Page 51 of Reaper's Rage

Reaper opens his mouth and closes it. “Yeah, you’re right. If they are successful in stopping the men who threatened Caitlin and the other women, then the guys will tell them.”

“So I’ll hear about it.” I say with conviction, causing Reaper to chuckle and give me a kiss before he places my helmet on my head.

“You realize that we have these secrets to protect all of you. Right?” He asks.

“I know, but you guys have to take into consideration that what we don’t know could also hurt us.” I say as I climb on the back of his bike, wrapping my arms around his waist.

The trip to the police station only takes a few minutes. As we reach the doors, I can feel Reaper tensing up, so I snuggle up to his side and wrap my arm around his waist. He glances down and smirks at me.

“I’m ok.” He says squeezing my hip.

We approach the counter where an older officer sits. He eyes us with interest, giving Reaper’s kutte a longer look. I don’t see animosity or suspicion in his eyes, just curiosity.

“Good morning. What can I do for you?” He asks with a smile.

I smile back. “I’m Ashlyn Barnes. We’re here to file a complaint against someone your police officers arrested last night at 1%. James Matthews.”

He nods as he picks up the phone. “The told me you’d be coming in today. Let me call the officer in charge and someone will come up to take you back.”

Reaper and I just sit down when we see an officer head our way. She introduces herself as Officer Medel. After greeting us and shaking our hand, she guides us through the building to a small break room.

“Would you like anything? The coffee is disgusting, but I can get you a soda or some water.” She offers as we take seats at an empty table.

“No, but thank you.” I reply. “We just had the breakfast buffet at 1%.”

Officer Medel smirks. “Really? Did you see the commotion? We had a report of two men chased out of that casino with a dozen or so bikers and their women screaming insults and threats about religious zealots buying virgins.”

I smirk back and nod. “Yeah, we caught the beginning of that show.” I admit.

She laughs and pulls out two notebooks and two pens. She hands one of each to me and the other set to Reaper. “I need you to write, in your words, what happened yesterday at the casino. Then we’ll get them typed up for you to sign.”

“Is he still in custody?” Reaper asks.

She nods. “Yes. He’s demanded a lawyer, but since we haven’t charged him yet, he hasn’t spoken to anyone from outside. We need your account of the attack and for you to sign a complaint against him so we can charge him. I have to warn you. He’ll likely be out on bail later today. I ran his record, and it came back clean. So even though he tried to kidnap you, I doubt the judge will set the bail so high that he can’t pay it.”

I nod in acceptance. I know even the accused have rights and I don’t want to live in a country where they don’t, but sometimes I wonder if the rights of the victims are ever going to be as important as the rights of the accused.

Reaper and I sit in silence, the only sound coming from pens against paper. We both finish about the same time and hand our accounts over to Medel, who takes them with a smile. “I’ll get these typed up and printed so you can review and sign them.”

When she leaves, Reaper gets up and buys us each a bottle of water from the vending machine. I’m still full from breakfast, so I pass on food, but he comes back with a bag of Fritos and a Snickers bar. He opens the Fritos and hands me the bag, knowing I can’t resist them.

“Thanks.” I say with a grin as I pop a chip into my mouth.

We talk about school and the club while we wait.

“Here you go,” Officer Medel says, handing us each a printed copy of our statements. “Please review. If you identify any necessary changes, let me know. If not, please sign them.”

We both take a few minutes to read them through before signing and handing them back. She trades my statement with another set of papers and asks me to review them. They’re the charges against Coach Matthews. I review the charges before signing them. “Is that it?” I ask as Officer Medel takes the papers from me.

“Yes. I’ll call you if he gets out on bail. I imagine you’ll stay safe.” She says, smiling at Reaper, who nods back.

“I’ll be with her. We’re heading back to the clubhouse. She’ll be safe there.” Reaper says.

“Good. I hope you enjoy the rest of your stay in Vegas. Take care of yourself when you return to San Diego.” Officer Medel says as she leads us out of the building.

“Back to the clubhouse?” Reaper asks, and I nod, but then shake my head.

“Can we just go for a ride?” I ask causing Reaper to beam at me.

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