Reaper's Claim

REAPER

No sooner had I spoken than she went into full meltdown mode.

Her tears flowed fast, and they weren’t stopping.

I hated crying women more than I hated the fucking law, but I didn’t leave her.

“Come on, darling, calm down. He’s gone now.” I placed my hand on her shoulder, dropping my head so I could look into her blurry eyes.

I was suddenly feeling very shitty about the way I’d treated her back in the bar when she bumped into me. She looked so much smaller and more fragile now.

Her sobs soon turned into hysterics, causing her breathing to sharpen.

Fuck. What the hell do I do?

I brushed the blonde hair from her smooth face. I had never seen anyone cry as much as her.

“Come on, darling, calm down.” I rubbed her shoulder, standing in front of her awkwardly.

She dropped her head onto my chest, and I wrapped my arms around her, and she continued to weep, soon soaking my T-shirt with tears.

My heartbeat drummed faster.

Her small frame curved into my chest perfectly. I kept my arms wrapped around her, feeling like I was protecting her from the whole damned world.

“I… He…,” she stuttered into my chest. “If you hadn’t come…” She pulled her head away from my chest and looked up at me. “Thank you.”

I stared down into her crystal-blue eyes, now framed by puffy red circles.

“Thank you, Reaper.”

Fat tears slid down her cheeks, but she kept her eyes locked on mine.

For some reason, my nickname didn’t sound right in her mouth.

“Actually, call me Kade,” I said and took the opportunity to brush the tears away from her eyes. I felt her shiver when I touched her, and I felt myself wondering what I could do to make her shiver even more.

“Okay… Kade,” she said, and her voice was steadier now. That felt more right. My real name dancing across her tongue was like an aphrodisiac to me.

I could count on one hand how many people called me Kade: my mother, my father, my brother, my prez when he was pissed off, and this sweet girl.

I was called “Reaper” even before I’d stepped into the VP position because I rid the world of dead weight.

“Do you want me to take you home?” I asked her, watching as she collected herself.

Though when I thought about it, I was far from a fit state to be in control of any motor vehicle.

How such a sweet little thing had ended up here, I didn’t know, but hopefully, this would teach her to stay the hell away from places like this and the people who dwelled in them.

“No.” She shook her head. “I live here.”

At the Satan’s Sons clubhouse?

She didn’t look like the type of girl who should be hanging around here. She was the type of girl a guy like me would never have a chance with.

“How old are you?” I asked her. I felt my curiosity build each time I stared down into those crystal-blues.

“Sixteen.” Her eyes locked with mine. “Why?”

If you were legal, baby girl… Damn the gods for creating such temptation.

She closed her eyes briefly and then looked down at the ground.

What the hell is happening to me?

I couldn’t believe the power she suddenly held over me. But she had the kind of body worth going to war for.

I was about to ask her something else but stopped when someone called my name.

“REAPER!” Banger roared. His drunken arse walked around the corner.

I hurried to block her from Banger’s view. “What?” I roared at him.

“Prez wants ya.”

I glanced back at the girl, just in time to see her look quickly away, blushing. Was she just checking me out?

The black Metallica T-shirt gripping her body had worked its way up, exposing the soft skin of her midriff.

“Are you all right by yourself?” I asked. I really didn’t want to leave her, and that bothered me.

Why the hell did I care if this girl was all right or not?

“Yep.” Her blonde hair fell to the side as she glanced up at me. “I’ll be fine.”

I didn’t believe that, but Banger snapped at me to hurry up.

I nodded my head regretfully and started walking back towards the bar.

“I wish you didn’t have to go so soon,” I heard her whisper behind me.

Her words made me stop in my tracks. I looked back at her.

“Yeah...and I wish you were fucking legal.”

The corners of her lips twitched upward, and for the first time, I saw her smile.

“I will be. Soon enough,” she said, her gaze steady as her eyes met mine.

I knew right then that she wasn’t somebody I would ever forget, and I wanted to punch myself for admitting that.

I nodded, shooting her a grin before walking up the alley to Banger, who was ranting about me taking my sweet time.

I didn’t look back at her, but I fucking wanted to.

***

***

Roach was a hard, cold, mean bastard of a man.

