Reaper Unleashed (10 page)

Reaper stared at the door seething. Sarah was late and he cursed himself for not following her home last night. She’d run and after what he’d found in the books last night when he’d gone over them, he wanted to find out why the hell they were off. Not by a little bit either; by three thousand fucking credits. If it wasn’t an additional three thousand, he’d think she was working with someone to cook the books, but it was over, not under. It still had him seething because she’d lied to him and told him she could do this job.

It wasn’t like he needed her to do the books. He actually didn’t mind doing them and had only given her the job because he’d wanted in her pants. He still wanted in her pants and when she finally got her tiny ass in here he was going to teach her never to lie to him again. He watched the door, grimly nursing a brandy.

Casey came by the table smiling coyly at him, leaning forward to show him her breasts. They were spilling out of the shirt she wore but Reaper barely noticed. He was too focused on the door.

“So, boss. I was wondering if you were in the mood to play tonight?” she asked in a husky come-hither voice.

“No,” he grunted, checking the time again to see that she was now twenty minutes late before turning his hard stare on Casey. “Go find someone else to play with. It’s not happening.”

She looked surprised that he’d used that tone with her but at the moment he was too wound up to care. Sarah was late and he was tired of fucking waiting. He was going to find her and drag her back here by her hair if he had to. This town wasn’t that fucking big and he knew her car. He’d find her and when he did, she’d better be prepared to explain what the hell was wrong with his books.

He stood, downing the brandy in one swallow before setting the glass down and stalking towards the door, ignoring the pissed huff from Casey. He’d taken three steps when the door burst open and Sarah came rushing inside. He strode to her, taking her arm and tugging her towards his office roughly.

“Reaper, I’m sorry I was late again but…”

“Stop talking.” He cut her off in a cold voice that brooked no argument.

Sarah was surprised. She’d figured he’d be mad about her being late but she hadn’t expected him to be this angry. At first she was going to jerk her arm away from him and demand to know what the hell was going on but the depth of his coldness stopped her. Even when she’d first met him, she’d never seen him this way. It made her insides quiver in fear. This was the face of the man everyone feared; this was the man who killed people without a second thought and he was dragging her towards the office with deadly intent.

He let her go as they entered his office and he went to stand at the desk, his back to her. “Shut the door, Sarah. Now.”

Damn, this wasn’t good. She wanted to run. His anger was like a living, breathing thing in the room with them. “Sit down.” He indicated the chair and she hesitated. “Now!” he barked again. A shiver raced over her as she moved to sit down. She expected a demand to know why she’d been late, but what he said next sent a cold chill of dread down her spine.

“Why are my books off by three thousand credits, Sarah?”

Oh fuck, she’d messed up the books somehow and that’s why he was pissed. Her life expectancy had just gotten short really fast. Sarah shifted in the seat, unsure what to say to him in this mood. Should she just tell him about her trouble with numbers or should she try to bluff her way through it?

“I don’t know. I didn’t know they were off,” she finally settled for.

“You know, if it was missing three thousand credits instead of over that much, this conversation would be happening in the cellar. So I suggest that you find the mistake and fix it, Sarah,” he coldly told her, his hand sliding around her neck in a threatening manner. She wanted to sigh in relief because if they were over at least he didn’t think she was working with someone to cook the books. But his hand on her neck and the coldness in his grey eyes stopped her.  He let his hand tighten briefly before it fell from her neck and he moved to the door. “You have two hours.” Then he was gone.

Sarah was trembling in fear. Her hands were shaking and she felt like she was going to vomit. She pulled out the invoices and began pouring over the numbers, double-checking each one and feeling panic overtake her as she went line by line and she wasn’t finding it. She’d gone over every line and she still hadn’t found it. She felt tears sting her eyes. She was going to have to tell him and she was afraid his anger when she did was going to be extreme. She’d known that this would happen, she just hadn’t realized how angry he’d get.

It was two hours on the dot when he walked into the office, shutting the door with a loud click. “Did you find it?” he asked quietly as he stood facing her.

