Page 93 of Reaper Razed

“Welcome, gentleman,” she says with a massive grin on her face. “You've been accepted into the fold. You are The Armoury’s newest recruits.”

“Ray!” I bark. “You best have a good reason for whatever the fuck you're trying to pull.”

She walks forward, and Bran and Dane flank her with smug ass grins on their faces. Once they reach us, Ray says, “I'm sure you have a lot of questions, All of you.”

“Where the fuck do we start?”

“You're with The Armoury? That’s how you knew the guys who kidnapped us weren't!” Steel takes a step towards his wife and then stops. She just nods in reply.

“How long have you been in The Armoury?” Priest asks.

“We’re not in The Armoury,” Dane replies. “We are The Armoury.”

“What the fuck does that even mean?” Dice spits clearly as blindsided as the rest of us.

Bran takes a step forward. “It means we aren't part of the organisation. We run it. Our dads started it twenty years ago. We run this side of it now!”

“Why didn't anyone tell me?” Steel asks.

“Baby.” Ray steps forward, but you can see the hurt on Steel’s face, so she stays a few feet away. “When our dads took you and Demi to the bank to sort out everything, you kinda freaked at the stuff they told you, so remember they said they would leave the rest for a bit till things sunk in? This is one of the many things we waited to tell you. You and Demi are financially part of The Armoury. There are other bank accounts in your name, as it all started from the initial buy-in your dad was a part of!”

“So what does this mean for us all?” Blade takes a step forward, eyeing Ray cautiously.

“It means now you get the good stuff, the best guns, ammo, knives, fucking armoured trucks, whatever you want, you can buy-in and distribute as you wish. Obviously, there are certain rules and certain people we won’t allow you to deal with, but you will buy directly from us, just now your clientele will have a better range, shall we say. Higher quality and untraceable, which also means they’ll pay more. So what do you say, gentlemen, wanna see behind the curtain?”

We all shift uncomfortably as we glance around at each other. I mean, we trust Ray, we know Ray, but this is a big fucking deal. “Tell you what, guys, if you wanna come, load your bikes into the warehouse and lock it up.” She tosses us some keys. “If not, jump on them and hightail it outta here, no harm, no foul.” They turn around and head to the chopper.

“What the fuck is going on, Ares?” Dice asks.

“Man, I don't know how I feel about this. I mean, would it feel safer if it was someone we didn’t know?” Blade asks, just as confused as the rest of us.

“They haven’t become the organisation they have by inviting every Tom, Dick, and Harry in. It makes sense for them to have been this cautious,” Steel reminds us.

“It’s Ray! I’m in!” Tank says. “I trust her with my life, and you lot do too, so what the fuck are we bitching about?” Tank turns and strides towards the bikes, riding his into the warehouse and coming out, heading over to Ray.

“Well, I’m in, obviously!” Steel shrugs. He definitely wouldn’t be getting laid for a while if he didn’t follow her!

“Fuck it.” Dice throws his hands up and takes his bike inside.

“Come on. We're in this together,” I say to the rest of us. “All or nothing, I suppose!”

As we all climb aboard the chopper, I glare at Ray. “You’re a slippery motherfucker!”

She winks at me. “You don’t know the half of it, Brother!” A shiver passes through me. I pass it off as the chopper having an effect on me, but I’m beginning to wonder if we actually know Ray. And can we truly trust her? I’m withholding passing judgement right now, but I’m not taking my eyes off her. She’s so embedded into all our lives that if she betrays us, there will be no coming back for any of us.

We’re all handed blindfolds. “You are taking the piss right now,” I spit in her face.

“If you didn’t know me at all and I was just someone for The Armoury, you wouldn’t be so on edge or unwilling to trust me. I’m still me, Brother! I would still give my life for yours. Nothing has changed.” She hands me the blindfold, and I snatch it from her grasp. “You’re getting the VIP treatment, Ares. I’ve been fighting for a long time to bring you all into the fold, so trust me when I say you’re getting closer than anyone else ever has!”

“Is that supposed to comfort me in some way?” I snipe at her.

“No, Boyband. It’s just a reminder!”

“Sounds more like a threat to me!”

Grinning like the motherfucker she is, she leans forward, “If I wanted you dead, ‘brother’, you would be!” she spits at me, then sags back into the chair and looks out the window folding her arms over her chest clearly done with this conversation!

We all don our blindfolds and fly off in silence for what feels like about forty minutes until we land. There’s noise and rustling around us and a door opening and slamming.

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