If you didn’t know him, you wouldn’t give him a second look for fear he might rip your throat out.

He was the Satan’s Sons MC president. His VP, Trigger, was sitting next to him, and both of them were sitting directly across from me and my prez, Dane.

A few other people occupied the table too: Banger and Bleach on our side, and Gitz and Cameron on theirs.

I lit a cigarette and glared at Trigger.

“We agreed to help shift ya guns, brother, but we didn’t agree to inherit your war with the Soldiers.” Roach took a long drag on his cigarette.

“The Soldiers aren’t worth our bullets,” Banger barked. “We’re dealing with it; got nothing to do with you.”

“They shot up my garage, brother. That makes us a part of it,” Roach barked back.

It appeared that the meeting was not going to solve anything.

Everyone was hungover and nerves were raw.

Before the boys could open their mouths and begin a pointless argument, a bloodcurdling scream roared throughout the room.

Everyone jumped.

“Oh fuck me; shit just got real.” Gitz shook his head, and within a minute the double doors behind them blew open and in walked a very angry redhead.

“Dad!”

Roach spun around in his chair.

“What the fuck have you done to your head?!” he roared, getting to his feet.

Dad?

Roach has a daughter.

I glanced at Dane, but he didn’t seem shocked by it.

“I didn’t fucking do it! I fucking woke up with it!” she screamed at him. “It was fucking Abby!”

She was swearing like a man and screaming like a maniac. I guess the apple didn’t fall too far from the tree with these two. I wondered how long it would be until she too was shooting people and blackmailing cops.

“Abby!” Roach screamed.

“We came for a fucking meeting, not family drama,” I hissed in Prez’s ear.

They were wasting time. I was all for spending time with brothers and shit, but I was hungover, and the last thing I needed to witness or hear was a whiny, spoiled brat complaining to her old man.

This is why you shield up before entering any woman.

“Brother, you’ll be thanking him in a minute.” He grinned with a knowing look in his eyes.

I glanced back up and then there she was, wearing the same T-shirt from the night before, only now with a pair of shorts that were extremely short.

She crossed her arms and glared at the redhead.

I looked between the two and ran my eyes over the features of the redhead.

They were fucking twins—identical twins—and the only difference was the red hair.

Holy fuck.

Roach is her father.

Roach and Abby were locked in a standoff.

“What did you do, Abby?” Roach fumed. “Why did you dye ya sister’s hair?”

“Because it was either dye mine, dye hers, or cut all her hair off.” Abby shrugged her shoulders, but kept her face deadly calm.

It was the kind of calm you would expect to see before a storm.

“Red, Dad, fucking red!” The evil twin stomped her foot, threatening to cry.

“Abby, ya better start fucking explaining yourself!” Roach roared at her, and I couldn’t stop the glare that I shot his way.

Roach was the size of two normal-sized men.

He was big, intimidating, and I really didn’t like him speaking to her like that.

I didn’t know why it bothered me. I lit a cigarette and couldn’t look away even if I wanted to.

“I felt like it,” she hissed at him with fire in her eyes.

“We are about to get a show,” Bleach sneered.

“I sometimes feel like fucking throwing you two out on the streets. Doesn’t mean I’d fucking do it!” he roared.

“It’s red, Dad,” the redhead sobbed.

“Now look what you’ve done, Abby,” Roach patted the redhead on the back.

“Oh, God forbid Kimberly cries,” she spat, glaring at her sister.

“ENOUGH!” Roach pointed a finger at her. “Fucking explain yourself, Abby, before you end up living on the fucking streets.”

“Oh come on, Dad. I’ve done her a favor. Now she can refuck her way through every guy in town as the red harlot.”

“DAD!” Kim roared and reared back her fist to hit her sister. Roach stepped in between them, keeping them separated.

“Every fucking day I wish… I wish I had fucking boys!” he roared.

Abby continued to glare at her sister, and I had a strong feeling I knew why she’d decided to attack her sister’s hair.

Trigger leaned back in his chair, grinning. “You know, Kim. I like it. Makes you look older,” he spoke up, running his eyes over Kim.

Kim blushed bright red.

Would Roach be okay with his VP fucking his underage daughter?

The look of rage on Roach’s face gave me my answer.

