Dylan's Reaper: Soul Reapers #3 (15 page)

CHAPTER NINETEEN

Dylan

Sam!
I hated that he
occupied any thoughts in my mind, especially when I was in the arms of the man
I was sure I was falling in love with.

Knox!
He was the master of my
body, making it sing on command. He was the ruler of my thoughts, commanding
all of my attention whenever he was not with me, and he was beginning to own my
heart, making it dance to his rhythm when he was in the same room as me. Last
night he was insatiable. First in the dance room and then multiple times in our
room as he made me cum in ways and in positions I never even knew existed.

But no matter how much Knox meant to me, a small
part of me still needed to know that Sam was okay. So against every warning in
my head to stay in bed with Knox curled around me, I quietly snuck out right as
the sky began to lighten.

I stood outside the cellar door debating if I should
see this through or go running back to Knox where I knew it was safe. But
something kept me here.

“
Dylan.
”
My name in the silence
of the back area caused me to yelp in surprise.

“
Jesus Christ Max!
”
I whisper yelled
through clenched teeth.
“
Are you insane?
Sneaking up on me like that.
”
I growled at him for good measure.

“
Sorry.
”
Max . . . Ax stepped
out of the shadows and came to stand next to me. We both stood there staring at
that rusted door. My thoughts on what I would do next. After a few minutes of
silence I looked over at Max. Just like Sam, he no longer looked like my
childhood friend, but a grown man who had chosen a new path that took him away
from our former lives and into the Reapers.

“
Is he okay?
”
I needed to know in
order to walk away from this door.

“
I don
’
t
know,
”
he answered.
“
Prospects
aren
’
t
really involved in this sort of thing.
”
Silence descended on us
once again.
“
Maybe you can ask your father.
”

“
Maybe,
”
I replied. After
another long pause, I stated the obvious.
“
I
need to get in there.
”

“
I know,
”
was all he said as he
took a step back and began to look around.
“
I
can stand watch if you make it quick.
”

“
Thanks Max,
”
I whispered, stepping
over to give him a quick kiss on the cheek. He helped me open the door as I
slipped inside. The musky smell of a damp basement greeted me as I crept down
the stairs.

Before I even reached the bottom, I heard Sam say my
name and then,
“
What are you doing
here?
”

“
I just needed to make sure you were
ok.
”
I found him handcuffed
to a metal post, sitting on a cot in the corner of the room.

“
I
’
m
not dead yet.
”

“
Don
’
t
say that. Maybe I can talk to my father,
”
I started before Sam
interrupted me.

“
Oh, so he
’
s
your father now?
”

“
Yes. He is,
”
I answered truthfully.
“
And
Colton is my brother. I am making friends. I feel a part of something here.
”

“
And what about me?
”
he asked angrily. 
“
Am
I supposed to just leave you here like some God damn sacrificial lamb? Huh? Is
that what I am supposed to do?

“
Oh and you think I should go with
you? You either have to take me back to the Night Demons to sell out my family
or we go on the run . . . FOREVER. Don
’
t
you get it? There is no future for us.
”

“
Was there ever?
”
The way Sam asked the
question was so sad, like he was broken child resigned to the fact that his
favorite toy was gone forever.

“
No,
”
I whispered. The truth
never more evident as it was in that moment. I walked over and sat on the cot
next to Sam, wanting to give him some comfort. He was my best friend for so
long and now there was nothing between us but memories.

“
I wish things were different,
”
he murmured as he
looped his free arm around me, pulling me into his side. Hearing him say that
made me think of Knox and my growing life here at the clubhouse and I did not
really want things any different, except for one thing.

“
I wish you weren
’
t
down here.
”
I
looked up as Sam looked down at me. He edged his face closer to mine as he
said,
“
I
know.
”
I started to pull away
not wanting to give him the wrong idea when the cellar door burst open and
Colton came charging down the steps.

“
What the fuck?
”
he yelled as Knox and
Wesson filed in behind him.

“
It
’
s
nothing,
”
I yelled, jumping up.
“
I
. . . I just needed to make sure he was okay.
”
I glanced at Colton,
then Wesson, but my heart broke when I looked to Knox. Uncertainty and
confusion warred with what I now saw as love in his beautiful eyes.
“
Knox,
”
I called to him, but he
just shook his head as he took one step and then another away from me.
“
Please,
”
I begged. Without
another quick shake of his head, he turned and walked out of the cellar and
maybe even my life.

“
I should have listened to Max . . .
”
Shit!

“
Who the fuck is Max?
”
Colton roared as Wesson
howled at the same time,
“
Is he the leak?
”

“
Shut up Dill,
”
instructed Sam.

“
You shut the fuck up,
”
yelled Colton. Whistler
came running down the steps at the yelling.

“
Dylan,
”
my father said, drawing
my attention.
“
Who is Max?
”

“
He is our best friend.
”
I pointed between Sam
and me.

