Page 97 of Resurfaced Passion

In the hallway, Reaper listened to Capone fill Rider in on the goings on. Rightly so their prez was out for blood. Within a minute he’d gotten on the other line and made it known both the fighter and trainer would no longer be welcome in any underground fight in most of the states.

Rider had a big reach and a lot of respect. When he was pissed at someone, people listened. And it wasn’t always about violence if they wanted to hurt someone.

“Sticking around,hermano? We’re having a few drinks with the guys from Westbank.”

“Nah. Catch you boys later.” Reaper said. He’d done his duty, time to get home to Paige.

He was so much in his head consumed with Paige as he stepped out into the cooler air with previous rain from earlier soaking the ground that he didn’t see the meaty fist flying, until it connected with his temple and knocked Reaper fucking dizzy as he staggered and hit the brick wall almost as hard as if a train had rammed him from behind.

“You Aussie prick! We needed that money,” a voice growled throwing a jab to Reaper’s ribs.

Pain exploded.

It also motivated him real damn fast.

Two came at him from both sides.

Fists started to collide with his body. The chattier guy spewing out how Reaper had gotten them into so much trouble. He didn’t need a road map to realize it was the trainer and some guy he hadn’t seen before. Probably one of their team. Thank fuck the big bruiser wasn’t part of this little dance crew or Reaper feared he’d be shaking hands with Elvis.

He wasn’t a fighter by nature, and it had been a while since he’d used his fists, but he was no passive pussy willing to just take it. He got in a few licks of his own until blood coated his knuckles and he felt the crack of teeth on his skin. He used his leg and swiped the guy’s knee, while he took a fist to the ribs again, the same ribs that were screaming in agony.

“I’m from fucking New Zealand, you illiterate fuck.” Reaper schooled, kicking the guy on the floor.

He truly believed in saved by the bell, as his dad always lived by, when the back door opened and a group of fight enthusiasts came staggering out, startling the two guys. With a last boot to the one on the floor before the guy hauled himself up, they both took off down the alleyway.

“You okay, buddy?” One called out to Reaper, who only had eyes on the two retreating motherfuckers.

His ribs smarting like howling dogs.

“Yeah.” he answered with a bite to his jaw, fury in his eyes, retracing his steps inside.

If they thought he was gonna let this go, they really were dumb motherfuckers.

He knew one of them.

It would take Lawless an hour tops to have that little shits address. His friend was gonna thank him tonight for unleashing his black bag of tricks.

* * *

“Is it strange that we’ve just fallen into this relationship without a missed step?”

“I hate to break your heart, Paige,” Winter said as she stirred a bowl of cake batter and smiled across as Paige too scooped out muffin batter into decorative cases. “But I’m a married women.”

Paige chuckled. “We can have an affair, Winnie. I don’t mind being the other woman. Snake will share with me.”

That was a big fat lie. What she knew of Winter’s husband was that he was super possessive over his girl and rightly so.

“Doyouthink it’s strange?” Winter asked.

“That’s just it. It doesn’t feel weird to me at all. Like we haven’t even had the ‘will you be my girlfriend’ talk. I just feel like I am already. Unless all he wants is sex and I don’t know it.”

Winter chuckled while she added more white chocolate chips to the batter. “Lady, you know it’s not just sex. That guy has been obsessed with you for ages and you both danced around it like chickens. Now he’s yours so just enjoy it.”

Enjoy it and him. She would. She was. Paige loved every second she got to have with Reaper.

It was speak of the devil an hour later when a knock at the back door off from the garage alerted the pair. Winter checked the video monitor to see who it was before answering.

“Yourboyfriendis here; I’m guessing it’s not for a cupcake.” Grinned Winter padding across the floor to pull the door open while Paige’s heart thumped excitedly. She even did a fast hair check and smoothed a wrinkle out of her cotton pants.

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