Reaper's Stand (Reapers MC, #4)(36)

The system had worked well for us.

Now I looked around, wondering where to begin. Most of her favorite things were strewn across the floor in dirty piles. I could either grab the things from her drawers (already clean) and pack them, or collect up what she really liked and give it a quick wash.

Well, she had said “thank you,” which was a big step up for Little Miss Entitlement.

I grabbed the dirty clothes, tossing them into the box like a makeshift laundry basket. I carried them into the kitchen, where a washer and dryer took up one corner. Then I started sorting through and checking the pockets.

That’s when I found the money.

A hundred-dollar bill, wrapped around a scrap of paper with a note on it.


Seven tonight, downtown. No bra, no panties.

What. The. Hell.

My hand trembled as the implications hit me. Jessica had some sort of secret boyfriend, the kind of man who gave her money. Enough money that she could afford to leave a hundred-dollar bill stashed in her pants.

Amber had boyfriends like that, too.

The thought made me sick, and I swayed, reaching out to clutch the counter. I stumbled into the living room, sitting down heavily on the couch, trying to think.

Mellie. She’d know what was going on.

The phone only rang once before she picked up.

“Hey, Loni,” she said, sounding pathetically eager to talk to me. I felt a twinge of guilt—I hadn’t given her much thought the past couple days, even though she’d spent two or three nights a week at my house over the last year.

“Hey, Mel. How are you?”

“Okay,” she replied. “I miss Jessica, though. I’ve tried calling her but she hasn’t answered. I guess she’s too busy doing cool things with her mom.”


Not so much, but I decided not to go there.

“Maybe. Hey, I was just going through some of her laundry and I found something strange. I thought I might ask you about it.”

“What?” Mellie asked, her voice cautious. I smelled a secret. Excellent. Now I just needed to get it out of her, which shouldn’t be too hard. Mellie never lied directly, only by omission.

“A note, along with a hundred-dollar bill. It’s from a man, making arrangements to get together with Jess downtown somewhere. Do you know of anyone she was seeing? Someone who would have a hundred bucks to spare?”

Mellie didn’t answer immediately, so I waited, letting the silence grow between us.

“I don’t know his name,” she said finally. “I mean, I know he’s older, but I don’t know any more than that. She said he was her sugar daddy. Said he took care of her.”

I sighed. “And you didn’t think that was relevant information to share with me when she went missing?”

“I didn’t want to get her in trouble,” Mellie replied, her voice miserable. “I knew how pissed you’d be, and I don’t think he had anything to do with her taking off. It’s not like he’s dangerous or anything—not like those bikers she hooked up with. She says he’s really good to her. And they didn’t start sleeping together until after she turned eighteen, at least not that I know of. She says he respects her.”

“Okay,” I said softly. I felt like I should press her for more information, but what was the point? God, this sucked. “I appreciate the heads-up.”

“Sorry,” Mellie whispered. “Hey, Loni?”

“Yes?”

“Can I come over to your place sometime? I sort of miss hanging out with you.”

“Sure, sweetie,” I told her, feeling my eyes start to water a little. “You’re always welcome here, okay?”

“Thanks,” she whispered. “You know how it is . . .”

“Yeah, baby, I know how it is. You’re safe here. Always. Just because Jessica left doesn’t mean you aren’t welcome.”

“Thanks, Loni.”

I hung up the phone and flopped back on the couch, wondering how I’d gotten to such a strange place in my life. I’d dumped my husband for Jess, and now Jess had dumped me for Amber. Then I dumped Nate.

I wouldn’t dump Mellie, I decided.

No matter what happened, she was a sweet kid and she needed all the support she could get. I wouldn’t fail her like I’d failed Amber and Jessica.

And yes, I know it was insane to think I failed them—you can’t save someone who doesn’t want saving. Didn’t change how I felt.

The buzzer went off on the washer, reminding me that I had more clothes to push through. I needed to hit the grocery store for Reese, too. I’d go out to his place early, I decided. That way I wouldn’t have to see him, because despite my bold resolutions I wasn’t quite ready to confront him just yet.

I’d been through enough in the past twenty-four hours.

? ? ?

Reese’s motorcycle sat out in front of his house when I pulled up, along with his truck and a sporty little red convertible.

A Miata. My Miata. I seriously considered keying the car out of pure jealousy.

Make that jealousy and frustration, because not only had I failed to avoid Reese, he apparently had company. Best not to think about whoever might be driving that pretty little car, either, because I’d bet my morning ice cream it wasn’t one of his club brothers.

I sat in the driveway and pondered just turning my van around and leaving, then decided that would be pure cowardice. I’d run into him sooner or later. Might as well get it over with. It would be good for me to see him with another woman, I decided. I’d nearly slept with him the other night, and while I’d decided to break up with Nate, that didn’t automatically mean hooking up with Reese was a smart idea.