“Axle!” Reaper barks, and he hightails it out of the room.
“Take a seat,” Reaper says, gesturing to the chair next to him.
I cautiously sit down, my body tense and ready for whatever comes next. Reaper cracks his neck from side to side.
“I love my sister,” he begins, his voice low but steady. “It’s been my job to protect her, and that’s why I didn’t want her involved with anyone in the club.”
“But Milly’s not a kid anymore,” I say, my voice soft but firm. “I’d never do anything to hurt her. I’ve been trying to manage all this Mercedez drama too. I didn’t want her to hurt herself, and I felt obligated to help her after everything we’ve been through. But I never asked Milly to leave the clubhouse. She did that on her own because she didn’t want to trigger Mercedez. We’re not horrible people, Reaper. We were just trying to do the right thing. But we couldn’t help it—we fell for each other.”
I lay it all out, my heart on the table. He needs to understand that we didn’t lie to hurt him. We lied because we were scared of losing him.
Reaper rubs his chin, his expression thoughtful. “I get it now. I just wish you two had come to me first instead of letting it get to this point.” He glances at my face and winces. “Sorry about the punch, but you slept with my sister, so you had it coming. At least you care about her and didn’t just... you know.”
The memory of my poor choice of words makes me cringe. “Yeah, saying ‘I banged your sister’ wasn’t my finest moment. I panicked.”
Reaper chuckles, and the tension in the room eases slightly. “I’d be panicked too.”
I shrug, trying to lighten the mood. “What’s one more punch to the face?”
His brows shoot up. “Who else hit you?”
“Mercedez, when she found out about me and Milly.”
His face hardens, his tone turning serious. “You know I don’t tolerate that kind of behavior. Mercedez has to go.”
Relief washes over me, and for the first time in weeks, I feel like I can breathe. “What should I do? Call an ambulance and have it ready for when I tell her?”
Reaper shakes his head. “You’re not going anywhere near her. I’ll handle it. As president, I’ll tell her she’s no longer welcome here. She’s not permitted to speak to anyone in the club or the ol’ ladies. And yes, I’ll organize for an ambulance to be here in case she tries to hurt herself again. But you need to cut ties completely. Block her number. Don’t talk to her again. And Milly is to come back to the clubhouse so we can monitor her. I don’t want Mercedez taking her revenge on Milly. I won’t risk another situation like what happened with Sophie.”
I nod, grateful for his support. “Thanks. Can the club cover her doctor visits, medication, and anything else she needs to heal? I don’t want her to feel abandoned, even after everything she’s put me through.”
Reaper nods. “That’s fair. We’ll make sure she gets the help she needs. But she can’t stay here. Milly likes it here at the clubhouse, doesn’t she?”
“She does love it,” I say, a small smile tugging at my lips. “She says it feels like home.”
Reaper’s smiles. “That’s good to hear. I like having her here.”
“Everyone does,” I add. With Mercedez and Reaper out of the equation, Milly and I can finally have a chance to be together—if she’ll still have me. My head hangs low as doubt creeps in. “If I could go back, I’d tell Mercedez she couldn’t manipulate me. And now that I know everything, I wish Milly and I had come to you first. To be honest”—I chuckle nervously—“we had no idea what my fate would be. No one’s ever defied your orders before. I wasn’t sure if I’d walk out of that conversation alive.”
Reaper lets out a deep chuckle. “Don’t get me wrong, I wanted to kill you when you said you banged Milly. Seriously, Twitch. You actually said the wordbanged.”
“I panicked,” I admit, feeling like an idiot.
Reaper shakes his head, a small smile on his lips. “Treat Milly well, Twitch, or I’ll find a nice grave for you yet.”
I swallow hard. “Duly noted.” I stand, my resolve firm. “I’m going to talk to Milly.”
“But she’s at work,” Reaper points out.
I shrug. “This can’t wait. She needs to know everything now. You don’t know what it’s like to want to be with someone but feel like you can’t.”
Reaper’s expression softens. “I know. Ava was married to an abusive husband.”
“I feel such relief knowing we can finally be together,” I say, pausing at the door. “With your blessing, of course.”
Reaper nods. “As long as you protect her and make her happy. And it’s a plus that she’ll be living here, so my family can see her all the time. I’m sorry you felt like you couldn’t come to me. I was so focused on keeping her safe that I didn’t consider she’d be safest here with us—and with a man I trust.”
A genuine smile spreads across my face. “Thank you, Pres. I understand your reasoning.”