“No, Reaper. I’ve been over them twice and I can’t find it. I really don’t know what’s wrong, every number is correct. I just--just don’t know what’s wrong,” she whispered, a sense of panic filling her chest. She felt tears sting her eyes because she was going to have to tell him about her trouble with numbers. She didn’t want to hear him ask her if she was stupid or to make her feel like she was. She liked him, Sarah realized. She liked him a lot and she didn’t want to tell him.

“Get up,” he growled, coming towards the desk. Sarah did as she was told and began moving around the desk as he dropped into the chair. She was moving towards the door hoping she could escape.

“Sit,” he barked and she sank into the chair across from him at the desk with apprehension filling her. He poured over the books for thirty minutes, checking them against the invoices.

“Come here,” he commanded. Sliding the chair back, he indicated that she should stand in front of him. “It’s here, see,” he said showing her an invoice and then the books. She glanced at both numbers and with a sinking in her stomach, she realized didn’t know what was different. There were five different numbers on that invoice and when she compared them, they all looked right.

“Umm…” Sarah said, staring with blurry eyes at the papers.

“You see it, don’t you?” he demanded.

“No,” she said softly after several moments.

“What? Sarah, this is a fucking five and that’s a two.” That’s when she noticed the difference between the two numbers and she felt like such an idiot.

“I have trouble with numbers, damn it. I can’t tell the difference sometimes even when they are right in my face. They looked the same until you pointed it out,” Sarah told him, feeling mortified tears spill down her cheeks.

“And you thought it was a good idea to do my books knowing you have this problem? What the hell, Sarah?” he asked looking at her in amazement.

“Look, I thought it would be okay. I was double-checking everything and I needed this job. You don’t have to make me feel stupid. I’ll just leave,” Sarah said, squeezing her eyes shut again before opening them and stepping away from the desk.

“Do not leave this room unless you want me to paddle your ass.” Sarah stopped, turning to face him with tears leaking from her eyes no matter how hard she wanted to hold them in. She hated when people learned about this flaw. It always made her feel like she was inferior. “Now, I don’t think you’re stupid for being unable to see proper numbers, Sarah. I do however feel that it was stupid to lie to a man who runs a biker gang known for killing people. I wasn’t fucking around when I said if the books had been short this conversation would have been happening in the cellar. Nobody fucks around with the Blue Bandits credits,” Reaper continued, watching her.

“Well, it’s water under the bridge now I guess. My job is over obviously and I will come in on Wednesday to get my paycheck,” she told him quietly.

“What the hell are you talking about?” he growled.

“You’re firing me, right?”

“No, I’m not going to fire you for this, Sarah. It’s fucking inconvenient, yes, but I’m not going to fire you over it. You can still do the orders and record the numbers. I’ll just have to go over them to check them at the end of the week.” Reaper ran a hand through his hair as she stood still in the middle of the room with her mouth hanging open in shock.

Reaper almost laughed at her astonished look. She’d really thought he’d fire her over this and that was just funny. She’d not get away from him that easily. “Now, why were you late?”

“Umm…I was with a friend and lost track of time.” Sarah knew she’d said it more like a question than a statement and cringed. Derik had been late tonight. He’d gone out for dinner with friends and lost track of time. She watched Reaper, who raised a brow at her and waited for a long moment before he said, “That seemed more like a question than a statement, Sarah. Want to try again?”

“No.”

“Were you out with a man?” he asked, a tightness knotting his stomach at the thought of her with another man.

“No,” she said.

Reaper stood and moved towards her, his hands on her arms because he had to touch her. “Fine, but tonight I’m following you home. I won’t have you running away after this so let’s go.” He grabbed her purse and pushed her gently in the direction of the door. Sarah grabbed her purse from him and walked ahead of him, still too shaken by the night’s events to argue with him. She walked out the door into the hallway. Reaper stopped her at the bar with a hand on her arm, his touch possessive and firm as he pushed her onto a stool.

