Reaper's Legacy (16 page)

“Sophie!” Marie called, waving me over toward one of the tables. I moved quickly toward her, trying not to stare at anyone, but it was hard. The guys were almost all at least a little scary-looking. I mean, some of them were regular enough, I guess, but somehow rougher. They had tanned skin and a disproportionate number of beards. Others were less normal-looking. I saw a lot of tattoos and piercings, and very few shirts, although they all seemed to be wearing their leather vests. All of them were Reapers and most seemed to be in a pretty good mood.

I also noticed a few of the little boys wearing their own tiny vests. Not real ones, but play ones clearly meant to copy their daddies’. Shit. Knowing my luck, Noah would be begging for one of those if he saw them. Good thing I hadn’t brought him along.

“Want some help with the bags?” a man asked. I opened my mouth to refuse, then looked up and realized it was Horse. I smiled, relieved to recognize someone besides just the girls I’d met last night.

“Yeah, thanks,” I said. “I met Marie. She’s great.”

“No shit,” he replied, offering me a movie-star grin. Damn, but he was beautiful. “Worth every penny I paid for her.”

That caught me short. I stopped, wondering if he could possibly be serious. He didn’t look like he was joking.

“You coming?” he asked, glancing back at me. I pulled myself together and started walking again. What the hell had he meant by that?

“Sophie!” Em called, spotting me from behind one of the tables. She darted forward and gave me a big hug.

“I’m so glad we’re going out next weekend,” she whispered in my ear. “I talked to Liam this morning about meeting in real life, and he’s all over it. Thank you so much!”

“That’s fantastic!” I replied, pulling back to look at her. She was so pretty this afternoon, the excitement in her eyes bright and shining. “Just remember, we’re going to stay safe. Don’t tell him where you live or anything. We’ll check him out, and if he’s a creeper, we’ll ditch his ass.”

Em laughed.

“Actually, telling him my address would be perfectly safe,” she answered. “Remember who I live with? Our house is a fortress. Which reminds me, I want to introduce you to my dad.”

She took my hand and pulled me across the courtyard to the giant black BBQ. Several men stood around it drinking from red plastic cups. They turned as we walked up, openly checking me out. Clearly, subtlety wasn’t a highly valued trait here at the Armory.

“This is my dad, Picnic,” Em said, stepping forward to wrap her arm around the one standing closest to us. He pulled her close, offering her an indulgent smile. He was tall and fairly well-built. He shared her piercing light blue eyes and his hair was a couple months overdue for a trim. I could tell he was older by the faint lines around his eyes, but his hair held only a hint of gray at the temples. And his body? Nice. Em’s dad was hot for an old guy.

Not that I’d tell her that—who wants to hear that their dad’s hot?

The most compelling thing about Picnic, though, was his air of
command, mixed with just a hint of menace. I would’ve known he was club president even without the patch on his cut to tell me.

No wonder guys were scared to ask her out.

“Dad, this is Sophie,” Em continued. “She’s Ruger’s … Um, what are you, anyway?”

“I’m sort of his stepsister-in-law,” I said, smiling awkwardly. “His stepbrother, Zach, is my son’s father.”

“He mentioned you were back in town,” Picnic said. His face gave away nothing, and I couldn’t tell if he was happy to meet me or annoyed I’d crashed their party.

“This is Slide and Gage,” Em continued, nodding toward the other men.

“Nice to meet you,” I said. Slide was a short, middle-aged guy with a bit of a gut and a beard that wasn’t totally white, but close. He didn’t actually look old enough for such white hair, so maybe he was just one of those guys whose hair changes early? He had a real Santa vibe going for him. Well, if Santa wore ripped jeans and carried a giant knife on his belt.

Gage was another hottie. He had dark hair, so dark it was almost black, and his skin held just enough color to make me think his ancestors hadn’t all been of the milky-white variety. Latino or Indian, most likely. Because sometimes God is generous and kind, Gage wasn’t wearing a shirt, offering me glimpses of his bare chest, which was every bit as ripped as Ruger’s. He had fewer tattoos, though. His cut had a little patch under his name that said “Sgt. at Arms,” which surprised me. I guess I hadn’t expected bikers to have so many officers and such. It just seemed so … organized?

