Reaper's Fire

Then I hung up the phone and walked in through the side door, feeling like I’d lost fifty pounds. Well, probably more like a hundred and seventy—at least, that’s what it said on his driver’s license. Should’ve done it a long time ago, because I knew one thing for sure. I really would rather upload that video for everyone on earth to see than go back to his lying ass.

“You okay, honey?” Dad asked, wandering into the kitchen. I smiled at him brightly.

“I’m great,” I told him. “Finally figured out how to get Brandon off his ass and move forward on the divorce.”

“That sounds promising,” he replied, returning my smile. “Never liked that fellow. You think you could come into the living room? There’s someone at the door who’d like to talk to you. Says his name is BB. Big guy, wearing a leather vest.”

I followed Dad back to the living room, where sure enough, there was a great big guy standing by the door wearing a leather Reapers MC vest. He was built like a teddy bear, all round and soft-looking. His skin was medium dark and his hair was pulled back into a long braid.

“Hi,” I said, wondering why he was here. “You must be a friend of Gage’s.”

“I’m a Reapers prospect, Miz Garrett,” he said, his voice very polite. “My name is BB, and I was assigned to keep an eye on you today. I’ve been cruising by every twenty or thirty minutes, but the smoke is real bad and it’s getting harder to breathe out there. I figured it would be better if I came in and introduced myself.”

I heard a giggle, looked over to find the twins and Mrs. Webbly watching us from the stairwell.

“What do you mean, keep an eye on me?” I asked slowly, trying to process his words.

“We’ve had someone watching over you whenever Gage isn’t around, ever since the arrests this weekend,” he said earnestly. “He’s been worried that someone might come and hurt you—mostly likely that Talia chick he was—”

I held up a hand, cutting him off.

“I get the picture,” I said, trying to decide how I felt about that. On the one hand, it was the same kind of controlling bullshit that Brandon would pull. On the other, I’d been attacked last night in a public bar by a crazy woman. Having someone around in case she decided to come back wasn’t such a bad idea. “So what’s your plan?”

“I’d like to stay in here with you,” he said. “I haven’t heard from Gage or Picnic—he’s the president—for an hour now, and they aren’t responding to my texts. Until my orders change, it’s my job to keep you safe.”

I studied him, shaking my head. BB seemed very earnest, but also young. Just what I needed. Another chick to shepherd.

“Have you had lunch?” Mrs. Webbly asked, coming down the stairs. He shook his head, looking sheepish.

Suddenly a massive boom exploded the air, and the entire house shook. We all stared at each other, eyes wide.

“What the hell was that?” Rebecca asked, her voice trembling.

“I don’t know,” I said as police sirens started to wail. “Some kind of explosion.”

“I’m going to look outside,” BB said.

“I’m coming with you,” I told him, but he shook his head.

“It’s my job to keep you safe.”

“If whatever that was comes for us, we’re fucked,” I said bluntly. “We’ll go together.”

He swallowed and nodded, opening the front door. We walked out together to find even more smoke billowing. Visibility made it hard to know for sure what had happened, but there seemed to be a big plume rising north of town.

That’s when both our phones went off, and I looked down to find another alert.

Level three—immediate evacuation for all Hallies Falls residents and the surrounding area.

BB and I shared a glance, and then I made for the door. Inside, the girls were freaking out. Mary Webbly shot me a sharp, questioning glance.

“There’s been an explosion north of town,” I said, wondering what the hell could’ve caused it. There wasn’t much up there—just trees and the Nighthawks’ clubhouse. There was a forest fuel depot, but that was to the east. “We have to evacuate. Go to the car. You’ll be safe with us, girls.”

“What about my dad? He’s out there fighting this!” There was a touch of hysteria in Anna’s voice.

“Save it,” I said, my voice firm. “Your dad is strong and smart. He’ll be just fine, but only if he knows that you’re safe. Out to the car. Now. BB, you’ll have to ride your bike—there’s no room for you in the Mustang. Just stick close to me and we’ll get through this just fine.”

I hope.

Grabbing my keys and purse, I herded them out the front door, trying not to panic. Then I stepped through, closing and locking it behind me. Funny, all these months I’d wanted to get the hell out of Hallies Falls, but right now the thought of losing my home was almost more than I could handle.

“Take good care of it, Mama,” I whispered, laying my hand against the darkened wood. Hopefully she was up there somewhere, listening. A quick glance around the parking lot showed that the rest of the tenants were already gone. Gage’s semi was still parked behind the building. Hopefully it was insured. Pulling out my phone, I tried to call him but it wouldn’t connect, so I texted him instead.

Then I jogged over to the Mustang and climbed into the driver’s seat.

“Everyone ready?”

“Let’s go,” Mrs. Webbly said. “It’ll be good to find some fresh air.”

I put the key in the ignition, turning it.

Nothing.

Frowning, I tried again. More nothing.

“Are you fucking kidding me?” I asked, hitting the steering wheel with the heel of my hand. “No fucking way. This can’t be happening.”

“Looks like you need a new battery,” Dad said. “I’ll swing by the hardware store later this afternoon, pick one up.”

“Not right now, Tom,” Mrs. Webbly said. “Tinker, what’s our plan B?”

I didn’t answer, because I had no damned clue.

 

 

GAGE

We were maybe a mile outside Hallies Falls when the explosion hit. One big, massive boom that shook the trees and echoed off the hill, then a fresh plume of smoke rose through the air. Pic waved us over, and we all pulled off to the side of the road.