Reaper's Salvation: A Last Riders Trilogy

by Jamie Begley

  Reaper didn’t know whether to take what Sex Piston was saying as an insult or a compliment.

  Sex Piston swept her gaze over him from the top of his head down his body, lingering at his chest, hips, and thighs. “Fuck no. Shade, you have any ginger beer back there?”

  Shade stepped back from the bar to stare at the under-the-counter refrigerator, then reached down to pull out a bottle of cold ginger beer. Seeing Shade found what she had asked for, Sex Piston went from the front of the bar to the back, then took a bottle of a dark rum from the shelf. Taking a slender glass, she poured a fourth of the glass with the ginger beer then half with the dark rum. Pushing the glass toward him, she gave him a saccharine smile. “You can thank me later.”

  “Excuse me.”

  Reaper looked over as an older woman squeezed in between him and Viper, rubbing her breast on his arm.

  “Are we leaving, Sex Piston?”

  “No, we’re staying. He handled it.”

  The woman lifted heavily mascaraed eyes to his. “I told Sex Piston you would.”

  Reaper barely managed to prevent from gaping as the woman’s eyes leered over his body.

  “What’d you make for him?”

  “I made him a dark and stormy.”

  “Yes, he is,” she cooed. “Make me one, Sex Piston. I’m in the mood to be dangerous tonight.”

  The woman turned to go back to the party, making sure her other breast made contact with his arm as she left.

  The men all watched Sex Piston make two more drinks.

  “In case anyone else wants one,” she said, giving him a wink as she walked out from behind the bar, going back to opening presents with the women.

  Shaking himself out of the stunned amazement at the brazen way the older woman had acted, Reaper made sure he didn’t look back to see who had gotten the second drink.

  “Who was she? I’ve never met her before.”

  “You had the honor of having Sizzle make a pass at you. She’s Sex Piston’s mother,” Stud supplied the information with smothered laughter. “You going to try the drink my wife made for you?”

  The men, except for Stud, studied the mixed drink Sex Piston had poured with suspicion.

  “You think it’s safe to drink?” Viper joked when Reaper didn’t make a move to take a drink.

  “I’ve had one before,” Dalton volunteered. “Give it a try.”

  Taking a few sips, Reaper had to admit the drink wasn’t bad.

  Viper made a few for the other brothers to try.

  Reaper took one of the stools as the men stood around talking. It brought back memories of the way he used to be before he cut himself out of their lives. This time, the recollections didn’t bring back the painful imagery of Memphis and Slate. Instead, it was more of an ache that he hadn’t tried to fix the relationships that had been torn away from him.

  Glancing up, he saw Shade studying him. “What?”

  Holding his drink, Shade lifted one finger to point at him. “Haven’t seen that shirt since we were in a bar in Houston. Looks good on you.”

  Reaper looked down at the black, long-sleeved V-neck shirt that had a white trim around the neck and down to midchest around the buttons. He had paired it with tapered black jeans and black boots.

  “I still haven’t replaced the clothes I had to leave behind on the island.”

  “Why buy more when you have plenty that Viper never got rid of? Be a waste of money, and you’re going to need every penny.” Shade gave a nod toward the door. “Greer’s here.”

  Reaper gave a silent groan when Greer strutted through the room with his customary swagger. Spotting him sitting at the bar, Greer took the stool next to him. Plopping his bag of food on the bar, he began pulling out the hamburgers and fries.

  “The calvary has arrived. What’d you need?”

  Conscious of everyone watching, Reaper decided to wait until Greer finished eating before having him go upstairs to his room with him to talk privately.

  “It can wait until you’re done eating.”

  “I can do two things at once. What was the hurry of me getting here if you didn’t need something right away?”

  Reaper leaned sideways so he could lower his voice. “I took a couple drinks, I need you to fix it.”

  “Ah …” Greer made no effort to lower his voice. “You done drinking for the night?”

  Closing his eyes tightly, Reaper imagined the pleasure he would get from killing Greer. If he didn’t need him so badly, he would.

