Page 2 of Reaper Released

“Did Ray tell you about our… fight?”

“Fight?”

Blowing out a breath he informs me. “We had a fight at the lodge about you guys leaving. She punched me and knocked me on my ass. So I grabbed her and threw her in the lake up there, and she managed to drag me in too. We've not really spoken since.”

“Oh,” is all I can muster to that, and knowing Ray, that’s only the half of it.

“Well, I went up there this weekend, and I’m pretty sure she must have been going up there all week. She’s repaired and painted nearly everything. The whole time I was ignoring her at work, angry ‘cos you guys were gonna fucking leave, and she’s up there fixing up my lodge so it’s almost ready to move in. There’s only the bathroom to tile, and it’s done!”

“She will be pissed she didn’t get to finish it before we leave! Once she starts something, she’s a force of nature!” A slight sob sneaks out as Dozer pulls me in tighter. “I can’t lose her, Dozer. She’s all I’ve got!” I lean into him and just sob as he rubs his hands gently up and down my back.

“She’s gonna be okay. I can’t lose her either, especially knowing how I’ve treated her this week, but what she’s been doing for me… I know she did it because I won’t have the time once she’s gone.” I can feel him shaking his head against the top of mine as he continues to rub my back.

There’s another knock at the door, and Ares's voice rings through it. Steel lets him and Uncle Bernie in and locks the door again. I run straight into Uncle Bernie’s arms and break down, again.

After he has calmed me down, and checked over my injuries, he explains that if Ray phones, we need to make sure we pretend she’s me, and that Uncle Bernie needs to speak to her. Ares explains how he has all the boys waiting in the clubhouse and is calling Church as soon as we know something.

RING. RING. RING. I shit myself and dive up off the sofa. It's Ares’s mobile.

“Withheld number,” he murmurs.

“Remember, it’s Scar you're asking about, and we need to talk to her if possible,” Uncle Bernie says and Ares nods.

“Hello?”

“Hello, Ares?” a computer voice comes down the phone.

“Who is this?”

“Not important! We have your girlfriend and if you want to see her alive again, you will pay what we ask.”

“What do you want?”

“Two million, untraceable, delivered at a specified location on Friday afternoon.”

“Friday afternoon? It’s Monday now. That's too long. I want her back now, let me talk to her!”

Then a sobbing voice comes over the speaker. “Babe, is that you? It’s me, Scar!”

“Hey, princess, you okay?” Ares asks her, she doesn’t sound right, she’s crying and whimpering. That doesn't sound like Ray.

“Babe, I need to speak to Uncle Bernie. Can you get him a message?”

Bernie buts in. “I’m here, Scar. You good?”

More sobbing, then, “Uncle Bernie, I need you to look after the kids. Give the boys their medication. Jay needs his normal tablets three times a day. Don’t let him have pizza he’s allergic.” More sniffles. “Travis needs the big tablets, they’re one a day. There are also some little blue ones, but don’t worry about those.

“Keep an eye on the chickens, there's a fox hanging around, maybe two, okay? The boys will be devastated if anything happens to them. I’m okay, I’m not hurt. I will be back before you know it. Tell my sister K.F.D.! I love you!”

Then there is what sounds like a slapping sound, a gasp and more crying. We’re all looking around at each other, but Uncle Bernie’s smiling like a fucking psycho.

“Let me know when and where. I will have your money!” Ares says as the line goes dead.

“What the fuck was that?” Viking spits out.

“That’s not the Ray we know. She wouldn’t crack like that. That’s not right. There’s something wrong. They must have done something fucking terrible. I’m gonna murder them all.”

Tank starts pacing, fisting his hair.

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