“She’s still fucking sixteen,” Roach roared down at his VP. “And you better stop fucking looking at her like that before I rip ya cock off.”

I guess he didn’t know about what his VP got up to with his daughter after all.

I glanced back at Abby, only to have her eyes lock with mine.

I had gone unnoticed until now.

She gulped, and then her eyes snapped to the ground.

My seat creaked as I sat up straight.

I wanted her to look back at me.

Why the fuck won’t she look at me?

“Boys. All I wanted was fucking boys,” Roach muttered under his breath, glancing between his two girls. “Well then, how are we going to settle this?”

“I want to kill her,” Kimberly snarled.

“With what, Kim? A pair of your high heels?” Abby scoffed.

“You think you’re so bloody clever, bookworm,” Kim spat, glaring fiercely at Abby. “Why don’t you do the world a fucking favor and go back to your fucking bedroom and stay there?”

“Do you even know how to spell the word favor?” she threw back, taunting her sister.

I liked her. I fucking liked that fire in her eyes.

“Enough!” Roach roared over their ranting. “I’m in a fucking meeting.” He waved his arm around the room. “This is my fucking CLUBHOUSE.”

The veins in his neck bulged.

“Calm down, Dad.” Abby’s eyes softened, and she patted her old man’s arm. “You’ll give yourself a heart attack.”

“Yeah, Dad, chill, would you.” Kim patted his other arm.

“I need a break,” he snarled, “from your bullshit and your bullshit.” He looked between the two. “Always fucking fighting, always fucking ranting. ALWAYS FUCKING BRINGING ME INTO IT!”

His roaring was enough to make the windows shake, and every man in the room flinched, but Abby and Kim didn’t seem the least bit fussed by it.

“Look what you’ve done,” Abby snapped at her sister.

“What I’ve done?” Kim glared back, taking the bait. “You dyed my hair, bitch!”

“Yeah, and we both know why,” she snapped back. “And if you don’t settle down your fucking rant attack, I’m going to tell Dad.”

Roach stood solidly between them while they threatened each other, acting like he wasn’t even there.

“Tell me what?” he piped up.

“Do you want to kill him?” Kim’s voice had an edge to it.

It was as if I was watching a fucking movie, though Abby was hotter than any actress.

Down, Kade.

Underage, remember?

Abby was an underage pussy that I had no right to be thinking about.

“I would love to.” Abby crossed her arms. “You know I have nothing to lose.”

“You want me dead, Abby?” Roach roared into the conversation.

“Shut up, Dad; we aren’t talking about you.” Kim raised a hand in her father’s face.

Trigger looked a hell of a lot more nervous now. He knew what he had been doing—and who he was doing it to—the night before.

One glance at the twins and I could tell them apart now, and it wasn’t just the red hair.

Abby had a softness in her eyes. She was slightly taller; her breasts appeared to be made for my hands; and she had an ass all men would watch when she walked away.

Kim’s breasts were smaller, and she had a flat ass. Not to mention, she looked and dressed like a club whore.

One glance and you would know who was who.

“Fine. I’ll back down.” Kim crossed her arms.

“You don’t have to. Really, I would love to tell Dad what you told me last night.”

Abby applied a bit more pressure to the situation until her sister spun around, her long red hair flicking across her face.

“Sorry for bothering you, Dad. We have this all sorted.” Kim shot her dad a big grin and then put her hand out. “I need money.”

“For what?” Roach sounded a bit more relaxed.

“For a new wardrobe. I have red hair now.”

“I didn’t know whore came in any other color,” Abby spoke up.

“Says the ugly twin.” Kim rolled her eyes.

Roach slapped a big wad of cash into Kim’s hand. “Get out. Fuck off, the two of you.”

Kim planted a kiss on her dad’s cheek. “See ya tonight, Dad.”

She shot a glare in Abby’s direction and a lustful wink at Trigger, and then walked out.

Abby started to follow her, but Roach wrapped his hand around her upper arm, stopping her.

“Abby.”

“Yes, Dad?” She turned around and looked up at him with no expression.

“You gonna tell me what really happened?”

“No.”

“Did someone hurt you?”

“No.”

“Are you lying?”

“No.”

