
I pat his back to calm him. “I’m fine. They mostly left me alone. Deion isn’t much of a host, but he made sure Trask didn’t touch me. I think if Deion wasn’t there, Trask might have hurt me.”