  “Yes.”

  “Okay.” Greer laid a hand on his arm, then slid Reaper’s drink closer to him. “There you go. You got my money?”

  Reaper took out his wallet and gave Greer two one hundred dollar bills. Greer pocketed the money and started eating as the brothers stared at Greer, dumbstruck.

  Viper leaned over the bar. This time he was the one lowering his voice. “I thought you couldn’t take money for using your gift?”

  “You see me do anything?”

  Reaper frowned at him. He hadn’t felt anything when Greer touched him.

  “No, I didn’t.” Viper furrowed his brow as if he missed something. Reaper was just as confused.

  “There you go.”

  No longer caring who overheard, Reaper sat and watched Greer continue to eat his meal.

  “I need you to fix it where I won’t want another drink.”

  Greer cocked an eyebrow at him. “You already said you didn’t want any more. What’s to fix?”

  “So I won’t.”

  “Then don’t.” Greer shrugged, taking a drink and making a face. “What in the fuck am I drinking?”

  “A dark and stormy,” Reaper replied absentmindedly, his mind still on his problem.

  “A waste of a good ginger beer and dark rum.” Greer snorted.

  Viper started to take the glass away, but Greer snatched it back.

  “Didn’t say I wouldn’t drink it.”

  “Aren’t you working?” Viper asked.

  “I’m on my dinner break.”

  Viper narrowed his eyes on him. “You still have the rest of your shift to finish.”

  “You see Knox standing around? You worry about you, and I worry about me.”

  Reaper shook his head at Viper, trying to get Greer’s attention back to what he needed done.

  “I called you, so I won’t want to take another drink.” Patiently, Reaper reexplained. He wouldn’t get anywhere if he lost his temper. “That’s what I paid you for.”

  “What? You want me to say thank you?”

  “No, I want you to do it.”

  “Why, when you did it for yourself.” Greer gave a jut of his chin to Shade. “You got any beer behind there?”

  Shade reached under the counter to get Greer a beer.

  “Thankee. See? I can remember my manners.” Greer twisted the top off the beer, then went back to finishing his meal.

  Irritated, Reaper tried to stare Greer into doing what he wanted.

  “You wanting a burger? You know I’m not into sharing my food.”

  “No, I want you to do what I paid you to do.”

  “I did. Brah, if you want to pay me just to move your glass away from you when you had—” Greer broke off to stare around the group of men around the bar, then turned his eyes back on him. “—nine others around you who could have done the same thing, who am I to argue?”

  “Because they can’t fix it so I won’t need another one.”

  “You don’t need me to give you willpower when you have plenty of it yourself. If you wanted to move that stool you’re sitting on, would you ask me to lift it for you, or would you do it yourself?”

  “I’d do it myself.”

  “If you wanted to move that pool table over there, who would you ask for help?”

  Reaper swallowed hard. “Any of them.”

  “You already know when you can do shit for yourself, and when you need help. The only problem is you need more confidence in yourself when drinking. Any time
you need me to show you, I don’t mind coming, but it just seems a waste of money when you have so many people around you willing to do it for free. But that’s me, I reckon.”

  Laughter erupted in the background as another present was opened.

  Turning in his seat, Reaper watched as Ginny sat on the couch, laughing hilariously as Trudy held up a bra with “Bite Me” printed on the cups.

  “Boy, let me ask you a question. Were you addicted to drinking and drugs before Slade kidnapped you?”

  “No, I wasn’t.”

  “Then you aren’t now, unless I’m not as good as healing as you think I am. Then, if that’s true, you shouldn’t be wanting to call me anyway.”

  Reaper turned back to Greer, forgetting the brothers were listening. “I don’t want to fail.”

  “You’re not going to fail.” Greer set his beer down on the counter. “You failed when Slate locked you away. Do you see any of these asshole here going anywhere?”

  Reaper looked around at the men who began to circle the bar closer to him. “No.”

  “There you go then.” Greer gave him a hard smack on his shoulders. “If these assholes ever let you down, call Ginny’s brothers. Shit, there are a ton of them fuckers. ’Course none of them have my winning personality.”

