Series: Straight to Hell MC Series by Sam Crescent
Total pages in book: 46
Estimated words: 43704 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 219(@200wpm)___ 175(@250wpm)___ 146(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 43704 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 219(@200wpm)___ 175(@250wpm)___ 146(@300wpm)
For a second, he wondered if it was worth hiring someone else to do the work. Then again, he didn’t trust anyone else, and he knew with his club brothers the women and children here would be safe. Their safety was paramount.
He couldn’t help but think of his mother in that moment. Reaper tried not to think of his mother. It was a sore subject for him, so he quickly pushed that to the back of his mind.
Even if it meant Grace might be a little uncomfortable, she was just going to have to deal with it.
Chapter Five
They’d been at the shelter the past three days. She expected they’d be done soon. One of the bikers, named Copper, was some kind of expert with electronics so things were going smoothly. She mostly stayed out of their way.
It was getting late and she was going to lock up for the night. Gena had to leave early, so she said she’d get it done. The bikers had all left an hour earlier, and she’d done a final check on the women and said goodbye to Helen. She was busy telling bedtime stories to some little girls in their room.
When she opened the front door, it was pouring rain out, and she froze in her tracks. She’d been so busy, she hadn’t even bothered to look out the windows. Grace watched the static rain on the dark asphalt road in front. The sky rumbled, low and long. A few seconds later, a streak flashed above with a powerful clap of thunder, making her gasp. A shadowed figure standing next to the door under the awning made a movement, catching her attention.
“Rainstorms and bikes don’t mix.”
It was him.
“Why are you still here? Where are your friends?”
“They left a while ago before the rain started,” he said.
“And you?”
He shrugged. “Thought I should stick around a while longer.”
She didn’t understand why’d he’d still be there after they closed up for the night. There was another strong burst of thunder and lightning, followed by an odd cracking sound above. The hall lights in the shelter went off behind her, blanketing them in darkness.
“Oh my gosh. The lights!”
She went back inside, followed by Reaper.
“What are we going to do? Gena’s already gone.”
“It’s okay. I’ll grab a flashlight from the kitchen.”
Why was his voice so calm and collected when she was panicking?
He returned with a beam of light bobbing in front of him.
“Looks like it’s only this wing,” he said. “I just need to flip the breaker downstairs.”
It was pitch-black around them. She followed close behind him as he got to the basement door and descended into the darkness. The cool unfinished basement was used only for storage. They had playpens, extra mattresses, and nonperishables. It was so quiet. Reaper aimed the flashlight on the grey fuse box, opened the door, and checked inside.
“Can you hold this for me?”
She took the flashlight, holding it in place so he could work inside the cabinet with both hands. As she watched him work, she studied his big frame. His leather cut was wet, the scent mixing with his cologne. There were no sounds but their breathing. Grace realized she was completely alone with him for the first time. And she wasn’t afraid.
“You know, I keep waiting for you to prove me right,” she said.
“And?”
“I’m still waiting.”
He turned his head just a bit, a cute smirk on his face, but he didn’t say anything else.
After fiddling in the cabinet for a while, he pulled up one side lever and the lights powered on. She felt an immediate sense of relief. The basement lights weren’t switched on but the glow from the hallway above made it possible for them to see their surroundings.
“Now I can lock up in peace. I’m glad I stayed a bit later,” she said.
Actually, she was lucky he’d stuck around or she’d be clueless how to get the lights back on by herself.
Grace turned off the flashlight and set it on a small storage chest against the wall, accidentally knocking over a box of papers and photos. She immediately squatted down to clean it up. Reaper did the same.
It must have belonged to one of the new admits, being a mix of personal effects. Most women leaving an abusive relationship grab photo albums or other important papers while leaving everything else behind.
Reaper froze with a photo of a young boy in his hand. She felt the mood in the room change. He was quiet, reflective.
“My mom used to hide me in closets.” He almost whispered the words as if they shouldn’t have been spoken.
Her heart went out to him. She realized this big, muscled biker carried scars no one could see.
He put the photo into the box with the others, then stood up. His demeanor switched back in an instant, the brief vulnerability gone. Reaper put the flashlight back into the kitchen and they got to the front doors again. They hadn’t said two more words to each other.