Page 53 of Ripper
I arrived back at the clubhouse to see a single bike parked out front. I inched closer to it and realized it was Ronnie’s, but I wrinkled my brow because I knew she had to be out with the other prospects right now. I pulled out my cell phone, rereading the text message she sent me a few hours earlier.Out with the prospects. Won’t be back until six. See you tonight!I didn’t think much of it, heading inside to see her because knowing how well she’d been performing lately, it was possible she just finished up early.
I expected to see her curled up on the couch in the living room, but she wasn’t there. I checked the kitchen, the sunroom, and the back porch, but there was no sign of her. That’s when I heard the sound of someone rummaging around near the staircase, and I quietly sauntered over to Tank’s office door, noticing that it was slightly cracked open.
I pushed it just enough to see what was going on, and when I saw Ronnie’s hands flip through each of the club ledgers, my heart sank into my damn stomach. She went through every single one of Tank’s drawers, frantically looking for something. She was in such a hurry that she didn’t even hear me approach. I slid inside before she could figure out what was happening and locked the door behind me.
“Ronnie? What the fuck are you doing in here?”
Chapter Twelve
Veronica
My heart dropped. The ledger in my hands fell to the floor, and I completely froze. I saw the disappointed look on Ripper’s face and the betrayal as he inched closer to me, gritting his teeth. It was the angriest I’d ever seen him, and I could barely meet his eyes, feeling the tears begin to well up behind mine.
“I’m gonna ask you this again, Ronnie. What the fuck are you doing in here?”
“I-I was just looking for—”
“There’s nothing in here that you could be looking for. Need I remind you that you’re a prospect. No one has access to this room apart from a few of the members. How the fuck did you even get in here?”
“I-I just thought—”
“That no one was around so you could do your snooping? Are you fucking kidding me? Who the hell put you up to this?” he asked.
I sat down on the chaise lounge near the window trying to catch my breath, realizing that there was no way out of this one. I knew the risks when I broke away from the prospect assignment to rummage through Tank’s office, but part of me hoped no one would find me here.
“I had to find something. If I didn’t tell them what the Rebels have been up to, they’re going to kill Uncle Axle,” I said.
“Who is they?”
“The Freeway Kings. I didn’t put it together until I got here. I had no idea who was calling me, threatening me, and they kidnapped Uncle Axle. I didn’t know what else to do.”
Ripper stared at me, his tense jaw relaxing when he realized what happened. He pressed his lips together before sighing deeply, and he turned to look at me with a true softness in his eyes. He placed his hands on my shoulders, studying every inch of my face.
“I need to know how long this was going on.”
“Ever since the day I told you I wanted to join the club. That was the reason I joined,” I confessed, and I knew hearing that hurt him.
“Were you the one that gave them the location of the warehouse?” he asked, sternly.
I nodded, and he threw his hands up, sighing. Part of me wished I could’ve run straight for the door, put this all in my past, forget that any of this happened, but I knew I never could. Whether I liked it or not, this was my reality now.
“I never wanted to hurt you, Ripper. They’re going to kill him if I don’t comply. Imagine that it was Wrench or Archer or even Tank. You’d do anything to help them, wouldn’t you?”
He nodded at me reluctantly, and as he inched closer to me again, I worried that he was going to put me in front of the others, to face what I’d done. I felt his hand caress my cheek with a hardness I never felt before. His eyes searched mine, and I held his gaze through my tears, reaching up to touch his hand.
“You should’ve come to me, Ronnie.”
“I was worried you wouldn’t help me.”
“How could I not help the girl I’m falling in love with?”
His words caught me off guard. I was frozen again but this time, I couldn’t help but cry. He held me there while I pressed my head into his chest, feeling his hands in my hair, comforting me. I was still anticipating the moment he’d tell me to get lost, that I couldn’t possibly go on being a prospect after betraying the club, but he didn’t.
“Will you help me now?” I asked.
“Only if you promise me that you’re going to stay true to the club. I can’t help you if you’re still giving those fuckers information. If you do that, I can promise you we’ll get Axle back.”
“I promise, Ripper.”