Not only that, they obviously had to pass some sort of minimum hotness test to join up.

“You Ruger’s woman?” he asked, breaking the spell I’d fallen into. I blushed, hoping my pervy thoughts weren’t totally written all over my face. The smirk on his face wasn’t comforting.

“Um, no,” I said, glancing over at Em. She grinned. “But he’s letting us stay in his basement. I have a seven-year-old. Our old place in Seattle wasn’t working out.”

That was the understatement of the year, for sure.

“Where’s the kid?” he asked, glancing around.

“He’s with a sitter,” I said. “This is my first club event, and I sort of wanted to check things out for myself before dragging him along.”

Picnic raised a brow, and I realized I’d probably just insulted them. Great.

“Also, I hear the parties go pretty late,” I added quickly. “I didn’t want to have to leave just when things were getting fun. A friend offered to watch him, so here I am.”

Em grinned at me and I gave a sigh of relief. Okay, apparently my quick save had actually worked.

“Well, you get bored, come and see me,” Gage said, offering a slow smile. “I’d be happy to show you around, maybe even take you for a ride later.”

“Um, thanks,” I replied, Ruger’s warning ringing through my head. Gage was cute, but despite the fact that I didn’t acknowledge Ruger’s right to give orders, I also didn’t want to get into a huge fight with him. “Nice to meet you all. I’m gonna go find Marie and Dancer now. I want to make sure they don’t need any help setting things up or something.”

“I’ll come with,” Em said, popping up on her toes to give Picnic a quick kiss on the cheek. For all her whining about him, she obviously adored the man. I felt a twinge of jealousy. Even before they’d kicked me out, my parents were never the kind of people you’d just casually walk up to and kiss.

Nope, not in the Williams household. I’d been devastated when they said they’d have nothing to do with a daughter who was a whore, let alone her bastard. Now I realized I was way better off
without them. Noah’s circle might be small, but everyone in it loved him unconditionally, and they weren’t afraid to show it.

My parents didn’t deserve to meet their grandson.

We found Dancer, Marie, and Maggs arranging a mountain of food on the tables, laughing and smacking hands playfully as guys tried to steal bites before it was ready.

“Thanks for picking up the chips,” Maggs said. I noticed all three women wore black leather vests.

“I thought you said only guys could be club members?” I asked, nodding toward them.

“Oh, these aren’t club cuts,” Dancer said. “Check it out.”

She turned around and I saw a patch on the back that said “Property of Bam Bam,” along with a Reapers symbol. My eyes widened.

“I didn’t realize the property thing was so … literal …”

“The guys have their colors and we have ours,” Maggs said. “Civilians don’t get it, but all the patches mean something. The guys fly their colors because they’re proud of the club, but their cuts tell stories, too. You can learn a lot about the guy by the patches he wears. It’s like a language or something. Everyone knows where everyone else stands.”

“The great thing about a property patch is that you’re totally covered,” Dancer added. “There’s not a man here who’s gonna touch me, no matter how drunk or stupid he gets by the end of the night. Not that I’m too worried here at our own clubhouse, but we go on runs where there are hundreds of riders, even thousands. Everyone who knows a damned thing about the MC world takes one look at this and they know not to fuck with me.”

“Yeah,” Em said. “You fuck with one Reaper’s property, you better be ready to take down every guy in the club.”

“Huh,” I said, trying to sound noncommittal. I liked the idea of protection as much as anyone, but there was something very
uncomfortable to me about a woman choosing to call herself property. Shades of Zach and how possessive he was, maybe. But Maggs and the others didn’t seem too terribly oppressed, either.

I glanced around, taking in how many women were starting to fill the courtyard. Only a handful wore property patches.

“What about the rest of them?” I asked. Em shrugged.

