Page 64 of Reaper & the Lioness
“I’m going to recommend we don’t do PR for the junkyard then,” I said with a tight laugh.
Reaper glared at me, his expression furious. “I can’t believe you’re making jokes right now.”
I could tell I walked on thin ice. I patted his arm. “I’m fine, Roman. The last time I faced Hale, I spent a week in the hospital. This time, I get to walk away. This time, I won. And it’s because of you. Because of the Mavericks.”
He started to respond, but his phone interrupted him. “Linc, what do you have?”
“I finally managed to hack into one of Abell’s servers. There’s enough evidence here to put them both away. I’m emailing it all to Eva right now.”
“Thanks,” I chimed in. “What about Matt?”
Reaper’s grip on the steering wheel tightened as his brother shared what he’d discovered.
“Benjamin started to work with the journalist to track you down after the night you disappeared with Reaper.”
I swore. The mention of Matt’s betrayal sent a fresh wave of pain through my chest. My throat tightened as I processed the information. I’d trusted him.
“I can’t believe it,” I whispered to myself. “We’ve been friends for years. How could he do this? How could he sell me out like that? How could he put my life at risk?”
“Matt texted someone from the coffee shop right after you walked in to inform them that you were there with a Maverick. I have a few more things to track down, so I’ll call back with an update as soon as I can.”
I wiped the tears running down my face.
Reaper took my hand and squeezed it. “Sometimes people surprise us in the worst ways.”
“I know. It’s just … I trusted him. I never thought he’d be capable of something like this.”
“Money and fear can make people do terrible things,” Merrick chimed from the back seat. He caught my eye in the rearview mirror. “Doesn’t excuse it, but it explains it.”
As we drove in silence, I reflected on the moments Matt and I had shared over the years. Late nights working on stories. Celebrations after breaking big news. Supporting each other through personal crises. This deception tainted the memories.
Merrick’s gaze lingered on me in the mirror. “Don’t waste time replaying every conversation and interaction from years past. Some people are loyal until they aren’t. You might not ever know when Matt decided to betray you or why. No matter what, the Mavericks will always be loyal to you. Reaper, me, the club … we’ve got your back.”
Hurt and anger swirled inside me as a new resolve formed. Matt’s betrayal only reinforced why this story held such importance. It showed just how far Hale and Benjamin would go to bury their secrets.
Gravel crunched beneath the truck’s tires as Reaper pulled into the junkyard parking lot. The other SUV rumbled ahead to the large warehouse. I watched Bones key in a code to open a tall garage door before the vehicle disappeared inside.
Reaper’s knuckles turned white on the steering wheel as he guided us toward a squat, weathered administrative building.
“Stay here. I’ll be back in a minute. Merrick, you can head to the warehouse to get set up.”
Merrick stepped out of the truck and turned to face me. “Matt will answer to me personally for this.”
I swallowed hard. “Merrick, you don’t have to?—”
He cut me off with a slight shake of his head. “I do. You’re with our VP. You might not be his old lady yet, but we all see the direction the two of you are heading. That means you’re family. No one threatens our family and survives.”
I watched the dust settle as Merrick strode away. His promise offered a vow of protection and retribution. A small sense of reassurance settled into me.
I pulled my phone from my pocket and toggled to Linc’s email with shaky fingers. The evidence became more damning as I read on. More than twenty women had been paid to keep quiet. My eyes skimmed over emails, financial reports, and records, each more incriminating than the last.
Reaper’s return jolted me from my digital dive. He handed me a bag of ice, and the cold seeped through a rag.
“For your face,” he murmured. He brushed a strand of hair from my forehead with a gentle touch.
He drove a short distance to the warehouse as I held the cold pack to my eye. We entered through a rusted side door, the air heavy with tension and anger.
Hale, Benjamin, Matt, and my kidnapper sat zip-tied to chairs like macabre puppets. Merrick stood over a nearby table of sharp tools. His fingers traced their edges with anticipation.
