Page 39 of Resurfaced Passion
“Sure, Prez.”
“Now let’s get this underway, shall we. The order of business is, we got word today from one of Grinder’s scouts that Rex and Grigori have both partnered with the mayor to do fuck knows what, but it ain’t line dancing. My guess is drugs, bypassing a few laws and using what pull the mayor has to keep the cops on my ass.”
The talk around that giant oak table erupted all at once at deafening levels, everyone wanting their say at once.
Everyone got the chance to input opinions. The prez listened to it all.
“What if it wasn’t Ajax who sided with Rex, but someone else who he might trust his confidence with, someone from the club who he thinks has turned on Rider?” Reaper’s voice carried all through the church and everyone hushed as a collective group.
Rider’s gaze came at him.
“Who?”
“I can think of only one who would fit the bill, Prez.”
Palpable. The air stirred though there were no windows in that room to bring in the breeze. Everyone felt it as they listened as Reaper laid it out.
Reaper watched Rider drumming his fingers on the table, then glanced at his father, who was pensive but otherwise wasn’t chiming in.
Which was either a good thing or a very bad thing, Reaper couldn’t tell which.
Conversations between Rider and Hawk began with their heads leaned in together. Reaper might have watched their discussion unfold had his phone not vibrated in his pocket. Ordinarily he would have left it for later. It was either his brother calling, but the time difference was all wrong or it was one of the guys from the gambling dens needing something again and those dumbasses could wait for him to wipe their noses.
He fished it out anyway and nearly popped a boner seeing Paige’s name on the screen. She never called him, god, he always wanted her to so he could listen to her voice like a dirty bastard.
Turning around on the chair, giving the room his back he pressed answer.
“Paige?”
“Oh, hey, Reaper, you answered! I wasn’t sure if you were busy or not, thanks.” She mumbled and immediately he was on alert because her voice was nervous.
He knew every nuance of her voice. Happy. Sad. Mad, upset, and furious. Though that last one hardly ever happened.
Something was wrong with his girl and in less than a second, Reaper checked out of anything club related and his priority roared to life in his chest.
His heart honestly didn’t give a crap if the boys were listening in.
“Talk to me, Paige.”
“Okay, well. There’s a little situation, I wondered if you’d use your scary biker face for me, you know the one that makes people get out of your way. I think it’s cute, but others, you know. Anyone, jeez Louise, I’m rambling. I don’t have long, I’m in the restroom.” His growl made her go on. “It’s nothing really, but just in case. I’m atLohes.” A restaurant in town. A fancy fucking restaurant people went to on dates. Reaper closed his eyes and counted to a million or tried to. His fury burst through and took over.
“I’m with a guy. He’s a teacher, and it was going fine.”It was going fine. The words scraped the inside of Reaper’s skull, jealousy so acute he couldn’t even fucking swallow. “He’s being a little jackassery, drinking too much and saying…stuff. I’d rather not walk out of here in case he follows me, Reaper, I stupidly parked a block away to save on paying for the meter.”
Reaper had been through moments in his life where his heart stopped working. He’d felt dread and grief and pain so damn hard he thought he might die from it. He’d worried and experienced rage and fury course through his veins until he’d done something despicable and taken a life with his bare hands.
He could add feeling hopeless to that long list because though she tried to laugh it off by adding “I’m probably acting stupid, huh?” He heard her fear, clear as the fucking clanging in his ears.
“Stay there, I’ll be a few minutes.” He hung up.
Reaper popped to his feet so fast everyone turned his way with varying stages of curiosity and perplexing looks.
His blood was ice.
Fingers shaking.
Heart unsure if it was still beating and he felt violently sick.
“Boss, I need to go.” He looked down the long table at Rider. The only man who knew the reason why Reaper would look like he’d swallowed cat sick.
