Page 128 of Reaper

I take a seat and close my eyes. “One at a time, please. Where was everyone?”

“Most of the guys were at the shop, working. The rest of us rolled out because a sensor at the warehouse went off and we needed to check it out.” Trigger pauses. “This is on me, I shouldn’t have left them alone. I thought between Jacob and two guys at the gate, they would be fine. I’m sorry, Pres. I let you down.”

The revert to calling me Pres is not missed. He knows he fucked up and possibly cost me the love of my life. He hates himself more than anyone could possibly hate him right now. Not that I hate him. He made the decision he thought was right.

A shudder sweeps through my body. “This isn’t on you. You couldn’t have known.” I lick my lips, mouth feeling dry. “The two that were at the gate, where are they now?”

“Dead,” Pinky says.

“Tara and Jacob?” Wrath asks.

“With Evelyn and her doctor buddy. Jacob was shot and Tara was stabbed.”

It sounds like Midnight, but I’m not sure because everything sounds fuzzy.

I turn and look at my best friend. “Go. Go be with Tara.”

He starts shaking his head before I even finish speaking. “No, you and Queen Bee need me. Tara’s in good hands.”

“Are you sure?”

“Positive.”

“Okay.” Looking away from Wrath, I scan the room. “Do we have a plan? Because right now, I don’t know if I can make one with a clear head,” I confess.

“And we don’t expect you to. If you need to sit this one out, we understand,” Midnight tells me.

“I have to be a part of this.”

“I hate to ask this, but do we think she’s alive?” Twitch raises his hands. “I adore the kid but I have to ask.”

“He’s too fixated on her to kill her.” Or at least I hope so.

Wrath chimes in. “As long as she’s alive, she’ll fight. She’s been putting in her time in the gym with me. If she’s given an opportunity to kill him herself, she will.”

“Are you sure? Outside of bringing Daniela to her knees, I haven’t seen her stand up to anybody,” Twinkie says.

“I’m positive. I-I think she was expecting this,” he confesses.

“Why do you say that? Do you think she was talking to him?” Pinky asks.

“No never.” I shake my head. “She hates that bastard.”

“Nah, that wasn’t it. The thing about Natalie is she’s a planner. After the way Danworth kept her locked up, she would fight tooth and nail to make sure it didn’t happen again.” Wrath tells everyone as his leg bounces with nervous energy. “When she fights, it’s like she’s going to war. She zones out and becomes hyper focused. If she was anyone else, I would say we should put her in the ring and make some cash. She’s that good.”

“Cameras. What did the cameras catch?” I blurt out, my mind finally starting to clear.

Trigger clears his throat as he shifts in his seat. “Are you sure you want to watch?”

Wrath and I nod at the same time.

“Just remember you asked for it,” Trigger mutters as he streams the video from his tablet up onto the screen.

I watch as my girl rushes into danger, Jacob and Tara both trying to protect her from Daniela. Finally he steps into view and smiles into the camera. His mouth moves and I close my eyes.

“What did he say?” Twitch asks.

“He mouthed the word mine right before he picked her up.”

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