Page 48 of The Biker’s Guilty Pleasur

“She had,” Grace said. “I just don’t think she realized what she had taken exactly.”

She looked toward Reaper, and he nodded.

“Is that what you’re thinking to do with it?” Phoebe asked. “To talk some sense into that evil bastard?”

“It might help.”

“No, that is not going to help. All it will do is keep him doing what he does. There will be another woman out there, but she will not be able to wait and hold out hope, and she might kill herself. He is a monster and needs to be removed from his place of power.”

Grace saw the desperation in Phoebe’s eyes. This was not an act. She was not playing her part in the hope of getting the flash drive for Cartright. Phoebe wanted justice. She wanted to make Cartright suffer.

“You want to upload it?” Reaper asked.

“Yes, I know a guy at the local radio station on Bryne Street, and trust me, he’ll be able to get it uploaded and seen by the whole freaking world.” Phoebe leaned back in her seat.

“And who is this guy?”

“Do you have the flash drive or not?” Phoebe asked.

“You don’t make the rules here, sweetheart. You tell me what you know, and I will tell you if we’re going to play it that way,” Reaper said.

Chapter Seventeen

They drove in silence for another ten minutes or so before Reaper spoke again.

“Call the guy at the radio station. Tell him to be ready for us,” Reaper said.

“Thank you,” Phoebe said. “I’ve been dreaming of this for years. He’ll pay for all the pain he’s caused.”

Grace couldn’t believe it. Their nightmare was about to end. They’d upload this on the news, the judge would be thrown into prison, and they could live happily ever after. She felt emotional from the mere thought of the relief.

Phoebe was on her phone calling the news station when Reaper’s cell went off. She recognized Lord’s ringtone.

“Just passed the Ardene ranch. Yeah. She wants to upload it at the local news station. Okay. Understood. I’ll handle it. Okay. Always.”

Grace didn’t know what they were talking about. The conversation was short and tense. Reaper was looking straight ahead after, his jaw clenching occasionally.

That’s when she heard it. Sirens. She and Phoebe shifted around to look out the back windshield. There wasn’t one but three cop cars after them with their lights blazing. Reaper kept driving, not speaking or acknowledging the new situation. The cars were coming up fast, swerving back and forth wildly.

“I recognize him! The one driving,” Phoebe shouted when the first cop car was right on their bumper. “It’s the guy Cartwright calls when he wants someone to disappear ... permanently.”

Grace felt her blood pressure rise rapidly. Reaper pushed on the gas, driving straight ahead, turning right at the next side road. Dust billowed around them as they sped along the unpaved road. Grace held onto the dashboard to brace herself as the car jostled wildly.

“They’re going to kill me,” Phoebe kept chanting from the back. “I know too much.”

“Reaper, they’re cops. What are you going to do?” Grace yelled. She felt frantic, knowing he couldn’t go up against the police. He’d come out as the bad guy no matter what the truth was. She didn’t want him to get hurt. There was just him and three cop cars. It was a losing battle.

They kept along the rough path until they reached an abandoned grainery. He turned the car around then stopped.

“Why are you stopping?” Grace asked.

“They’re not going to let us walk away,” Phoebe said. “They’ll kill me.”

“Stay in the car,” Reaper said. “Keep your heads down. Whatever happens, stay in this fucking car.”

“What? No, Reaper!” Grace grabbed his sleeve when he attempted to leave the car. “This is a crazy idea.”

He ignored her pleading and left the car, closing the door behind him. There were six cops there, some behind the cars, some in front. They all had guns.