“Watch her,” he said to Buck, who was tending the bar tonight. Sarah frowned at Reaper’s back as he stormed back to the lap dance rooms. She stood, intending to walk over to the door to wait, when Buck grabbed her arm, squeezing just hard enough to hurt her.

“Where do you think you’re going?” he demanded, glaring.

“I was just going to wait over by the door,” Sarah said, glaring back at him as she tried to jerk her arm away from him. His eyes were shifty and she didn’t like him. She’d met him the other night and she felt that he wasn’t quite right. Most of the men here were hard, sure, but they weren’t like Buck; he scared her. Something about him was off, she just couldn’t put her finger on what. It was another one of the gifts she’d learned from her eleventh father.

“You’ll sit your ass down and wait here like the boss said. I won’t be getting a beating because some bitch decided to wait by the door instead of where the boss put her,” Buck growled, squeezing harder. Sarah winced and attempted to twist her arm away from him but he refused to release her. Fear gripped her when she saw a flicker of hate in Buck’s eyes. She wondered why he would hate her when she didn’t even know him. A tanned hand was around the wrist holding her arm and she was released.

“Don’t touch the boss’s woman,” Rebel growled, glaring at Buck. Sarah rubbed her arm and watched Rebel. When he turned to her she saw concern in his eyes. She was still trembling inside from Buck’s rough treatment but she didn’t want to start a fight.

“You okay?”

“I’m fine,” Sarah said, still rubbing her arm.

“I was just keeping her where Reaper wanted her. She pissed him off tonight over something and I didn’t want to get my teeth knocked out,” Buck told Rebel, who raised a brow at the other man.

“And what did you think would happen when Reaper came out here and saw you touching her?” he asked looking genuinely curious.

Buck paled a bit before saying, “I didn’t really think about it.”

“Yes, well I would suggest that you do next time,” Rebel told him. Reaper came out of the back at that moment walking towards her.

“Let’s go, baby,” he clipped out as he pulled her off the stool and pushed her ahead of him out the door. Sarah wondered if her night could possibly get any worse. She wasn’t sure she wanted Reaper knowing where she lived. What if he showed up at her door one day and saw Josh? She’d likely be out on her ass faster than she could say he’s my son, but she didn’t have a choice. In the mood he was in she wasn’t brave enough to fight him.

Reaper climbed on his bike and followed Sarah as she cranked the cage and headed out of the parking lot. It made a strange whiney harrumph sound before it kicked into gear and he made a mental note to get rid of it soon. Sarah needed a safe cage, not a piece of junk.

His mood wasn’t great and he wanted to be damned sure that she had nowhere to run to that he couldn’t find her. Tonight when she’d been late he’d known that he wasn’t letting her go. Not after that kiss that had nearly singed his eyebrows with the heat she inspired inside him. He wanted her and he wasn’t going to allow her to run. It just wasn’t happening.

He knew that he’d frightened her tonight and he hadn’t intended to. Having been a little ticked about the books and then her being late, his temper was hanging by a thread. His thoughts as he waited for her to show irritated him. They had centered on her running from him and that Reaper wouldn’t, no, couldn’t allow. Some part of him felt possessive and nearly feral at just the thought of not seeing Sarah again.

He followed closely and when they headed to the edge of town he wondered if she lived outside of town. Only she didn’t leave town and instead turned into the Weeks End Motel. His head nearly exploded from the rage that seemed to overtake his whole being. She did not live here. She could not live where more than six women had been kidnapped, four killed and dozens raped.

He pulled into the parking lot behind her and got off his bike. By the time he was at her cage she was standing next to it. “Well, thanks for following me home and goodnight,” Sarah said trying to walk away. He grabbed her arm and spun her around.

“I don’t fucking think so, baby. You better explain to me fast why you fucking stay here.” Reaper’s teeth were clenched so hard he thought his jaw might break. He was pissed and Sarah wasn’t staying here. He would not leave her here and she could get the fuck over it.

“Isn’t it obvious, Reaper? I can’t afford anywhere else!” she snapped at him and he was sure her anger was starting to stir. She’d been too afraid of him tonight to smart-mouth him and he’d regretted that, but she was starting to find her footing again.