“They’re not important,” she said bluntly. “Some of them are sweetbutts and club whores, which means they’re around a lot—the guys share them. Some are just random girls looking for a walk on the wild side. But none of them really count, not compared to us. They’re all fair game.”

“Fair game?”

“Free pussy,” Maggs said, her voice matter-of-fact. “They’re just here to party, and if we’re lucky, they’ll help clean up. They give anyone shit, their asses are out the door. Good news is, they know their place. Half these girls work at The Line anyway.”

“What about me?” I asked, unnerved. “I don’t have a patch.”

“That’s why you’ll stick with us,” Dancer said, her voice serious. “Despite his general dickitude, Ruger’s right about one thing. You really don’t want to fuck around with the brothers. Don’t flirt if you aren’t interested in following through. And for fuck’s sake, don’t go off alone or into the Armory with anyone, particularly upstairs. There’s some wild shit that happens up there. You don’t want to be part of it, trust me.”

“Jesus, you’re gonna scare her,” Em said, frowning. “Look at it this way—would you go to any party or bar without taking some basic safety precautions? Only take drinks you’ve poured yourself, or ones that we’ve given you. You ever been to a frat party? Think of it that way. Dad, Horse, Ruger, and Bam Bam are safe. Don’t go off with someone you don’t know, though. Stay in public areas. Use common sense and you’ll be fine.”

Oookay.

“Hey, the good news is I saw Buck earlier,” Em added. “He
manages The Line. I’ll introduce you at some point, you can ask him about waitressing. I’m definitely not on board with you stripping, but waitressing could be a pretty good gig.”

“Would you work there?” I asked her. Em burst out laughing, joined by Maggs and Dancer.

“My dad would kill me before he let me work at The Line,” she said when she finally caught her breath again. “Or maybe his head would just explode? He’s still trying to convince me I shouldn’t work at all. He’d love it if I just stayed home and kept house for him, maybe did some charity work on the side. He hasn’t decided to join us in this century quite yet.”

I thought about the tall, stern man I’d just met and had to smile. I could totally see him being overprotective like that.

“Doesn’t he want grandkids some day?” I asked. “There’s a middle step, you know.”

“I don’t think he’s thought that far ahead,” Em replied with a giggle.

The whistle of a firework shooting off cut through everything, and we all looked up to watch an explosion of red, white, and blue above the courtyard.

“Isn’t that illegal?” I asked, eyes wide.

“Don’t worry about it,” Dancer told me. “We’re so far out nobody gives a shit. And if they did, they’d just call the sheriff’s department, and we’ve got a good relationship with him.”

“The Reapers get along with the cops?” I asked, stunned.

“Not all of them,” Dancer said. “But the sheriff is a pretty good guy. What a lot of people don’t realize is that there’s always gangs trying to move into the area. The sheriff can’t begin to keep up with them. Even if he knows about them, he can’t do shit without evidence. The Reapers help keep some of those problems under control, in our own special way. It’s a mutually beneficial arrangement, no question. City cops are a different story, though. They hate us.”

Another rocket shot up, this one exploding with a mighty flash
and a bang. It wasn’t dark yet, but the light was fading enough for it to mess with my vision. When I stopped blinking from the bright light, I saw Ruger watching me from across the courtyard.

“There he is,” I muttered to Maggs. “I haven’t seen him since we had our little blowup. You think I should go over?”

“Yeah,” she said. “Gotta face him sooner or later. Remember what we talked about—you lay it out, and if he won’t play, leave. You’ve got choices. Always.”

Ruger’s face was completely unreadable as I approached, and for one horrible moment I thought he might not talk to me.

“Hey,” I said, feeling nervous. Seeing him should’ve pissed me off or maybe even scared me. My body didn’t get the memo, though, because standing close to him mostly turned me on. I think his scent was a big part of it—nothing got to me like that hint of sweat and gun oil. He’d taken off his shirt, leaving only jeans, boots, and his cut. His tan told me he’d spent a lot of the summer that way.

Then I caught a glimpse of that panther tat disappearing down into his pants and I shit you not, it made me feel a little light-headed. All that blood rushing downward, you know?

