“You could have at least not worn The Last Riders’ jacket.” To give Cash credit, Reaper could tell he was trying to hold his temper at bay while still venting his frustration.
“Why shouldn’t I wear it? They’re the reason I’m forced to be here.” Reaper curtly went back to watching the various members climb out of the limo.
“A word of advice, which I’m sure Shade and Viper both gave you, if you piss Kaden off, he’ll kick your ass off the plane and not give a fuck that it’s not on the ground.”
Ax, D-Mon, and Sin piled out, none accompanied by a female companion.
Reaper might not have wanted to be saddled with watching Ginny, but it didn’t mean he went into it half-assed. He had spent the night finding out everything he could about the band.
Cash shifting irritably on the truck seat had Reaper refocusing on him. Reaper’s lack of concern at the warning was prodding Cash’s temper. The brother might be married and a father, but he had remained just as loyal to The Last Riders, continuing to sit there while Reaper antagonized him by tuning out most of what he was being advised. When Cash flexed his fingers, as if wishing he had his brass knuckles, Reaper knew he reached the end of Cash’s patience. As much as he would welcome the opportunity for a fight to take his mind off the upcoming flight, he really didn’t want to enter the plane sporting another bruise on his face or nursing a broken rib, which was Cash’s favorite target when he let his fists do the talking for him.
“Why did the whole band fly in for the wedding?” Reaper could imagine the price tag of flying a private plane. It seemed curious to him why Kaden would foot the bill just to play at a small-town wedding. While there had been at least a hundred people there, it wasn’t the numbers they were used to performing for. T.A.’s new husband, Dalton, must have made it worthwhile for the group to make the trip.
“Kaden’s wife is friends with Penni, and Sawyer has also grown close to Grace, Dalton’s daughter, since she started working with Penni. Shade said that they met Dalton several times, and they offered to sing at his wedding.”
Cash’s explanation fit what little he knew about the friendships. When Dalton and his son had visited the club before he and T.A. had started dating, Reaper had kept to his room or rode his bike. The only interaction he had with any of them had been with Calder when he joined them.
Calder’s wife, Vida, was friends with Sawyer and Lily, Kaden and Shade’s wives, respectively. The two couples always stayed with Lily and Shade when they visited, each time without any of the band members. If he wasn’t looking for the man who was stalking Ginny, he wouldn’t have given the disparity another thought. Every aspect of Ginny’s life was going to be looked at through a magnifying glass. To find the stalker, he would need to be able to read Ginny’s life like a map in order to expose the weakness.
While he remained alone during their stay, he still ate meals with The Last Riders and witnessed the interactions between the three couples. They might have become friends because of Penni, but the affection between the three women seemed more like sisters than friends. He didn’t give a damn about the secrecy, making no attempt to question Shade or Viper about their past relationships. Guarding Ginny brought it to the forefront as just another detail that needed to be ironed out. Reaper would question Viper once he had the opportunity to gleam more information about them for himself.
Once upon a time, he would have asked for the information he needed. Now he was smarter and wiser.
Actions spoke louder than words. If he had delved deeper into Vincent Bedford’s personal life, instead of only taking his business into account before trusting most of The Last Riders’ money, then his captivity would never have happened. He had allowed his personal safety to be jeopardized, something he only had himself to blame.
Staring out the windshield, Reaper felt goosebumps spread up the length of his arms as Ginny emerged from the limo. Unlike the other women getting on the plane, she was dressed comfortably in jeans paired with a bulky grey sweater. The jeans weren’t form-fitting; instead, they were loose and faded. Nothing about her would make a man stand up and take notice, until she opened her mouth to sing. Her exceptional gift shone like a beam, highlighting the spectacular beauty from within. The beam had hit him with the force of a Mack truck.
Reaper hadn’t felt a spark of life in his dick—that hadn’t been brought about by the drugs forced onto him by his ex-captors and Slate’s sadistic purposes—in so long that he mistakenly assumed he would never experience the same sexual desires from before. When she touched his cheek, the sexual response had stunned him, making it impossible to move away from her gentle touch. The worst part of his inexplicable behavior was the asinine notion that Ginny had somehow imparted a fragment of her lifeforce, latching onto him as if she had always been there inside of him.