“I need to talk to Slaughter,” he said, his voice low and commanding. “Alone.”
Hope’s eyes widened, and she took a step toward me. “Reaper, he’s hurt. He needs to rest.”
“I know what he needs,” Reaper said, his tone gentler now. “I’m not here to hurt him, Hope. I just need to talk. Five minutes. That’s all.”
She hesitated, her gaze flicking to me. I nodded, even though the movement made my head throb.
“It’s okay,” I said quietly. “Go with Digger. I’ll be fine.”
She didn’t look convinced, but she didn’t argue. Digger pushed off the wall and held the door open for her, and Stellafollowed them out. The door closed behind them with a soft click, leaving me alone with Reaper.
For a long moment, he just stood there, staring at me. Then he pulled the chair closer to the bed and sat down, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees.
“You fucking lied to your president, asshole.”
I groaned, trying to shift into a more comfortable position. Every movement sent fresh waves of pain through my body, but I forced myself to meet his eyes. “I know.”
“You better have a plan to fix it before Ghost and Shadow find out that you lied about being married to Hope.”
“Will take care of it once we’re back home,” I hissed as a searing pain ripped up my side.
Reaper sighed, rubbing a hand over his face. “See that you do.” He leaned back in the chair, his expression weary. “Fuck, I hate this place. Nothing but bad memories and death within these walls.”
“The Diamondbacks don’t seem to mind.”
He snorted and was quiet for a moment, his gaze distant. Then he shook his head and focused on me again. “I want you and Hope gone from this place as soon as you can ride. Shit is kicking off in Nebraska, and I need you at your best.”
I frowned, trying to process his words through the fog of pain and exhaustion. “Satan’s Angels are in the area, Prez. Two tried to jump me the other day.”
“Yeah, I know.” His voice was grim. “They’re moving closer to Nebraska. Word is they’re joining forces with the Death Dogs. If that happens, we’re fucked.”
My stomach dropped. The Death Dogs were bad enough on their own. A vicious, ruthless MC with a reputation for extreme violence. But combined with Satan’s Angels? That was a nightmare scenario.
“War?” I asked quietly.
Reaper nodded. “Fuckers almost took out Karlyn.”
I sat up too fast, ignoring the way my ribs screamed in protest. “Ravage?”
“Lie back down, asshole,” Reaper said, pushing me back onto the bed with a firm hand. “King’s got him locked down at the clubhouse in Nebraska for now. Word’s out. Everyone knows that Ravage is Morpheus’ son. He’s wanted.”
“Fuck,” I groaned, rubbing my hands down my face. The movement pulled at my broken ribs, and I hissed, but I didn’t stop. “Digger and the others ain’t gonna like that, Reaper. Ravage is one of us. He’s our brother. We may not share blood, but he’s ours. Moonshine groomed him. You know that.”
“Yeah, I do, which is why I need your ass back in Tennessee fast. I need you to make sure everyone there stays fucking there. I can’t have the Tennessee Chapter going off half-cocked. Leave Ravage to me. I will take care of him.” Reaper’s voice was hard and final. Then he added, “I also need you to reach out to Ace. Tell him I’m calling in his marker.”
I blinked, confused. “What marker?” Ace was Moonshine and Roxy’s oldest son. He’d wanted nothing to do with the club, so when he turned eighteen, he joined the military. He was now a member of Harbor Security Service. An elite security firm composed of former special forces. “Ace left when he was eighteen. He was never patched in.”
Reaper didn’t answer immediately. He just looked at me, his expression unreadable.
My body tensed despite the pain. I forced myself to sit up again, slower this time, my eyes locking on Reaper’s face. “Tell me Ace has nothing to do with this shit, Reaper.”
“I can’t do that, Slaughter.”
“What the fuck?!” I roared, swinging my legs over the side of the bed and ignoring the way my vision swam. “Jesus fuck, Reaper. Do you know what it did to everyone when Ace steppedaway from the club? We all just assumed he had issues with the club and wanted no part of it. Are you telling me Ace wasorderedto join the military?”
Reaper’s jaw tightened. “Look, Slaughter, this shit with Satan’s Angels, the Death Dogs, theSociety, the human trafficking, the coming war—it’s all connected.”
“What the fuck does that shit have to do with Ace?”