  “Not many do.” Reaper’s lips curled in laughter.

  “Ain’t that the truth. If I could bottle myself, I’d make a fortune.”

  “You going to give my two hundred back?”

  “Fuck no. But, to be nice, I’ll give you a small piece of advice.”

  “Free?”

  Greer made a face at him. “Of course.” Wadding up his trash, he placed it back in the bag. “Don’t get addicted to the burgers at the diner. I’m gonna kill that motherfucker the next time he shorts me a hamburger.”

  Chapter Forty-Seven

  “Do you have the next tray ready?” Ginny asked. “The one in the oven is done.”

  Willa hurried to the oven to take the French bread out.

  Ginny wiped her hands on the dishcloth to place a trivet on the countertop. Then she went to help place the next sheet pan of bread in the oven, but Willa beat her.

  “I’ve got it.”

  Shrugging at her friend not wanting to help, Ginny went to the table in the kitchen and continued to make a list of supplies the club needed.

  “Are there enough dishwashing tablets under the sink to get us through next month?”

  Willa opened the cabinet. “Yes, the one under here is full. We’re good.”

  Concentrating on the list, Ginny realized that Willa had stopped talking. Looking up, she saw that Willa had been staring at her. Had she said something? They were ahead of schedule for having dinner ready. She couldn’t think of anything that needed to be done or anything they hadn’t prepped.

  “Did you need something?”

  Willa walked across the room to take a seat next to her. Biting her bottom her lip as if she was hesitant to say something, she gave her a searching look. “Ginny … I know you were raised mainly in a male household, but you and Trudy spend together …”

  Ginny placed her pen down on the table. “What are you trying to get out?”

  “Ginny, you do know you’re pregnant, don’t you?” Willa blurted out.

  Ginny picked the ink back up. “No, I’m not.”

  Willa nodded to her protruding belly. “Ginny …” Willa nodded to her belly again. “You’re pregnant.”

  “No, I am not. Do you think three cans of coffee is enough?”

  “Add one can to the list.” Willa sighed in resignation, standing back up. “You know, if you need to talk, I’ll be more than happy to listen.”

  “Thank you. You’re a good friend.”

  Ginny was aware her friend thought she was a full-fledged Coo Coo bird. She didn’t care she was determined to win her battle with Gavin. The last two and half months had both Gavin and her engaged in a battle of wills to see who would break first. She was just as adamant about getting him to realize there was a part of him hurting as he was to get her to admit she was pregnant. Internally Ginny gave a frustrated sigh. Gavin’s nickname shouldn’t have been Reaper it should’ve been Stubborn Ass. How he could be so caring, thoughtful, and protective toward her, then be a blind ass where his own welfare was concerned drove her insane. No wonder everyone in the club, Trudy, and her friends thought she was just as Coo-Coo as Willa.

  The battle of will she had gone on longer than she expected. But with Silas’s encouragement, she stuck to her guns. Her sympathy was running out the bigger her belly was getting. She was so angry at Stubborn Ass, she would’ve been happy if he just walked a quarter of a mile toward her, but now she was going to make him walk two.

  Ginny continued working on the grocery list as she imagined Gavin walking those miles … would it be petty of her to make him walk them barefoot?

  Willa started unloading the dishwasher before filling it with the lunch dishes. “How’s the house going? Were you able to get the plumber out there?”

  “No. He had an emergency call and rescheduled for Monday.” Ginny felt the disappointment today just as keenly as she felt it yesterday. She was more than ready to get their house finished. The more they tried to rush things along, the more setbacks had come knocking on their door.

  It had done nothing but freaking rain in the last two months. After they had the roof and the structure completed, they ran into one hitch after another when they’d inadvertently hired a flake to do the drywall and had to have three rooms redone. Numerous issues with the house inspectors delaying appointments and the kitchen cabinets that she had set her heart on were on backorder, it had Ginny thinking it would be another two months before they could move in.