“Hey,” he said. I tilted my head up to look at his face, reminded once again just how much physically larger he was than me. “So, we gonna fuck around here or just get to the point?”

“Um … Not quite sure I follow,” I admitted, still off balance.
What woman would seriously be able to pay attention, confronted with a body like that? Ruger grunted, exasperated.

“You gonna follow my rules tonight?” he asked. “If not, you need to get your ass in your car and leave.”

“I’ll follow the rules,” I said slowly, eyes catching on his chin. He hadn’t shaved that morning, leaving just enough stubble to make a light burn on a girl’s skin. “On one condition.”

He raised a brow, clearly skeptical.

“And what would that be?”

“You tell me why you’re being so controlling,” I said, laying it out. The girls had been right. Either he was with me or he wasn’t, but one way or another I’d be taking charge of the situation. “Is it because you’re jealous and you want me to yourself, or because the Reapers are too dangerous?”

He studied me for a moment, his face thoughtful. Then he seemed to come to some sort of decision.

“C’mon,” he told me, and it wasn’t an invitation. He grabbed my hand and dragged me almost roughly across the courtyard, toward the large shop built against the back wall. Enclosed on three sides, the front was open to the elements, almost like a supersized carport.

Inside the air was much cooler, and it gave a sense of privacy. One half of the building held bikes in varying states of repair, including several that seemed to be little more than frames. Counters lined the back, and every tool imaginable hung from the walls. There were also some larger pieces of power equipment, including a huge drill press, a grinding wheel, and others I couldn’t begin to identify. A track had been mounted on the ceiling, with a rolling hoist hanging from it.

Filling the other side of the building were a panel truck and an old cargo van. The counters extended into that area, along with hooks for more tools. Ruger tugged me over between the van and
the far wall. Despite the fact that the party continued a couple hundred feet away, we felt totally isolated. I thought about the warning I’d been given not to go off anywhere.

Did that apply to Ruger, too?

My gut instinct said I wasn’t safe with him right now … Not physically unsafe, of course. He’d never hit me. But I was pretty damned sure I’d be sorry I’d come in here with him.

Not that he’d given me much of a choice.

Ruger raised his hands, framing my face and studying me closely. He licked his lips, drawing my eyes to that ring of his once more as he stepped forward into my space, pushing me toward the van. It threw me off balance, and I stumbled. Ruger reached down and grabbed my ass, boosting me up and bracing me against the vehicle, my sex pressed to his, my breasts flat against his chest. I reached around his neck and my legs gripped his waist for balance.

“You really want me to answer your question?” Ruger asked, his voice low and matter-of-fact. “Or you want to leave the party while you still can?”

I should leave.

I knew that. But his cock was already hard against me and every bit of blood in my body raced downward, away from my brain. Self-preservation gave way to raw lust.

“I want the answer,” I whispered. Ruger smiled, and it wasn’t a nice smile. It was hungry as hell and utterly merciless, just like him.

“I’m jealous as fuck,” he said, his voice rough. “That’s not really my thing, but it’s the truth. I don’t much like the idea of some other man touchin’ your sweet ass, and if one of them tries to stick his cock into that pretty little cunt of yours, I’m gonna cut it off. And, Soph?”

I caught my breath.

“Yes?” I answered, a thousand thoughts running through my brain. How did I feel about this? What should I say? The girls told
me to lay down the law and stick to my guns. The look in Ruger’s eyes, though … That wasn’t the face of a man who was interested in respecting my limits.

Who was I kidding? I couldn’t even remember what those limits were supposed to be right now.

“I’m dead serious,” he continued, leaning his head down, scenting me. I felt it like a bolt of electricity, all the way through my body, right down to my toes. “Another man touches you, I’ll cut off his cock and feed it to him. That’s not a threat, that’s a promise. And you fuck someone? He’s dead, Soph. Four years ago I made two serious mistakes. I didn’t protect you from Zach—I’ll regret that every day for the rest of my life. And then, because I felt guilty as fuck, I did the
right thing
and let you go.”

