Page 50 of Reaper

The two words hit me harder than any punch I’ve thrown or taken. It’s not a request. It’s not even an order. It’s a lifeline thrown into the stormy sea of my anger, and against every screaming nerve in my body, I grab it.

I drop back into my seat, the sound echoing in the tense silence. But my glare doesn’t leave Matrix. It’s a threat, even though I don’t utter another damn word. The air’s heavy with tension. Each breath I take is laced with the bitter tang of betrayal. Scar’s eyes are on me, hard as the steel we ride, and in that unyielding gaze, I find a reminder of why we’re family.

“Matrix did what he thought was right,” Scar says, his voice steady and sure. “We all look out for each other here. That’s the code.”

I can’t help the snort that bursts from me, harsh and humorless. “And since when does looking out for each other come without the courtesy of asking?”

“You needed to know,” Matrix pipes up, leaning forward, hands open as if trying to bridge the gap between us. “You’re a father now.That’s something you don’t want to be in the dark about, even if it stings like hell.”

“Stings? No, brother, this is a goddamn third degree burn.” My fingers drum against the table, a rhythm matching the pounding in my skull. It’s on me to deal with this new reality, but damn it, Matrix could have given me a heads-up before he took Ace’s DNA in for testing.

“Look,” I finally growl, eyes narrowing at Matrix. “You should’ve told me first. It was my right to know before anyone else.”

Scar’s slow, measured nod confirms my position. “You’re probably right, Reaper. Matrix should have taken you aside to tell you. But we weren’t even sure he was yours until we got the results. If Ace wasn’t yours, we would’ve kept the whole thing quiet. But Lexi played us all, and we didn’t know it for sure until that test came back.”

The room falls silent for a moment. Outside, the rumble of motorcycles rushing by on the highway fills the air. I let their words sink in, a tangled mess of truth and necessity. They’re right, I get it. Still, breaking someone’s trust isn’t something you can easily patch up with good intentions.

“Fine,” I concede through gritted teeth. “But next time, I expect to be the first to know. We clear?”

“Will there be a next time?” Nitro asks.

“I didn’t think there’d be a first time,” I grumble.

“Enough about that,” Scar says. “Matrix, did you and Daisy crack that keycard yet?”

“I sure as fuck hope so, because I’m going to fucking kill Blackstone,” I growl. “It’s not just about what he did to us. It’s even more personal now because that fucker tried to hurt Ace, my blood. He’ll pay for that.”

Hatred pulses through my veins. My fists clench and unclench as I think about all the ways I want to destroy Blackstone before I kill him. I can’t sit still. Getting up, I pace back and forth like a caged lion.

“What did Blackstone do to Ace?” Matrix asks cautiously.

“Nothing! But he tried to get Ace into the basement.”

“But … nothing actually happened?”

“Would you be happier if Blackstone had touched my kid?” I’m ready to lunge, but Talon gets between us. His hand is a vise on my shoulder.

“Stop being an asshole,” he snaps. “Blackstone will pay for what he did to each of us. Don’t forget we’re all in this together. You’re not taking down Blackstone alone. You need us, brother. But if you keep acting like a fucking dick, I’m going to have to beat your ass.”

“You’re right.” I shake his hand off my shoulder before retaking my chair. “Fine. So, what’s the status on the keycard?”

Matrix’s fingers drum a staccato rhythmon the worn tabletop. “I’ve been running a new algorithm. Brute-forcing isn’t getting us anywhere, so I switched tactics. I’m using a differential cryptanalysis approach now, targeting the side-channel emissions. Daisy’s working on another angle.”

I grunt. The technical jargon rolls off his tongue like water off a duck’s back, but to me, it’s all smoke and mirrors. Matrix and Daisy see codes and patterns where I only see chaos. Although I’m still pissed off at him about the DNA thing, I can’t help but respect his hacking abilities.

“We should have something within twenty-four hours,” Matrix adds, raising his eyebrows, a silent challenge for me to open my mouth.

“Fine,” I say, pushing the impatience out of my voice. “Just make it fucking quick.”

“Getting into Blackstone’s house will be easy once we’ve got the keycard,” Scar notes. “But those damn guards are the real problem.”

“Reaper and I have been trying to find a way in without detection,” Matrix says, eyeing me warily.

“Last time, we made it to a door on the back side of the house. We were this close.” My fingers pinch the air, showing the slim gap between success and failure. “But then the guards came.”

“If we had a silent way in, we could take down half of Blackstone’s team before they even knew we’d breached the walls,” Talon says.

“Exactly,” Nitro affirms with a sharp nod. “No noise, no alarms. We get in, find Blackstone, and send him to hell before anyone even realizes we’re there.”

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