Reaper's Fall (Reapers MC, #5)(25)
Ten minutes later I headed toward the long tables set up outside the tent carrying a plate of ribs, potato salad, and corn bread. I found a spot at one end, where Horse sat down next to me, flanked by Marie. Ruger and his old lady, Sophie, sat across from us, leaving plenty of room for the others farther down. Soon Kit, Em, and Hunter joined us, and then Taz and Melanie sat next to them. The girls started laughing and giggling together as Jessica joined them.
She seemed to have hooked up with Hunter’s best friend, Skid. She might not be my favorite, but she deserved better than that f*ckwad. Better keep an eye on her. Looking away, I caught Horse checking out Jess and Skid, too. Then he caught my gaze and we shared a wordless conversation—Jess was young. We’d both be looking out for her. Taz stood up.
“Anyone want a drink?” he asked, staring right at me. “The ladies look thirsty—thought maybe I’d buy a round.”
Oh, that *. He was trying to get Mel drunk again.
“I’m fine with water,” she insisted, and I bit back a smile. Suck it, cockwad. She’s onto you.
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Dinner lasted way too long. Between Kit’s nonstop mouth and Taz’s little digs, I wasn’t entirely sure I’d make it through. Then everyone scattered to hit the bathrooms after we cleared our plates.
Taz stood next to me—whistling happily—while we took a piss, and that’s when I decided I’d had enough of his shit. As we walked out, I nodded at him to follow me behind the nearest display tent for a private word. Too bad it was the Kootenai County Sheriff’s booth—not an ideal spot to murder a man. Shitty to be me.
“What kind of game are you playing?” I asked him, forcing my tone to stay steady and relaxed.
“Having fun, Brooks? I’m likin’ that Mel girl. She’s got a real nice *.” Taz cracked his knuckles thoughtfully. “Later—you know, when I’m f*ckin’ her while you’re making sweet love to your hand? I’ll be sure to take a few notes, let you know how it goes.”
A year ago I would’ve taken him down, regardless of the fact that only a canvas wall separated us from six cops. Prison had taught me self-control, though. Puck and I had been almost completely alone down in Cali—we couldn’t afford luxuries like acting on our anger. Not if we wanted to live.
Now I used that hard-won self-control to hold my shit together.
“This ends now,” I told him flatly, refusing to play his game. Taz raised a brow.
“This?”
“Don’t be stupid, you know what I mean,” I replied, tired of all the bullshit. “She’s nothing to you, so when she comes back out, she’s with me.”
“How do you figure?”
I smiled slowly, reaching a hand down to touch the survival knife I always kept sheathed on my hip. “You touch her, I’ll gut you here and now, in front of witnesses. You’ll be dead and the peace between our clubs will end—all because you wouldn’t drop a girl you don’t give two shits about. That really how you want this to play out?”
His face sobered.
“You’re bluffing. I know you’re on probation—they’ll send you back to jail, and we’d get you on the inside,” he said slowly. I shrugged, almost hoping he’d call me on it. Not that I wanted to end my life rotting in a cell, but killing this f*cker might be worth it.
“Maybe,” I replied, offering him a sweet smile. “Guess there’s really only one way for you to find out.”
“You’d really start a war over this girl?”
I paused, considering. “Yup.”
Taz shook his head slowly, holding up his hands in surrender. “Fuckin’ have her. I’m after her roommate anyway. Just messin’ with you, that’s all.”
I felt my shoulders relax, because I’d actually been ready to do it—I’d have killed him if he touched her again. Jesus.
“You should seek some professional help,” Taz said, sounding almost concerned.
“Like a shrink?” I asked, biting back a laugh. “Yeah, I met one of those on the inside. We didn’t get along all that well.”
“I was thinkin’ a good whore,” he replied, smiling reluctantly. “You do get that a *’s a *, right? Hot, wet, and tight’s all that matters.”
Fuck. Why’d he have to say that? Now I was thinking about her *, which I was 100 percent certain was primo in every way. My phone buzzed. I grabbed it, finding a text from Horse.
HORSE: All good? Everyones back by the food tables
ME: Be there in a sec
I looked at Taz again. “We good?”
He nodded.
“Sure, whatever,” he said. “But seriously—you might want to go ahead and claim that girl. This kind of crazy can get dangerous, you pull it on the wrong guy. Only fair to let the rest of us know exactly where things stand ahead of time.”
I frowned, because I wasn’t ready to do that. I still wanted better for her. Someone nice, who’d work a steady job, maybe take her to Hawaii every other year. Wash her car on Saturday mornings. Unfortunately, every time I tried to picture that guy, he was dead at my feet.
Maybe I did have a complex.
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By the time we reached the group, the rodeo was about to start. While I wasn’t a huge fan, I couldn’t deny there was something about seeing a guy go the full eight seconds on top of one of those big bulls. The rodeo queens weren’t half bad in their tight jeans, either. I walked over toward Melanie, offering her a grim smile.