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Years of growing up in this life, witnessing how the old ladies dealt with their men had me checking myself. Not because I thought Reaper was mine. He wasn’t. I didn’t care about how easily their prides got bruised because that was their problem. Not mine. But it was ingrained in me to treat the patched brothers with respect, especially in here, their most sacred, official space.
I forced myself to look away from him and studied Midas. He looked a bit worse for wear with various cuts and bruises and the bandage peeking out from under his shirt. When I looked at my brother, I thought the scowl on his face was for me, but when I looked closer, I realized it was aimed at Chris. I glanced over at her, but she was looking straight ahead, her eyes trained on nothing in particular.Huh. Wonder what that’s about.
My eyes were drawn back to Reaper. I’d never experienced anything like what we shared. That hunger, like he couldn’t possibly get enough of me. It must have been the adrenaline. At least that was what I kept telling myself. It was a one-time thing. A mistake.
“So, what you’re saying is they backed down?” Uncle Wolf asked, his skepticism clear. I hadn’t paid attention to what Betty said, but there was no need. I’d been involved in every step. It was up to me to ensure my family’s safety.
Tyler snorted and tried to cover it with a cough. “They have a lot more to focus on than continuing their fight with Redemption.” Her lips ticked up, Tyler’s version of an all-out smile. “We also explained that we pulled the trigger, and your guys had nothing to do with it. So if they want retribution, they have our address.”
I let myself preen a bit, remembering how we’d threatened them. Blew shit up. I hadn’t had that much fun in a long time.
Uncle Wolf leaned back in his chair and looked over at High. They had one of their silent conversations before turning back to us.
“How did you convince them?” High asked.
“You want a play-by-play?” Tyler snapped, her attitude bordering on the edge of what was acceptable in Chapel. The brothers were clearly still angry and wanted blood, and she wasn’t helping deescalate the situation.
Uncle Wolf lifted his eyebrows and nodded.
Before Tyler had the chance to open her mouth and start a war with her vitriolic sarcasm, Jessen jumped in. “Raids on their drug houses. Took all their goods and their cash.” The large amount of money we’d obtained would go toward helping our rescue efforts, and we’d flushed the drugs. “All their drivers’ licenses have been suspended, and half of them are currently sitting in jail under a fun variety of charges, like illegal possession of firearms, possession with intent to distribute, and selling fake scripts.” She snapped her fingers. “Oh, and two of their clubhouses burned to the ground early this morning. Crescent City and the one up in St. Helens on the Washington border.”
“Someone must’ve left a burner on,” I quipped. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Betty shaking her head. She should have known better than to send our resident pyromaniac to canvas the clubhouses. At least Adrienne had made sure they were empty when she lit the fuses.
“So zero blowback,” Reaper said to the room at large, but I knew the words were directed at me. “Not even for killing their president?”
“No blowback. Corven wasn’t well liked, if you can believe it.” I was aware of every movement Reaper made. From when he leaned back in his chair to the slow trail his eyes made up and down my body. His analysis was all I could focus on, and I missed whatever Betty said next. My palms started to sweat, and my body grew warmer. There were too many people stuffed into this room. I needed to get out of here so I could breathe.
Tension grew as Reaper glared at me, his furious gaze somehow seductive, until it was so thick I could taste it on my tongue. I was sure everyone in the room could. At some point my team had finished delivering the news, but I wasn’t paying the slightest bit of attention to what was said. Only that I needed to get out.
We filed back out of the room, and it took everything in me not to sprint out to the car and zip away. I made it as far as the main room before a thick arm wrapped around my waist and hoisted me against a hard body. One I could officially say I was intimately familiar with.
I was picked up like I weighed nothing, and the only thing that kept me from fighting back was my disinterest in causing another scene to entertain the assholes of Redemption. That and my respect for club politics. Still, I glared at my friends as they stood by with various expressions of amusement on their faces. Chris waved at me as I passed her.
They were dead to me.
He entered a room, slammed the door, and tossed me on the bed. Standing sentry in front of the door, he stared at me, daring me to move him out of my way.
And I would, as soon as I was finished giving him a piece of my mind. I shot off the bed like a rocket. “How dare you fucking cart me around like that. I have enough respect for the brotherhood to know not to challenge you in front of them. Is it so hard for you to show me that same level of respect?”
He stepped forward, an apology shining in his eyes. “Peyton, I?—”
Please, like he gives a shit.
“No. You don’t get to say a word. I don’t care what you have to say, what you wanted. It’s irrelevant.” I jabbed my finger into the center of my chest. “I am a person. I am not a fucking thing you can snatch up and cart around because it’s easier for you.”
His shoulders fell and he stared at the ground at my feet. “No, babe. I—” He shook his head. “You were walking away. We needed to talk.”
My stomach churned. I was such an idiot. All this time I thought he’d wanted me. I hadn’t considered that he thought it was as big a mistake as I did. “I get that you don’t want anyone to know. Don’t worry, no one will know you fucked your president’s niece, you have my promise.” I fisted my hands by my side. “But grabbing me? Showing that you have no respect for me, my personal space, or what I want?” As I spoke, Reaper stood up taller, his expression unreadable. “Let me make what I want clear. Get out of my way before I make you.”
Reaper didn’t answer, just kept staring at me with a look on his face that I didn’t understand. When he didn’t move, I stepped toward him, ready to force him.
Without warning, he sprang into action. One moment I was standing, ready to break a piece of him so I could run away and deal with him being embarrassed of me. The next I was on my back on his bed with his body between my thighs.
“You think I’m embarrassed?” I couldn’t respond. What was I supposed to say?
His hands were still holding my waist, and he shook me. “Answer me. You think I’m fuckingembarrassedthat I finally had you right where I wanted you for years?”
“Yes!” I shrilled, and I opened my mouth to say something else, but Reaper effectively silenced me when he ground his hard dick against me.
