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“Then ask me questions which are of use to the club.” My response makes them pause, before Ryker nods and braces his arms on the table between us.
“Okay, how long were the Reapers in bed with the Brutes?”
“Two years, maybe three,” I reply instantly, but it seems my openness doesn’t offer them any reassurance.
“Did they run guns for them?”
“Yes.”
“Were they close?”
“Very. People regard Kincaid in two ways; he's either a threat or a God. The Reapers practically made a shrine for him, believing he would lead them to greatness, when all he ever offered was a glimpse of hell.”
Gray tilts his head to the side as he observes me, while Emmett’s frown deepens.
“Is there any other information you can give us on them?” Axel mutters, not looking directly at me as he concedes slightly, revealing that he does in fact need my help.
I almost consider making a point of it, but that would only reconfirm to him that I’m a bitch. So instead, I sit tall in my seat and sigh. “Like I told you before, these men act like they rule the world. We’re all outlaws here, from the members of any motorcycle club, to the prospects, right down to the whores, old ladies and their children. But they somehow manage to take it to another level with little effort on their end. They don’t care who they tread on. They take what they want, when they want, and however they want, without waiting for permission from a single soul.”
Ryker clears his throat. “He told me that the President of the Ruthless Brothers, my predecessor, had a deal in place with him where he took a percentage of our operations. Could that be true?”
I’m nodding before he’s even finished speaking. “Anyone within a fifty-mile radius of that man and his followers pays him something.”
“And when you don’t pay?” Gray asks, nostrils flared with anger at the truth I’m giving them, truth that muddies their own doorstep.
“He takes,” I answer honestly as my body trembles with the memories threatening to barricade me in my mind, leaving me to lose my strength and wither away.
“He takes what?” This time, the question comes from Ryker, and I focus on his green eyes for a moment, grounding myself in the present so I don’t succumb to the pain I’ve hidden away.
“Whatever he wants. The lives of the men he considers a threat, their women, their whores… their children.”
“Fuck,” Axel grunts, slamming his palm on the table, and I jolt at the sudden movement.
“Why did I expect this to be harder than that?” Emmett asks, and it takes me a second to realize he’s looking at me.
“What?” I toy with the end of my skirt nervously as I try to process what he’s talking about.
“Why are you so forthcoming?”
“I was a club whore. My loyalty lies with me.” My statement isn’t entirely true, but my loyalty does lie with me. Always. It’s the only way to survive this dark and twisted world.
“We will have to bring this information to the table in the morning. I need the night to think. This is our legacy, our club, and our future. We won’t fall at the first hurdle, and not at the mistakes of the men who falsely led us before.” Axel, Emmett, and Gray all nod in agreement with their Prez as I rise from my seat, hoping this means I can get out of here.
There’s no gavel hitting the wood to draw the meeting to an end since this isn’t all that official tonight, so when Emmett turns toward me instead of heading for the door, I’m frozen in place.
When he’s within arm’s reach, he grabs my waist, lifting me into the air and catching me by surprise.
“What’s going on?” I ask, the panic noticeable in my tone as he holds me so we’re face to face.
“You deserve a reward for being so cooperative.”
What the fuck does that mean?
“So cooperative?” I repeat, confusion getting the better of me as he bands one arm tighter around my waist, keeping me pinned to him, while the other strokes down my face softly, making me shiver.
“And for protecting my sister without hesitation,” he adds.
“I didn’t do that for you,” I breathe, my brain malfunctioning with him this close as he grins at me. His hand drops from my face and trails up my thigh. My core clenches as goosebumps pebble over my skin.