“Fine, get your shit. We’re leaving,” he told her.

“What the hell are you talking about?”

“Get your shit and let’s go. You are not staying here. Women have been kidnapped and raped here, Sarah. I don’t give a fuck about your feelings.
You. Are. Not. Staying. Here!”
he roared in her face.

“You can’t just decide I’m not staying here, Reaper. That’s not how this works. I decide my life, not you,” Sarah bellowed at him, her amber eyes lit with fire and her tiny fists clenched at her sides.

“I just did, baby. Now get your sexy little ass in there and get your shit or I will toss you on my bike and leave all of it here. I’ve told you, you’re not staying here. It’s not negotiable!” His voice was so loud that people were peeking out windows and lights were coming on. He didn’t give a fuck about the eyes watching them because he was too angry.

She must have seen something in his face because she paled. He didn’t like the fear in her eyes, not one damned bit. It made him feel savage.

“You can’t,” she whispered.

“I will,” he said, his voice dark.

“I-I haven’t told you something about m-me,” she said, stuttering over the words, and he wondered if she was about to tell him she was married.

If she did, shit was going to hit the fan in a big fucking way. Reaper felt a coldness settle in his chest and he was sure that if that was what she’d been hiding from him, the man was dead. It didn’t matter that she may not ever forgive him for killing her husband. He’d do it to keep her and that was seriously fucked up.

“Tell me. Now.”

“I-I, well–,” she hesitated.

“Sarah, spit it out!” he shouted.

“I have a son!” she screamed at him finally and he stared at her, surprised. He’d thought she was going to tell him she was with another man. He’d been going crazy thinking of that fictitious man’s hands on
his
Sarah and instead it was just a kid.

“Fine, how old?”

“Um…two,” she said watching him warily.

He nodded. “I’ll help you get yours and the kid’s shit then. Let’s go.”

“Wait, you still want me to come with you?” she asked, making him wonder if she’d lost her fucking mind. He’d already told her that she wasn’t staying here and she’d thought telling him she had a kid was going to change that. Ha, not fucking likely.

“Let’s just get the kid and your shit and let’s go. I am not in the mood to be fucking around tonight, Sarah,” Reaper told her, motioning for her to lead the way to her room.

Sarah stared for a long moment and Reaper’s temper stirred again but before he could say anything, she turned and walked towards her room. Reaper followed at a close distance. Sarah used her key to open the door and what he saw when she did had him reaching for his Glock. Sarah grabbed his hand before he reached it and he met her eyes with his.

“Hi Derik, how was Josh tonight?” she asked the man, her hand still preventing Reaper from grabbing the Glock.

Derik, who’d been playing on the mat with a little boy, was watching Reaper carefully. Reaper pulled his hand from Sarah’s and wrapped his arm around her waist possessively, his grim stare on the other man. It was the one that had no effect on Sarah, but anyone else seemed to shit their pants when it was directed at them and this man with his unnatural stillness was no different. Reaper smiled internally.

“Good. Is something wrong? Do you need help, Sarah?” Derik asked, earning a bit of respect from Reaper because he looked like he’d be stupid enough to try and help her if she said yes. Not that he’d be breathing long but at least the man would try.

“No, Reaper is…well…he’s…” Sarah seemed lost for a way to explain him.

“I’m helping her move,” he said with a grim smile that had Derik standing to look at him. That was when the kid moved. He toddled over to his mother and held his arms up to her.

“Up, mama,” the kid said, breaking the tension in the room. When Sarah lifted him into her arms he reached out, patting Reaper’s face with a sticky hand.

“No mean face,” Josh said, tapping his cheek. Reaper felt Sarah stiffen in his arms as she waited to see what he’d do. He looked at the boy. His eyes were the same amber color as his mother’s but his hair was a blonde so light it almost wasn’t visible. His cheeks were puffy and it was obvious that the kid ate well from the fat rolls on his chubby legs and arms. Reaper stuck his tongue out at the boy and Josh giggled.