  Ginny smiled when Lily and Beth came in the back door shaking the snow off their coats.

  “I’m ready for summer,” Beth complained, taking her hat off over the plastic mat by the door. Taking Lily’s coat, along with hers, Beth went to hang their coats on the pegs in the pantry.

  “Aren’t we all,” Ginny agreed glumly.

  “I’m not,” Lily said. “This is my favorite time of the year.”

  Ginny smiled, her despondency lifting. She had enjoyed working with Lily, Beth, and Willa, all three pulling kitchen duty the same week.

  Ginny finished the supply list, then volunteered to make the frosting for the cake Willa was making.

  “Shade decided who’s going to be promoted to fill Jewell’s position at the factory?” Willa asked as she measured out the ingredients for the cake.

  Ginny looked over her shoulder at Willa. “Is she tired of being the manger?”

  “It’s not that she’s tired of being the manager; she decided to go to work for Arin. Jewell is originally from Ohio, so she’s ready to move back,” Willa explained.

  “Shade hasn’t decided,” Lily volunteered the information. “He will go back to doing it full-time until he decides.”

  “When is she leaving?” Ginny asked casually.

  “Not for a couple months. I’m dreading her leaving. I’m going to miss her.”

  Willa poured the batter into the cake pan. “Me, too.”

  The frosting ready, Ginny placed a lid over the bowl for Willa to use when the cake cooled. “Is there anything else I can help with?”

  “No, thanks. I think we have it under control.” Willa smiled.

  “I think I’ll visit Winter and Aisha before it gets dark.”

  Going into the main room, Ginny took her coat out of the closet, then retraced her steps back to the kitchen.

  “Ginny …”

  Putting on her coat, Ginny caught Lily and Beth sharing a quick glance before Lily spoke.

  “I have a thicker jacket that would be … warmer, if you want it?”

  “No, thanks. This one is fine. I won’t be gone long if Gavin asks where I am.”

  Leaving through the back door, Ginny held the front of her jacket closed. She had busted the zipper out of it yesterday when she w
ent to the new house to be there when granite installers arrived.

  The side path beside the club was free of snow and ice, as well as all the paths that led to the various houses within steps of the club. Viper was fanatical about them being cleared in case Winter came to the club or wanted to visit one of the other wives.

  Reaching the parking lot, Ginny changed direction, heading toward the factory instead of Winter and Viper’s house. Ginny hadn’t been in the factory that often, usually when she was dropping lunch off to whoever was working in the office.

  Entering the side of the building, Ginny looked around, seeing Jewell sitting behind the desk in the office. She gave a small knock on the doorframe to get Jewell’s attention.

  “I’m sorry to disturb you. If you have a few minutes, I’d like to talk.”

  Jewell gave her a preoccupied frown. “I’m busy, if it could wait.”

  Ginny came inside and shut the door. “I won’t be long.”

  Jewell crossed her hands on her desk. “Go ahead.”

  “Don’t go, Jewell,” Ginny said softly. “This is your home.”

  “Ohio is my home. It’s time to go back.” Jewell got up from the desk, going to the filing cabinet to take a folder out before returning to her desk, her eyes remained lowered.

  “I know, Jewell.”

  The deadpan look on Jewell’s face didn’t fool her for a second. “What do you know? Look, Ginny, I really am busy.”

  “I know you’re in love with Gavin.”

  “Then you think wrong.”

  “I’m not wrong. Please don’t go.”

  Jewell’s face twisted in agony before she covered her face with her hands and burst into sobs. “Does he know?”

  “No. I promise Gavin has no idea.”

  Jewell lowered her hands, getting her emotions under control. “I’m not surprised. He never did.”

  “You’ve loved him for a long time.”

  “I fell in love when we were at the club in Ohio, I kept hoping Gavin would eventually fall in love with me, but then he met Taylor and got engaged. I knew it would never last—she’s a spoiled bitch and I could see Gavin was getting tired of her always wanting him at her beck and call. He never gave in to her demands unless he wanted to. I think he was tired of dealing with them.”