Page 7 of Reaper

His eyes bore into mine with questions he hasn’t asked yet, but he will. If I stay around long enough, he’ll find out what I know. And then I’mdead.

I shift closer to Ace. The warmth of my son’s little body is a sharp contrast to the chill of uncertainty settling in my bones. They’re going to want to drop us off somewhere, but we don’t have anywhere to go. How am I going to explain our living situation?

A sleek silver sedan rolls onto the edge of the road and stops. A guy, probably in his late twenties, pops his golden-blond head out of the driver’s side. “Someone call for a ride?”

“Tucker, stop fucking around and come help us get Reaper in the cage,” Scar snaps.

“Sorry, pres.” Tucker hurries to join Matrix. They lift Reaper into the front passenger’s seat before buckling him in like a child.

Scar helps me into the back seat of the car, while Ace slides in beside me. My gaze drifts to Reaper, who’s leaning heavily against the door. I hope it’s locked. His face is drawn and so pale he looks sick. The mention of Reaper’s abilities haunts me. I’m not sure what that was all about, but I can’t help but wonder—what else don’t I know about the man I once loved? Does he have a secret that’s even worse than the one that made me run?

“Drive my bike back.” Scar hands Tucker the keys to his bike before getting into the driver’s seat of the car. “I need to talk to Reaper and Lexi.”

“What about mine?” Reaper asks.

“Tucker, get another prospect up here.Someone you trust not to fuck up Reaper’s ride,” Scar says.

“Will do, pres.” Tucker can’t stop grinning. I understand why. Tucker wasn’t around when I was with Reaper, but he’s wearing a prospect jacket, so I know which position he holds within the club. Any prospect would be grateful for the honor Scar just bestowed on him.

Scar cranks the engine to life. We roll forward, leaving behind the wreckage of twisted steel, broken glass, and what’s left of the few belongings I had. Everything I own is in the trunk of the car, but it’s not much. Hopefully, I’ll be able to get everything later.

“My purse!” I lurch forward.

“Tucker, get her stuff,” Scar yells out the window. The prospect nods and scrambles over the edge into the ravine. Scar glances at the rearview mirror. “Ace, you got your seat belt on?”

“Yep.”

“Good job, buddy. Lexi, what’s your address? Where can we drop you off?” Scar asks.

My heart stutters. I want to lie or at least tell them to just drop me off in the middle of town, but I know they’ll be even more suspicious if I do that.

“Um … I don’t have a place to go.” The truth feels heavy on my tongue. “I’m in the middle of moving.”

Homelessness was never part of the plan, but a bunch of stuff happened earlier today that Iwasn’t expecting. Because of it, my life is a mess, and now we’ve got nowhere to go.

“Where were you headed?” Reaper asks.

“Nowhere, really. I was trying to figure that out when the jerk in the SUV started tailgating me.”

“Do you have anyone you can stay with?” Scar asks.

“Not really.” Tears fill my eyes, but I refuse to let them fall.

“Why not? What happened?” Reaper asks.

“It’s a long story.”

“Guess you’re coming with us then.” Reaper’s eyes meet mine in the rearview mirror. His statement isn’t a question, it’s a command, and I’m too tired to fight it.

“To the clubhouse?” I ask.

“Yeah,” Reaper says.

Scar frowns but doesn’t speak as he pulls off the grass and onto the road. I can tell he’s not thrilled by the situation, but neither am I. This is a disaster, but hopefully just a temporary one. The sooner I leave with Ace, the better.

Ace’s small hand finds mine. It’s a silent plea for stability amid the chaos. I give him a reassuring squeeze. My mind races, but I can’t think of anywhere else to go.

“Okay,” I breathe out. “We’ll go to the clubhouse.”

---