Sarah relaxed and pulled away from him. She moved over to the playpen and set the kid in it after giving him a long hug and a few kisses. Reaper watched the scene and realized that Sarah was a good mother. She wasn’t like his mother who’d only given them affection when it suited her. It shouldn’t surprise him that she was but it did. He liked that side of her, but he wasn’t too sure about her working at the club. A mother shouldn’t be working at a strip club.

Not that she was stripping, he’d never allow that, but even working there was not the right job for a mother. Of course, if she no longer worked there he would have to go back to dealing with those annoying suppliers.

Derik seemed to be less hostile after he’d won the kid over and he was grabbing his bag from the dresser. “Sarah, call me if you need me to keep him when you get to your new place. I’m glad you’re moving. I’ve been worried about you because this place isn’t very safe. It’s a relief to know you will be somewhere safer. It is
safer
where you’re staying now, right?” he asked her meaningfully.

Reaper answered instead. “It’s safer. Much safer.”

Derik raised his eyes to Reaper’s and they shared a long stare before the man nodded and waved goodbye to Josh before leaving after saying goodbye to Sarah. Reaper looked around, seeing toys in a little basket.

“I’ll just pack things up and we can leave. Just have a seat. It shouldn’t take long,” Sarah said in a shaky voice, her hands indicating a chair at the little table. Not wanting to make her more nervous than she already was, he sat. The little boy in the playpen next to him began driving his car over the side of the playpen. When he was near Reaper’s arm he began driving over it, making vroom-vroom noises.

Reaper ignored the kid’s play and watched Sarah as she pulled a few jars down from the cabinet and then grabbed a bag to put them into. She put two cups and a small bowl and spoon set for the boy into the bag before moving out of sight into the bathroom.

“Out,” Josh said.

Reaper turned to look at the kid and saw that he was holding his arms out to him expectantly. Reaper didn’t know what to do. He wasn’t a kid kind of man and it was strange that the boy wasn’t frightened of him. He shouldn’t really be surprised, he supposed; after all this was Sarah’s kid and she wasn’t afraid of his dark glower either.

“Out,” the little boy demanded again. Unsure what to do, Reaper lifted the boy out of the playpen, setting him on the floor. Josh stood up using Reaper’s legs to help him and then he began to climb Reaper’s leg. Reaper stared at the kid in astonishment. What the hell was the kid doing? Josh managed to climb up his leg, using his arms to pull himself into Reaper’s lap. Then he stood on his legs and patted Reaper’s face.

“Mean face,” Josh said, making growling sounds. Reaper scowled at the boy, who giggled and patted his face again. “Funny face.”

Unsure why the kid thought his ‘mean face’ looked funny, he raised an eyebrow at the boy, who patted his cheeks again. “Not mean face! Funny face.”

Reaper didn’t know what the heck the little boy wanted but he guessed he was trying to get him to make a funny face. The problem was he didn’t really do funny faces. He stuck his tongue out at the kid, who giggled again like a little hyena.

“Josh, oh dear.” Sarah was rushing over to pull the boy off his lap but he barked, “He’s fine. Just pack.” Sarah looked unsure but he gave her his dark scowl and Josh patted his cheeks.

“Mean face, mama. Grrrr…” the little boy growled and Sarah laughed at the little boy who tried to make his face look like Reaper’s scowl.

“Yes, baby, that is a mean face,” Sarah said, smiling at Reaper.

He felt as if a fist had punched him in the gut when she smiled like that. He felt a sharp stab of yearning need break free inside him as he watched her. That smile was so open and free and full of something more. Something he couldn’t put his finger on for a moment, then realized it was love.

That was the more behind that smile, pure, unwavering love, and he realized that he wanted Sarah to smile at him like that. He shook his head because that was ridiculous, he didn’t want her to love him. He just wanted in her pants and once he’d gotten his fill of her sweetness, he’d walk away like he always did because if Reaper had learned one lesson in life, it was that you didn’t open you heart unless you wanted it crushed.