Page 22 of Reaper

“I’m sorry, Savannah,” Samantha choked out, her eyes wide with fear and guilt.“I didn’t have a choice.”

A cold chill swept through Savannah’s veins. She shifted her gaze—and landed on the figures standing near the window.

Slim leaned against the wall, his arms crossed, a cruel smile twisting his lips. Beside him, Raker loomed like a dark shadow, his eyes glittering with malicious glee. Her stomach dropped. The room tilted, the walls pressing in on her.

“Hello, darlin’,” Raker drawled, his voice like sandpaper against her skin. “It’s been too long.”

Savannah’s feet felt rooted to the floor, her pulse a deafening roar in her ears. She couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t think. She hadn’t seen Raker in over a year, and yet here he was—every nightmare, every fear given flesh and bone.

“How…” her voice wavered.

Slim chuckled, the sound a cold, hollow thing. “Your friend here was real helpful. Told us you’d come if she texted you.” He glanced at Samantha. “Ain’t that right?”

Samantha’s sobs grew louder, and Caleb whimpered in her arms. The sight of them—broken, terrified—snapped something inside Savannah. The fear was still there, but beneath it, a burning anger flared to life.

“You son of a bitch,” she hissed, curling her hands into fists.“Leave them out of this.”

Raker widened his smile, his teeth sharp and predatory. “Oh, this ain’t about them, darlin’. This is about you. You thought you could run forever? Thought you could hide?” He took a step toward her, and she forced herself not to flinch.

“You belong to me, Savannah. Always have,” Raker said.

Her skin crawled, bile rising in her throat.“I don’t belong to you. I never did,” she whispered.

Raker’s eyes darkened, his jaw tightening.“Careful, now. Wouldn’t want your friend or her kid to pay for your mouth.”

A cold sweat broke out along her spine. She glanced at Samantha, whose eyes were pleading.Do something, they begged.

Savannah’s mind raced. She had no weapon, no plan, just the raw, desperate need to protect the people she loved. A vibration against her hip startled her. Her phone. Reaper. He’d read her message. Maybe he was on his way. She just had to buy time.

Savannah’s heart pounded so hard it felt like it might shatter her ribs. The cold grip of fear coiled around her, but she forced herself to stand tall, lifting her chin and locking eyes with Raker.

Her voice, though shaky, held a thread of steel.

“You want me? Fine. Let them go. This is between us.”

Raker’s lips curled into a slow, cruel smile, the gleam of triumph lighting up his eyes. It was the look of a predator who’d cornered his prey, confident in the inevitability of the kill.

“Now you’re talking sense,” he drawled.

His fingers twitched like he was already imagining closing them around her throat.

Savannah’s stomach churned, bile rising, but she refused to let her fear show. Her gaze flicked to Samantha, whose tear-streaked face was buried in Caleb’s hair.

The little boy clung to his mother, shaking and confused, his wide eyes darting between the adults.

Slim’s leer was as sharp and filthy as a rusted knife. “We’ll let them go, but you’re comin’ with us, sweetheart. No tricks.”

Savannah nodded, the motion almost imperceptible. She needed them to believe she was compliant, that she was giving up. She knew the risks—felt the icy dread seeping into her veins—but there was no other choice. She wouldn’t let Samantha and Caleb suffer because of her past.

“Fine,” she said, her voice hollow. “But promise me you’ll really leave them alone. Don’t touch them. You have me now.”

Raker’s grip on her arm tightened, his fingers digging into her flesh like iron clamps.“Don’t think you’re in a position to make demands, darlin’.”

“You do want to make it out of here, don’t you?” Savannah asked. “This is Iron Sentinels territory. Samantha and I are both with Sentinels. You lay one hand on her or her kid, and the entire club will hunt you down.”

Raker clenched his jaw, the muscle ticking along his cheek. He knew she was right. The Iron Sentinels didn’t take kindly to outsiders threatening their own, and he didn’t have enough men or firepower to take on a full club in their home turf.

Slim scowled. “She’s got a point, Rake. We need to get movin’. We’ve already pushed our luck,” Slim said.

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