“
Is he the leak?
”
Wesson asked.

“
No. Please, let me explain.
”
I held up my hands,
trying to calm them. Colton was pacing. I looked at Wesson who was watching me,
but it was Whistler who unnerved me the most. His posture was not threatening,
but his eyes were killing me slowly with each passing second.

“
My Max is your Ax. He grew up two
houses down from me. Sam here moved in between us when we were 11 or 12. Both
took care of me and made sure I was never alone when my mother would disappear
for days or a week at a time. Sam became a Night Demon and now Ax will be a
Soul Reaper.
”

“
Over my dead body.
”
Whistler finally spoke
in a voice so cold my whole body broke out in goose bumps.

“
Another time brother,
”
said Wesson.

“
You don
’
t
understand,
”
I
pleaded.
“
Ax isn
’
t
the leak. He wants this.
”
I waved my arms around trying to express
what I knew to be true.
“
He would die for this
club. For you.
”

“
You don
’
t
know shit,
”
spat
Whistler.
“
Seems to me the apple doesn
’
t
fall far from the tree. You are more like your mother than I thought.
”

“
Whistler,
”
Colton warned. Wesson
remained silent as he continued to assess me.

“
You come into this club and now all
hell is breaking loose. Just like your mother. Shit. You broke her record. It
took her a couple of years to fuck this up. It took you a little over a week.
”

“
Enough!
”
Colton yelled.

Whistler was right.
“
He
’
s
right,
”
I whispered. It was
time to put a stop to the chaos. I saw now that I was only adding to it, by not
being honest with them or myself.

“
What do you mean he
’
s
right?
”
Wesson asked. I looked
to him, then Colton.

“
I have completely messed this up,
but I will do anything to make it right.
”

Knox

I thought I knew confusion. I thought I knew rage. I
thought I knew madness. But nothing ever prepared me for the turmoil that
flowed through my veins piercing my heart with each beat. The life with my
alcoholic father taught me the worst life had to offer at an early age, but
nothing he ever did or said made me feel as hollowed out as finding Dylan in
the arms of another man. Every fiber of my being told me to go and grab her,
throw her over my shoulder and take her to the closest bed until she was
screaming my name over and over again; to make her realize there was no one but
me. But I did not. I stood there like the stupid shit I felt like. My phone
buzzed in my pocket. Pulling it out, I saw a text saying church in five.

At least one good thing came out of living with my
father, I knew how to block it all out until I could fight or fuck it out of my
system. When I turned to make my way into the clubhouse Dylan blocking my path.

“
I
’
m
sorry.
”
Her voice nervous and
unsure. I wanted nothing more than to take that away for her.

“
I know,
”
I responded. My eyes on
the brothers beginning to file into the clubhouse.

“
Please, look at me.
”
She gasped as my eyes
met hers. I could only imagine what she saw.
“
No!
Please don
’
t do this,
”
she pleaded. Her eyes
filled with tears.
“
Please don
’
t
shut me out. I made a mistake. I should have asked you to take me. I should
have . . . I should have . . .
”
she trailed off as the tears slid
down her cheeks.
“
Please Knox, say
something . . . anything.
”

“
Anything.
”
My humor fell flat
between us.
“
Listen, I gotta go. We have church.
”

“
Please,
”
she begged, grabbing
onto my cut. Dylan stepped up pressing her lips to mine.
“
Say
it
’
s
going to be okay.
”

My phone buzzed again.
“
I
really have to go.
”

“
Okay,
”
was all she said as she
released my cut and stepped to the side. I strode past her, willing my feet to
continue forward as her sobs filled the growing space between us.

CHAPTER TWENTY

Knox

The door closed behind me as Prez sounded the gavel
beginning church.
“
All cell phones on the
table now,
”
Prez
ordered as Colton stood up and began collecting each one. After a few moments,
Prez grumbled,
“
All of them brothers.
”
A few more found their
way onto the table that Colton quickly picked up and placed in the bowl he was
carrying.

“
I got good news and bad news. What
do you want first?
”
A mixture of goods and bads went up all
at once.
“
Alright, alright,
”
Prez said, ending the
debate.
“
I
hate to admit it only one is good, but we can use all of it to our advantage.
”

“
First some bad,
”
he began,
“
Ax
knows our captive. They grew up together. Went by Max and he knows Dylan as
well. The three of them spent a lot of time together before Samael joined the
Night Demons and Max . . . now Ax became our prospect. Is he the leak? No.
Whistler here knocked him around a bit to see if he gave anything up and he did
not. He is locked down with the Demon. We will have to deal with that when we
get back but at least he can
’
t stab us in the
back in case he is a really good actor. He can
’
t
warn anyone from down there. So Lefty will have to stay here to replace Ax as
backup, leaving us a man shy up front. Knox, you good with this?
”

“
Yes Prez,
”
I answered. Although
having an extra body would have been a good thing, I knew Rabbit and Trigger
could hold their own.

