REAPER'S KISS(33)

“What about my father?” I asked. “With your club…”

Jace shook his head. “He’ll have to figure it out for himself.”

“That’s not what I meant.”

“You wondering if they’re going to hurt him?”

“Yes. He’s my father. No matter what.”

Jace pulled me close for a hug. I loved the way he smelled. Leather, steel, and man, all wrapped up into one.

He kissed the top of my head. “You’re a good person, sweetie. A damn good person. I’m going to take care of everything. No matter what.”

There was plenty left to say but I didn’t want to ruin that moment.

An outlaw with his arms around me. Holding me.

Inside my heart, I knew nothing would ever be the same again.





chapter twenty-seven


(jace)



NOW



I ended the call and felt my heart race. I never got nervous going into a deal. Shit, there were plenty of times when talks broke down between us and other crews and shit got violent. All I could think about was Ava. She didn’t deserve to be thrust into this position. But it was the only way to draw out Glen.

I turned and looked at Sid. He was ready to go. Bandana wrapped around his head like he was ready for war. Black sunglasses on his face. A snarl to match. We were keeping the clubhouse on lockdown with prospects out on the road, keeping things protected in town.

Intel provided us with everything we needed about Glen. He was connected but not running with a crew. That meant whatever he did was on his own. Anything he earned he kicked a little up as a tribute. If we took him out, it would stir up some bad blood. Having heavy powered suits come through Bishop would be a nightmare but we didn’t have much of a choice. Sid wanted final revenge on this guy.

So did I.

Glen was the guy behind the wheel of a SUV that tried to kill me. He was the one who ordered the lunk of a moron Arnie to shoot me. And if I hadn’t played dead or gotten to my cell phone fast enough, I would have been killed that night.

And just thinking about it… while I was on the road, broken and bleeding, Glen was hurrying to his second destination of that night. To the store. To murder Ava’s mother.

“We need to move,” Sid said.

He let out a whistle and a black car came from around the side of the building.

That’s when my heart started to hurt. Actually physically hurt.

In the backseat of the car was Ava. Hands tied behind her back. A bag of money on her lap. It was the only way to make this thing work. She was the visible variable while I had the invisible variable coming soon.

“You want to kiss your girl?” Sid asked me.

“No,” I said. I put my sunglasses on. I climbed on my ride. “Let’s get this shit out of the way.”

So we left, just me and the Prez, Diesel driving the black car behind us.

The store was still shut down, a family emergency sign hanging in the door. It wasn’t like many people went to the store anyway. The store was nothing more than a reminder of a small town that used to flourish with little places like that.

I parked my ride sideways and climbed off. Sid was behind me. I walked to the car and stood there. I nodded to Sid and he placed a call.

A minute later, Glen appeared at the front door of the store.





You want to know the worst feeling in the world?

Walking a woman you care about to what could end up being her final destination. And I had to play it all off too.

I walked Ava to the front door of her family’s store.

Glen opened the door.

I had never seen his face in the light of day before. Only in the dark as I writhed in pain on the road where he had tried to kill me.

Goddamn, that took some serious restraint.

“I think we’re set here,” I said to Glen.

As f*cked up as it was, you could tell Glen and Ava were from the same bloodline.

Glen was taller than Ava but not as tall as me. He had a cocky aura about him, as though he was an untouchable man.

His eyes lit up when he saw Ava.

“This is what you wanted,” Sid said. “We’ve fulfilled our promise.” Sid then tossed a bag of money to Glen. “Half the money. Your line of business isn’t welcome in Bishop.”

Glen nodded. “Well then, how interesting this has become. I’m back to where it started for me. Where I killed this bitch’s mother. Now I’m going to do the same to her. I’ll make sure her father - our father - will have lost everything he loves.”

As Glen started to back up, I caught myself inching forward. I couldn’t let Ava out of my sight or grasp for a second. Sid side stepped and blocked me from doing anything stupid.

We were going to wait and see what Glen’s next move would be.

The goal was to get Ava to safety and then deal with Glen.

“Since you’ve been so honest with me, let me do the same with you,” Glen said. “Come with me.”

He walked into the store.

I stepped up behind Ava and I touched her lower back. I couldn’t say a word to her, but I hoped my touch reassured her.

When we got into the store, Glen pointed to the counter.

I saw a bunch of chains and looked at him.

“What the f*ck is that about?” I asked.