Page 33 of Reaper

I stop thinking about Ace, a child who has no idea that his father is a dangerous man. Reaper couldn’t have figured it out so quickly. It’s impossible.

Instead, I’m transported back seven years to the night I slipped away under cover of darkness, leaving everything I knew behind.

“Are you talking about the night I left?” I ask, the words tumbling out in a rush. My chest tightens as I wait for his reaction, bracing for another wave of his wrath.

My pulse hammers in my ears, each beat echoing Reaper’s silent demand for the truth.The air seems to thicken around us, heavy with unspoken threats and my own rising panic. I swallow hard, the taste of fear metallic on my tongue.

“Reaper,” I start, my voice a fractured whisper, “I—I’m scared to tell you.” My hands tremble as I pull the thin sheet up over my chest, a flimsy barrier against the tempest brewing in his eyes.

“Scared?” His lip curls slightly, a sneer that doesn’t reach the cold fury in his gaze. “You think I’ll hurt you for telling the truth?”

I nod, unable to form words, the weight of his stare pressing down on me like a physical force. A single tear escapes, tracing a hot path down my cheek, and then another follows, a silent testament to the sheer terror gripping my heart.

“Lexi,” he says, and the way he utters my name feels like an omen.

The dam breaks, and the tears come freely now, sobs racking my body as the truth spills out of me like blood from a wound. “I saw you … that night … I saw you kill someone. In cold blood.”

His reaction isn’t what I expect. There’s no explosion of rage, no violent denial. Instead, there’s a chilling calmness as he asks, “That’s all you have to say?”

“Isn’t that enough?” I gasp between sobs, the question a plea for some kind of mercy or understanding.

He steps back, the shadows in the room seeming to coil around him. “Yes, I murder people,” he admits, his voice devoid of remorse. “But only those who deserve it. Liars deserve it too.” His eyes lock onto mine, probing, searching. “Are you a liar, Lexi?”

No further words escape me. I can only shake my head as I’m trapped by the intensity of his gaze. Will my honesty bring salvation or damnation?

I cower beneath the weight of his stare, my breath hitching in my throat as I shake my head. No words form. They’re locked inside me, strangled by the fear that has seized every fiber of my being. A low growl rumbles from Reaper’s chest, an animalistic sound that curls the hair on the back of my neck.

In a swift motion, he turns on his heel and strides to the door. The violence of his departure reverberates through the room, the door slamming against the wall with such force it splinters the hinges. The sound echoes like a gunshot, a stark reminder of the raw power he wields. He’s gone, leaving a deafening silence.

My heart races, pounding against my ribcage with the desperate urge to escape the danger I’ve summoned. If Reaper is this furious over my confession about witnessing a murder, how will he ever come to grips with the truth about Ace?

Reaper doesn’t know that when I left, I tooka part of him with me. Ace is a living, breathing secret that could change everything between us. How can I possibly tell Reaper the truth? What will happen when he learns that I’ve been hiding his son from him?

“God,” I whisper into the emptiness, my voice barely audible.

The clubhouse walls seem to close in around me, each creak and groan a sinister whisper of the chaos to come. My mind races as images of Reaper’s wrath intertwine with the softness of Ace’s laughter, a juxtaposition that knots my stomach.

Family, loyalty, and justice—these are the pillars of Reaper’s world, a code etched deep into his soul. And here I am, caught in the crossfire of love and duty, a precarious bridge between the man I cannot forget and the child who binds us forever.

Cold dread settles in my bones. I hug my knees tightly to my chest. Tears blur my vision, but I blink them away, steeling myself before I fall apart completely. I’ve seen Reaper’s capacity for violence and his uncompromising pursuit of what he deems right. But what scares me the most isn’t the wrath of the man known as ‘Reaper’ – it’s the fury of a father scorned.

Chapter 14: Reaper

The door slams behind me with a force that could shake the heavens, but it’s nothing compared to the storm raging inside my chest. Lexi, with her tear-streaked face and trembling lips, had every chance to come clean—to tell me the truth about Ace. But she just sat there, as silent as a graveyard at midnight, leaving me to chase down ghosts and half-truths. My fists clench at my sides, each heartbeat screaming betrayal.

“Which murder, Lexi? Which goddamn one did you see?” I mutter, stalking through the dimly lit hallway, the shadows clinging to me like a second skin.

The weight of her admission brings a whole new wave of questions, but I can’t turn around. Not now. Because witnessing a murder isn’t the biggest secret she was keeping. The fact that she may have robbed me of knowing my own blood is a much larger sin. It’s disgraceful. Unforgivable.

I’m halfway through the living room whenthe shrill ring of my phone shatters the silence. I pull it out of my cut and glance at the screen.

Matrix.His timing’s always been shit.

“Reaper,” he barks into the line. “I just heard back from my friend at the crime lab.”

“Spit it out,” I growl, the words grating against my throat.

“The DNA results came back. It’s confirmed, man. Ace is yours.”

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