“
We know through Dylan that the
Demons and the Hellhounds are working together. We don
’
t
know how or what the terms of association is at this time, but at least we can
be prepared. If we can get the Hellhounds before they raise their alarm, we
could avoid being boxed in from a dual attack or maybe avoid a counter strike
to our clubhouse when the numbers are low.
”
There were a lot of
grumbles from the brothers around the table.
“
I
know. I know. I am not happy about leaving only four brothers at the clubhouse
when we leave, but at this time we don
’
t
have much of a choice.
”

“
On a happier note, I got good news.
We never take prospects into war, so someone pull Rabbit in here.
”
Tank left and when the
door opened again Rabbit staggered in with a look pure joy on his face as Prez
stood up.
“
Rabbit. This has been a long time
coming. Your service to this club has gone above and behind that of any
prospect. We appreciate your dedication and loyalty at a hard time in a long
line of hard times. We are proud to now call you brother.
”

“
Brother,
”
we all chanted as Prez
walked over opening up the cut he carried with our very own Grim Reaper staring
back.

“
Thank you Prez,
”
Rabbit said in awe as
he took the cut from Prez.

“
Put it on brother,
”
Colton encouraged as he
stood next to Rabbit. As Rabbit slipped on the cut, a sense of belonging washed
over me like it always did when a new brother was taken into our fold. When
Rabbit shrugged it on, a round of applause erupted and we all took turns
congratulating him. Tank pulled a seat out next to him and gestured for Rabbit
to sit down as Prez clapped his hands to get everyone
’
s
attention.

 
“
Now
for the other bad news. We have intel that says we need to move now in order to
get in front of the Hellhounds attacking our compound. We leave in thirty. Gear
up, say your good-byes, and let
’
s get the fuck
GONE.
”
The gavel banged as the
command set everyone into motion.

Dylan

As if all the women could sense something was about
to happen, we had all started to congregate in the main room waiting for the church
doors to open. The minute it did craziness descended upon the clubhouse.
Colton, Tank, and Worm were the first out the doors as they raced towards
Logan, Campbell, and Tina. Tru came staggering out next as he looked around the
room, but immediately left when he did not see Emma. Gunner was close behind
Tru and from the look on his face he was in search of the same woman. More
brothers came out and some grabbed their woman, while others left the
clubhouse. Knox came out with Wesson, who as always was the last brother out of
the room. Wesson locked the doors as Knox talked to him in a very low voice.

I caught Wesson
’
s
eye as I stood there feeling ashamed and awkward. With the slight shake of his
head he told me to stay where I was and I obeyed, desperately waiting for a
chance to explain myself. When Knox was finally done Wesson nodded his head and
said,
“
I
need to think about this,
”
before he turned and walked back to his
office.

I began to walk towards Knox, but froze when he
turned and looked at me. My heart broke as our eyes met. His once vibrant eyes
were bled of any color as he stared back at me. His posture stiffened as I got
closer.

“
Can we talk?
”

“
Always,
”
he replied in a flat
tone.
At least he was speaking to me.

“
Can we go up to our room?
”

“
Here is fine.
”
The distance between us
grew even though neither of us had moved an inch.

“
I guess I should have said your
room, huh?
”
I
knew I was way off track, but I had no idea how to even start explaining my
lack of good judgment and common sense from earlier.

“
It
’
s
your room now,
”
said
Knox.
“
I
’
ll
never be able to go in there again without you.
”

“
But you aren
’
t
without me,
”
I
pointed out.

“
You
’
re
right,
”
he paused,
“
because
I probably never had you.
”

“
Don
’
t
say that. You had me. You had all of me,
”
I stressed as I stepped
completely into his space.
“
I was, am, and
always will be yours.
”

“
Yeah, okay,
”
he said, drawing out
the last word as he looked anywhere but at me.

“
I
’
m
serious. Can
’
t you see . . .
”
I trailed off not sure
if I was ready to finish my sentence. Knox
’
s
gaze finally settled on me, waiting for me to finish.

“
Yo, Knox!
”
A man
’
s
voice echoed throughout the mostly empty main room.

“
Yeah Trigger,
”
he called back, never
taking his eyes off mine.

“
We need you, brother,
”
he said. There was silence
as Knox and I had a staring contest. His gaze bored into mine. I finally
blinked and looked to Trigger ending our silent standoff. Tricia was nestled
under Trigger
’
s arm, pressed firmly against his
body as she rained kisses all over his face and neck.
“
Knox,
come on. We need help finishing up before we head out.
”

I turned back to Knox right as he said
“
ok.
”

“
You
’
re
leaving?
”

He nodded yes. His eyes still on me when he asked,
“
Can
’
t
see what?
”

“
What is right in front of your
face,
”
I said giving him the
same argument he had given to me.

He humphed in response.
“
And
what
’
s
that Dylan?
”
No princess.

“
That I love you.
”