I closed my eyes.

“I don’t want to talk about it.”

“News flash, Soph,” he whispered. “It’s about fuckin’ time we talked about it, because it’s hanging between us and I’m tired of pretending it didn’t happen.”

I started squirming, trying to twist free. Everything in me screamed to run, because he was about to take us to the bad place.

“Stop,” Ruger ordered, his voice harsh. I kept squirming, so he pushed into me harder, forcing me to still. “We’re gonna deal with it, Soph. Deal and move on, because things are gonna change for you now. My mistake wasn’t touching you that night, and it sure as shit wasn’t making you come. The mistake was doing it without taking out Zach first. If I’d known … why didn’t you tell me?”

“I really, really don’t want to talk about this,” I hissed, trying to ignore his soft breath in my ear, the hard length of his cock pushing against me. My nipples were tight and my entire body screamed for me to open to him, but deep inside my brain lurked a cloud of darkness and fear that threatened to tear free with every word.

“I should’ve killed him for what he did to you,” Ruger said, eyes
full of frustrated regret. “But then he was in jail and I didn’t want to do that to Mom, so I let him live. You left and I’ve hated myself ever since. I can’t go back in time, but I sure as fuck won’t make the same mistake twice. This time you’re not gettin’ away, Soph.”

I took a deep breath, trying to calm my hormones enough to
think
. Then it hit me. I should tell him the truth. If that wasn’t enough to convince him this was a lost cause, nothing would.

“It’s my fault,” I said, the familiar wave of self-disgust washing over me.

“Honey, Zach beatin’ the shit out of you was
not
your fault,” Ruger said, his voice like ice.

“No,” I said, looking him right in the eye. “It was my fault, Ruger. I planned it. When you starting kissing me—touching me—I knew Zach was coming over. He’d texted me, wanted to make sure I had food ready when he got there. I
knew
he’d catch us. He was so jealous of you, Ruger. Drove him crazy. I knew if he caught us together, he’d lose it. I wanted him to hit me hard, because then I could make it end.”

Ruger inhaled sharply.

“What the fuck are you talking about?”

“Zach had to leave bruises,” I whispered. “I was so scared all the time, Ruger. I never knew what he’d do. Some days he was great and things were fine, like they were before Noah. Then I’d drop my guard and he’d turn on me. I tried calling the cops, but he never left marks, so they wouldn’t do anything. He told me he’d kill me if I left him.”

Ruger took a deep, ragged breath and his eyes went dark.

“When you came over that day, I saw my chance,” I admitted, disgusted with myself. “This tension—lust, whatever the hell you want to call it—it was between us by then. I felt it every time I saw you. And you were so good with Noah, always coming around, fixing my car or mowing the yard for us. I’d bring you a drink and
you’d look at me like you wanted to throw me down on the ground and fuck me until I screamed. You know what? I wanted you to do it. So I let it happen.”

Ruger gave a dark, harsh laugh that had nothing to do with humor.

“Yeah, babe, I remember that part,” he said. “Although we never did get to my happy ending, what with Zach comin’ home. You seriously telling me that was planned?”

“I’m so sorry,” I whispered, my eyes filling with tears. “I knew seeing us together would drive him crazy. I
knew
he’d lose it. Noah was safe at your mom’s house. So I let him catch us and have his little pissing match with you. He took off, you took off, and I waited for him to come back and punish me, like always. But this time he was finally worked up enough to leave evidence—I made damned sure of it. I told him how much better you were than him. I told him I’d been fucking you all along. For a while I thought he might kill me, and you know what? It would’ve been worth it, just to make it end. You know the rest. He got arrested, I got my restraining order, and me and Noah were finally free.”

Rugers eyes narrowed as emotion rippled across his face. Anger. Outrage. Disgust? For a second I thought he might actually hurt me, he seemed so angry.

No, I realized. That was the difference between Ruger and Zach. Both men had tempers, but Ruger? Ruger would never hurt me.

