Page 13 of Reaper Released

Stepping into her, we hug each other like old friends.

“So good to see you, Carmen!” She’s absolutely gorgeous.

“I’m here to take my trash back with me.” Miguel gasps as she speaks in her subtle accent.

“Of course, Carmen. Would you like it alive and kicking or would you prefer me to slit its throat so it’s less… whiny?”

Laughing, she says. “I will take him alive and kicking. We have some issues we have to… discuss.”

I nod in acknowledgement to her. “Tank, Viking, would you mind wrapping Carmen's… trash to go? And see it’s delivered to the boot of her vehicle.”

They both nod and advance on Miguel, who starts screaming. Viking punches him in the head and knocks him out.

“Ah, so much better. Thank you!” Carmen purrs and bats her lashes at Viking as he goes all Mark Darcy and pretends to bow and remove a hat he isn’t wearing.

He waves his imaginary hat and bows. “Milady,” he purrs right back.

Cocking a brow at him, I mouth, “What the fuck?” at him as he shrugs.

Ares steps forward and saves us. “Carmen, it's lovely to meet you. I'm Ares. Would you care for a drink while we talk?”

“I would, Ares, thank you. Maybe… ” As she nods toward Viking, pausing.

“Viking?” I question.

“Hmm, Viking! Yes, maybe he would like to join us.”

He gives her the biggest smile and nods, dragging the unconscious Miguel out of the barn.

Carmen turns to the suit guys.

“Ve con ellos, asegura a Miguel y espera con el vehículo… I’m quite safe here!”

“Go with them, secure Miguel, and wait with the vehicle… ”

With that, they nod, following after Viking and Tank. Ares and Carmen head to the bar.

Wafting my arm around my head. “Someone clean this shit up!” As I stride to leave the barn.

“Ray… Reaper?” Turning, Roach stands looking slightly embarrassed as all the guys watch him. His eyes flick around, taking them all in, staring at the floor and kicking the dirt with his boot.

“Thank you… for, erm… believing in me!” Turning around and striding towards him, I grasp his chin, tilting his face to look at mine, and he blushes.

“You did good, kid! I'm proud of you, without you saying anything, I wouldn’t have suspected Casper! It took a lot of guts to speak out against a brother!” Winking at him, I give him a kiss on the cheek, then pat where I just kissed.

As I turn and walk away, rounding the door, I hear, “Ahem!” in that low, gravelly, sexy voice that can only be Steel. I pause just outside the doors to listen.

“Do you have a little crush on my woman?”

“Erm… I mean… your woman? …Well… erm.” But then I see Roach straighten up, stand tall through the crack in the wood of the walls on the barn, and take a deep breath, looking straight in Steel’s eyes even though he’s the same height as me, and Steel must be six foot four.

“Yes!”

“You gonna try and steal her from me, are you, kid?”

Using the name I called him, I can hear the smirk in Steel’s voice.

“If she gave me even the slightest inkling that I stood a chance, yes!” he says with total conviction.

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