Chapter 23
Chapter 23
“We got word from the west side. The Reapers are pushing boundaries again.”
Jake’s words hung in the air like a storm cloud. I felt Talon stiffen beside me.
“What happened?” Talon asked, his voice low and dangerous.
(+58)
Jake’s jaw tightened, his gray eyes sharp. “They hit one of our warehouses. Burnt it to the ground. No one was hurt, but it’s a clear message they want to play.”
I glanced to Talon with a chill seeping into my bones.
“We gonna indulge them?” he growled, hands curling into fists at his sides.
Jake nodded, a pensive look on his face. “Church tonight. We need to figure out our move.” His eyes flicked to me briefly, a hint of concern in them before he turned back to Talon. “We gotta be ready for anything. This could get ugly.”
“Always does,” Talon muttered under his breath.
Jake
“Who are the Reapers?” Laura asked, breaking the silence.
I leaned back against the counter, folding my arms across my chest as the weight of the years pressed down on me. The Reapers. Just the name of that MC was enough to make my blood boil.
“Rival club. One of our oldest,” I started. “They’ve been sniffing around our territory since before I took the gavel. Back then they were just a nuisance. Small–time thugs with big egos. But now?” I shook my head, the memory of those early days sharp in my mind.
“Now they’re organized. They’ve got manpower, money, and a chip on their shoulder the size of Texas.”
Laura stiffened. “What do they want?”
I let out a slow breath, my gaze flicking to Talon. He knew the story as well as I did – hell, he’d lived it. But Laura… she’d grown up sheltered from club life. I’d made sure of that. Fat lot of good it did her, though. She was standing here in a cut with my VP’s arm around her waist.
“Back when I was Vice Prez, the Reapers were still small–time. They’d test us here and there – hit one of our shipments, rough up a prospect – but they didn’t have the balls to go all in. Then their old Prez, a guy named Roach, got it in his head that they could take us down.”
I trailed off, collecting my thoughts, and Talon picked up the story.
“They ambushed us. All–out, bloody, pointless fuckin war. We lost a lot of brothers.” He paused, crossing his arms over his chest. “Roach killed our President, Mace. Gutted him with a knife. But Mace did the same to Roach.”
I ran a hand through my hair. “Mace was a good man. A good leader. He was like a father to Talon and me. But he underestimated the Reapers. Thought they were just another bunch of wannabes trying to flex. He was wrong.”
My jaw clenched. “They hit us where it hurt. And my guess is, that’s all they’re trying to do now. They don’t want anything, just to be a bunch of fuckin dickheads. War for war’s sake.”
Laura’s face went pale, her fingers gripping the edge of the counter. “So what does that mean for us? For the club?”
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Chapter 23
I exchanged a glance with Talon
“It means we don’t have a choice,” I said. “They crossed a line. If we don’t respond, they’ll think we’re weak.”
སཾ ཛཱ,62%
“They burned down one of our warehouses,” Talon added. “That’s not just a message. It’s a declaration. We’re going to war?
I nodded in agreement, but I could see the fear in my sister’s eyes. She wasn’t cut out for this life – not fully, not yet. But she was bound to it now, whether any of us liked it or not. Bound to me, to Talon, to the clubs.
“Church tonight,” I repeated, pushing off the counter. “We’ll figure it out.”
“I’m coming, too.” Laura said, tone full of defiance.
“No.” Talon replied firmly. “Church is no place for my ol‘ lady.”
I nodded in agreement, even though the tension in the room was thick enough to cut with a knife. “Talon’s right. This isn’t your fight, Laura. We’ll handle it.”
She looked between us, worried. “I’m part of this now. I’m part of the club. I want to help.”
Talon stepped toward her, his voice softening despite the edge in it. “You help by staying out of it. Being safe. That’s what I need from you.”
Her lips pressed into a thin line, but she didn’t protest any further. She grabbed a knife from the drawer and started chopping vegetables with more force than necessary.
I nodded, clapping Talon on the shoulder before heading for the door. Dex and Norris followed, their boots echoing behind
- me.
Laura
The kitchen fell silent after they left. I focused on the knife in my hand. Talon stood behind me with a heavy presence, his silence louder than words.
“You think I can’t handle it,” I said finally, my voice tight. “That I’m some fragile thing that needs to be locked away.”
He sighed, his hands wrapping around my waist. “It’s not about what you can handle, angel. It’s about what I can’t.” His v was quiet, almost raw. “I can’t stand the thought of you getting hurt. Of losing you. Especially to them.”
I stopped my assault on the vegetables and turned to face him, searching his eyes. “You don’t have to protect me from everything,” I said softly. “I’m not just some damsel and I’m not in distress. I want to stand by you.”
He cupped my face in his hand, his thumb brushing over my lips. “You already do,” he murmured. “Just by being here, by wearing that cut – and this ring, you’re standing by me. But I don’t want you anywhere near the violence. I won’t watch you die bloody.”
I leaned into his touch, my heart aching. “And what about you? You think I don’t worry about you every time you walk out that door?”
A faint smile tugged at the corner of his lips.
“Worryin‘ about me might be part of the deal,” he said, his voice gentle. “But I’ve been doing this a long time. I know how to handle myself. You don’t need to see the ugly side of things.”
I wanted to argue, to tell him he couldn’t control me, that I had already seen – hell, lived in the ugly side of things.
But the way he looked at me – like I was the only thing keeping him grounded – made the words die in my throat. Instead I
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Chapter 28
leaned into him, my lips finding his in a searing kiss.
62%
We ate dinner in silence, still buried under the weight of our earlier conversation. When we finished, we cleared the plates and I turned to the sink, ready to wash them. His arms snaked around me from behind, his breath warm on the back of my neck.
“I have to head to the clubhouse,” he murmured against my skin.
When he pulled back, his green eyes bore into mine, unyielding. “Stay here. Stay safe. That’s how you help me.”
I turned in his arms and nodded reluctantly, my fingers curling into the leather of his cut. “Promise me you’ll come back,” I whispered.
His hand slid down to the small of my back, pulling me closer. “Always,” he murmured against my lips. “No matter what.”
For a moment, we stood there like that, wrapped in each other’s arms. But then he pulled away, his expression hardening as he headed for the door.
“Talon.” I called out just as he reached for the handle. “I love you.”
“I love you too, angel.” He winked at me before making his way out the door.