He shook his head, his face softening. “You’re lying, little one.”

I had seen Roach kill a man in cold blood.

I had seen many sides to this man, but I had never seen the soft, gentle one.

I looked at Dane, and he grinned back at me.

I guess being a father does weird things to a grown man.

“I’m fine, Dad. Sorry for interrupting your meeting.” A weak smile traced her lips.

He pulled her into a hug, ripping her up from the ground.

Finally she looked me in the eye over her old man’s shoulder.

Her feet dangled in the air as Roach hugged her.

Damn, she was beautiful.

“Do you want to stay for the meeting, little one?” He put her down, rubbing the top of her head. “We’re talking about the Soldiers.”

This was club business.

Skirts did not belong in the middle of club business.

“I think the room is a bit full. I’ll see you tonight.” She was blocked from my view, but I could still hear her voice.

“Righteo, little one. Off ya go then.”

Abby closed the two large wooden doors behind her.

Roach walked back over to his chair, slumped down into it, and reached for his bottle of beer.

“Don’t have fucking girls. Let that be a lesson to you young blokes,” he grunted.

Dane grumbled a deep laugh as both of them shared some fatherly joke together.

The meeting continued, but I wouldn’t lie and say my mind wasn’t on a certain sixteen-year-old’s blue opal eyes and killer body.

ABBY

Embarrassment is something I’m used to.

Growing up around so many men and being as clumsy as I am, it’s just always come with the territory.

But this morning, I got a huge dose—close to an overdose—when I was not only ranted at by Kim but also told off by my dad, in front of the man I hadn’t been able to stop thinking about all night.

Reaper had a bad-boy appeal, and even a saint would fall for his looks—those deep dark eyes, that sexy smile, and that body.

I knew it wasn’t just my hormones lusting after him, because any female with a pair of eyes would be doing the same.

I was singing off tune, loudly, to a Metallica track when my dad broke in to my bedroom.

“Dad, ever heard of knocking?” I snapped before bending down and swooping up my paintbrush.

Great, another stain on my carpet.

“Better start explaining why the hell I just got a letter from the school, Abby.” He waved a piece of paper in my face.

I snapped it from his grasp and read over the finely written letter, which detailed a suspension—my suspension.

“I didn’t do anything.” I was gobsmacked.

The letter stated I was being suspended for abusing a teacher. Sure, I might’ve been a bit of a spitfire at times, but I couldn’t remember one occasion where I had abused a teacher.

“The letter is telling me otherwise,” Dad grunted, not buying my denial.

“I didn’t do this.” I gave him back the piece of paper. “They must have gotten Kim and me mixed up because I don’t even have Mrs. Matthews as a teacher!”

I watched as Dad thought it over.

Finally, he blew out a deep breath and turned around sharply. “KIMBERLY!” He closed my door on the way out and roared down the hall.

Kim was suspended.

Again.

What a surprise.

I looked back at my painting. There was something off and I couldn’t decide what it was, but something was missing from the abstract piece of art. Maybe I just needed a break from it.

I was cleaning the paintbrush in my bathroom sink when I heard Dad’s big boots storm back into my room.

“Abby, I can’t find Kim.”

I looked up at my mirror and saw my dad’s reflection staring from behind me.

“Well, I wouldn’t have a clue where she is.” I could guess, though; it was the same place Trigger was.

I did like my sister—just a little bit—and I knew that telling Dad that Kim was sleeping with Trigger would bring a whole lot of hell down on her.

“You cut yourself?” Dad stepped closer, looking into the sink filled with red.

“No, just paint.” I showed him the clean brushes. “I’m not that stupid, Dad.”

“Good. Don’t want you doing any of that cutting with razors shit. Too pretty for scars.” He ruffled my hair. “I’m heading out for a while. I’ll be back before the party tonight.”

“Um, Dad,” I spun around. “Is the Western Charter still staying?”

“They haven’t ridden out; I expect them to in the next few days though.”

He narrowed his eyes, looking down at me with suspicion. “Why?”

“Just wondering how many I will be bartending for.”

I hid my real reason behind a smile.

Kade was still here.

He hadn’t left, which meant maybe I could redeem myself.

I didn’t want him to look at me like I was a little girl.