Page 60 of Reaper & the Lioness
“This is Reaper.” I squeezed his hand before letting go and sitting.
Reaper nodded at Matt in a wordless greeting before moving to a nearby table. His watchful eyes scanned the room.
As I sat across from Matt, he leaned in, his voice low. “What’s going on? Are you okay? That guy’s a member of the Mavericks.”
“He’s not just a member. He’s the vice president. He’s been protecting me.”
“Protecting you? You can’t be serious. These guys are dangerous. They’re criminals.”
“You don’t know them. You can’t judge someone based on stereotypes and headlines alone. There’s more to the Mavericks than meets the eye.”
“This is insane. You can’t actually think staying with an outlaw biker gang is a good idea? You need to leave with me right now. I can help you.”
“Absolutely not. And it’s not up for discussion. I’m here for Ruth’s story, nothing else.”
Matt’s jaw clenched. “Are you … with him?”
“I am. But that’s really none of your business.”
“But you?—”
I cut him off. “I know you have questions. But right now, we need to focus on Ruth and her story. That’s what’s important. She should be arriving soon. My relationship with Reaper is none of your concern.”
Matt flexed his jaw as he took in my response. His hand moved to his phone, and he sent a quick text before clunking the device on the table.
I stood and walked to the counter, ordering an iced coffee from Maisie before returning to my seat.
The bakery door opened, and a petite young woman with long, blonde hair entered. Ruth Wass was twenty-two, but her wide green eyes and nervous demeanor gave her an even more youthful appearance.
“Ruth?” I stood and offered the woman a reassuring smile. “I’m Eva, and this is Matt.”
“Thank you for meeting with us,” Matt added.
Ruth’s eyes darted around the bakery as she sat. “Thank you for listening to me.”
As she settled in, I could feel Matt’s gaze burning with unanswered questions.
Ruth began to share her story. Her soft voice shook as she recounted her time as Hale’s intern during her senior year of college.
“It was just little things at first. He’d comment about my appearance. Sometimes, he would stand too close or find excuses to touch me. I tried to brush it off. I told myself I was being oversensitive.”
She took a shaky breath before continuing. “Then, one night, I worked late. He came into the office drunk. He … he tried to force himself on me. I managed to fight him off. I ran away and filed a police report that night.”
Ruth’s eyes hardened as she recalled what happened next. “The very next day, Benjamin Abell called me. He said I had two options—he could pay off my student loans if I dropped the charges, or he’d make sure I never worked in this industry again if I didn’t.”
My blood boiled as Ruth finished her story. “I had over $250,000 in student loans. I … I dropped the charges.”
As I began to ask a follow-up question, a barista in her mid-forties approached our table with our drinks. Her salt-and-pepper hair was weaved back in a tight French braid, and deep lines were etched across her forehead. Her hands shook as she set our drinks on the table. Suddenly, her hand hit my iced coffee. The contents spilled across my lap.
“Oh, I’m so sorry!”
“It’s okay.” I cursed internally as the cold liquid seeped through my jeans.
“There are paper towels in the restroom. It’s just down that hallway.”
I excused myself, promising Ruth I’d be right back. Maisie approached the table with a towel as I headed to the hall. I overheard her apologies for the mess as I slipped into the two-stall women’s bathroom. I did my best to soak the coffee with paper towels, but my jeans remained damp.
After two minutes, I determined drying my pants would be impossible. As I grasped the door handle, a sharp prick pierced my neck. Before I could react, the world began to spin, and darkness crept in at the edges of my vision. The cold tile floor rushed to meet me.
