Page 101 of Resurfaced Passion

And then he moved.

Long strides took Reaper through the club, down the corridor, he didn’t even knock on Rider’s office door when he pushed it open to find the Prez with his woman on his lap. Fortunately for all concerned, and Reaper’s neck, all they were doing was talking.

“Prez. I need a word.”

It could only have been the look of dread on Reaper’s face that stopped Rider from kicking his ass out for interrupting him with his old lady. Zara hopped off his lap. “I need to go grab a coffee.” the pair shared a quiet word and a swift kiss, and she smiled at Reaper as she passed him in the doorway.

“Come in, close the door. What’s up?”

Making his feet move, he shoved fingers under the beanie hat, the pain already niggling at his temples. Before it could erupt he took out a pill bottle from his inner pocket and swallowed the chalky pills.

“You know how I keep an eye on Tennessee? I think shit is about to hit the fan. If not, then I need to check on it anyway. Can you have the chapter there look into him? I just need to make sure he’s there and not anywhere else. I’d do it myself, but it would take too long to ride through.”

“Expecting trouble?”

The positive thing about Rider knowing all of Reaper’s shit was he didn’t need to revisit the whole sorry fucking story. He never poked his nose in, but he always made sure to ask Reaper if things were still cool. Up until now it was.

“I didn’t think Paige was gonna do this TV shit. It goes national, Rider.”

Rider nodded gravely, already reaching for his cell.

Reaper paced the length of the office, his fingers digging into his hair while he listened to Rider talk to Smoke, the Prez of the TN chapter.

“It’s just eyes for now, brother.” Rider explained. “Just need to know the guy is where he should be.”

Pace. Pace. Reaper’s mind was already five steps ahead.

Was this the day he’d have to leave? Talking Paige into packing a bag without an explanation would be difficult.

With a head full of thoughts it felt like his skull would erupt.

He turned immediately to Rider when the call ended. “Smoke will call back. You wanna take a seat or keep wearing a track in my floor?”

“Can’t sit down, Prez. I need to go see my girl, but I got no idea what to say right now.”

“You’re angry.” Rider noted. Those astute blue eyes on Reaper.

Reaper stopped, inhaled and shoved his jittery hands down into the front pockets of his jeans.

Was he angry?

Yeah, he was. It bubbled beneath his skin.

He’d asked her not to do that stupid interview.

Okay,told her, was more like it. And what woman liked being bossed around in that way? None that he ever knew that was for damn sure, but at the time he hadn’t been able to help himself from issuing his crazy demand.

“I am. This bullshit has been going on too long.” Yet he was still prepared to do what he needed to do. “Thanks for the call, Prez.”

“You don’t say much, Reap. You’ve never said much, but you know we all have your back, right? If you wanted to fill the others in, they’d have your back when trouble came.”

He knew that. He just wasn’t much of a sharer. He’d gotten used to keeping his trap shut so he didn’t say something he shouldn’t.

He didn’t go to Paige as he wanted to.

Not with the anger simmering beneath his skin. He didn’t wanna say something he’d regret.

He waited for the call coming back from TN to let him know Sargent was right there being his usual dickhead self and giving off no signs of going nowhere but his own front yard with the broken-down trucks.

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