Never. No matter what.

“He beat the shit out of you,” he whispered. “You almost
died
, Soph. Why didn’t you tell me? I would’ve
fucking killed him
for you. You didn’t have to let it get that bad. You should’ve told me the first time he hurt you. I can’t believe this was happening and I was too fuckin’ stupid to see it.”

“Because he’s your brother!” I said to him, tears running down my face. “Your mother
loved
him, Ruger. What he did to me almost destroyed her. If you’d lost it, if you’d gone after him, you’d be in
jail right now and your mom would’ve died alone and miserable. What kind of hateful bitch would I be if I let that happen?”

“You could’ve gone to one of those places for women,” he said, shaking his head. “I don’t get it, Sophie.”

I gave a harsh laugh.

“Damned straight you don’t get it—it was his word against mine,” I said, willing him to understand. “I had no evidence, nothing. Sure, I could go to a shelter, but he’d still have a right to visit with Noah, maybe fight me for custody. You think I’d risk my baby alone with Zach? Nobody could help me until he took it up a notch, so I made it happen. I’m not an idiot. A woman who’s being controlled by a man can’t get shit for help unless she’s got
evidence
.”

“Those weren’t just bruises,” Ruger said. “Three broken ribs and a punctured lung are
not
bruises. And why the fuck do you think I would’ve gone to jail, hmm? Look at me, Soph. Do you think I’m the kind of man to do time when I don’t have to? He would’ve just disappeared.
Poof
. Problem solved. I dare you to look me in the eye and tell me there’s one fuckin’ reason that a man like Zachary Barrett should still be breathing, because I’m comin’ up blank. I nearly had him taken out while he was locked up, but I figured a dead guy couldn’t pay child support.”

I gasped, eyes wide.

“You’re serious?” I whispered.

“Yeah, Sophie,” he said, sounding almost tired. “I’m fuckin’ serious. Christ, I’m the first thing Noah saw in this world. I caught him with my own hands on the side of the road, babe, and then he opened those eyes and looked right at me. From day one, I can say with a clear conscious that there is nothin’—not a
fucking thing
—on this earth I wouldn’t do to protect him or you. How long?”

“What?”

“How long was Zach hurtin’ you before it all went down?”

I shook my head, looking away, trying to think.

“It wasn’t big stuff,” I said finally. “Not at first. He’d yell at
me, make me feel like shit. Then he started doing it in front of Noah.”

His entire body stiffened, his jaw clenching spasmodically. I stared at his chin and forged ahead.

“I had to do something, Ruger. I couldn’t let my son grow up that way. And then you came over to help out with the water heater. I kept watching you and I died just a little bit inside, because I knew I was stuck with the wrong brother. Then you looked back at me and it all came together in my head.”

“Fuck me,” Ruger muttered, leaning his forehead down against mine. I was still wrapped around him, back against the van, enclosed in his arms and his scent. “You’re just full of surprises, now aren’t you?”

“Do you want me to move out of your basement?”

Ruger pulled back, frowning.

“I just told you I’ll kill any man who touches you and you think I want you to leave?”

“That was before I told you what I did. I used you.”

“Answer one question for me—total truth,” he said slowly. I nodded. “Was it real? Yesterday, when I kissed you, when I sucked on your tits and fucked you with my hand? How about when I went down on you four years ago and you screamed my name? Before Zach found us and it all fell to shit. Was that fake?”

“No,” I whispered. “Aside from Noah, that’s the only part of those years I want to remember, because it was beautiful, Ruger. Whatever else happened, you gave me beautiful.”

“Well, fuck me,” he muttered. I felt his hands tightening on my butt, his hips tilting more firmly into mine, sending twinges of desire washing through me. I’d felt safe in his arms back then and I felt safe in them now.

That’s when it hit me. I didn’t just lust after Ruger.

I loved him. I had for years.

I tightened my arms around his neck, raising myself up to brush
my lips across his. He didn’t respond, so I brushed his lips again, sucking the lower one into my mouth and nibbling on it.