Page 119 of Reaper's Rival

“Are you telling me it isn’t true?”

“No, but...”

“Simple yes or no.”

“Yes, it’s true.”

“Can I have the ute keys? I want to go home.” I put my hand out.

“No, not till you talk to me.” He crossed his arms. “I’m not letting you leave and then do something stupid.”

“And what would you class as stupid, Kade? Because I think staying here and being with you, thinking that we are going to have a happy ending, is stupid.” I shook my head. “Everyone was right. You don’t have a heart. You’re the Reaper. You care about yourself and your men.”

“That’s not true. I love you, and you know it.”

“I don’t know anything anymore.”

I needed to get out of here. After everything today, I just had to get out of this. I can’t take this as well. It was enough with what we had to do for Matthew.

“Don’t leave.” He gripped my shoulders.

I looked up at him, tearing up. “Sorry Reaper, but I can’t do this.” I turned sharply and stormed over to Brad.

“Brad, can you give me a ride home? Now.” He looked at me and Reaper and then nodded his head.

“Thanks.”

“Abby, I’m not letting you walk away from us.” Reaper followed us out, but I wasn’t listening. Not caring that everyone was listening to him yell at me how he wasn’t letting me leave. Like I was the one breaking his heart.

I scoffed. “So how were you planning on us working, Reaper? You sleep with me one night and one of your club whores the next?”

“Abby, it was a mistake. For fuck’s sake, listen to me!”

I straddled Brad’s bike and wrapped my arms around him. “No.” I looked him in the eye. “I know what you want from me, and I can’t give it. I can’t be that woman. Won’t be that woman.”

“Abby, I was angry. I thought you didn’t want me! You told me you didn’t want me!” He put a hand on the motorbike, stopping Brad from pulling out.

“I loved every side of you. I understood your darkness, hell, I would help you through it. But clearly that wasn’t enough. I can’t be that woman. I can’t stand by your side if it means you destroy all my self-confidence. Now this is the part where you realize I’m right and you do the right thing and let me go.”

Had I made my point?

With a torn expression on his face, he let go of the handlebars and Brad took off. I clung to Brad tightly and cried silently into his back. It felt like someone had taken a hot knife and stabbed it through my heart.

***

I walked through the front door feeling numb. I knew Reaper, and I knew he wasn’t giving up. He would be here any minute. I closed the front door.

“Abby, you home?”

I pinched the bridge of my nose and let out a long sigh.

“Yep, I’ll be right in.” I sang back.

I walked into the lounge room, and Kim was lying on the couch drinking Reaper’s whiskey. Which gave me an idea.

“So how did everything go with Matthew?” Kim flipped the page of a magazine, not looking up.

“Can we go out?”

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