Page 12

Logan

My heart raced as we waited at the gates of the Dixie Reapers compound. Akira stood beside me, her dark hair blowing in the breeze. Dawson, Justin, and Diego flanked us, their presence a small comfort in the face of what was to come.

The gates swung open with a metallic groan. Wraith emerged, his weathered face set in a grim expression. Our eyes locked, and in that moment, the weight of the situation hit me like a punch to the gut. I had to protect Akira, no matter the cost.

“We have a problem,” I said, my voice steady despite the tension coiled in my muscles. “Akira might be in danger.”

Wraith’s eyes flashed with barely contained fury. “What the hell do you mean she’s in danger? You better start explaining real quick.”

I held up a placating hand. “I’ll tell you everything, but we need to talk inside. It’s not safe out here.”

Wraith glanced at Akira, then at Dawson and the others. After a long, tense moment, he jerked his head toward the clubhouse.

“Fine. But this doesn’t mean I like you. I’m still against her being with you. If anything happens to my daughter while she’s with you…” The unspoken threat hung heavy in the air.

I nodded solemnly. “I’ll do everything in my power to keep her safe.”

As we walked inside, pushing our bikes until they were just inside the gates, my mind raced. All I could think was: I brought this danger to Akira’s doorstep. The stalker, the threats -- it was all because of me .

Guilt and determination warred within me. I had to find a way to fix this, to shield Akira from harm. No matter what it took, I would keep my promise to protect her. Even if it meant straying from the path I’d chosen long ago. For her, there wasn’t anything I wouldn’t do.

We followed Wraith into the clubhouse, where three other men waited. They’d pushed a few tables together and we took a seat.

Wraith’s anger was palpable as he slammed his fist on the table, making me flinch. “You better start talking, boy. What the hell is going on?”

I met his gaze, unwavering despite the fury burning in his eyes. “Someone’s been stalking me, threatening Akira. I think it’s connected to my job as a paramedic. And there’s also a crazy woman who seems to be obsessing over me. Not sure if she has anything to do with all this or not. I can’t be certain there isn’t more going on.”

Wraith’s nostrils flared, his voice a low growl. “I warned you, Logan. If you ever hurt my daughter, I’ll kill you myself.”

The weight of his words settled heavily on my shoulders, but I refused to back down. “I would never intentionally put Akira in harm’s way. I love her, and I’m going to do everything in my power to keep her safe.”

Beside me, Dawson cleared his throat, drawing Wraith’s attention. “We need your help, Wraith. This is bigger than just Logan and Akira. We have to work together on this.”

Wraith’s gaze darted between us, the gears turning behind his hardened exterior. After a long, tense moment, he spoke. “You’ll wait outside. This isn’t a decision I can make on my own.”

I wanted to protest, to demand immediate action, but Dawson’s hand on my shoulder stopped me. “We’ll wait,” he said, his tone leaving no room for argument.

As we turned to leave, I caught Akira’s eye, trying to convey all the love and reassurance I could in a single glance. She nodded, her lips pressed into a thin line, and I knew she understood.

Once outside, I paced restlessly, my mind spinning with worst-case scenarios. What if the stalker made good on their threats? What if I couldn’t protect Akira?

Dawson’s voice cut through my spiraling thoughts. “We’ll figure this out, Logan. The Reapers may be rough around the edges, but they protect their own. Like it or not, that includes Akira. She was born into this club, and there’s nothing they wouldn’t do for her.”

I nodded, trying to find comfort in his words. But the knot in my stomach only tightened as the minutes ticked by, each second feeling like an eternity.

I could only hope that Wraith and the others would see reason, that he would put aside his anger and work with us. Because if we couldn’t come together, if we couldn’t find a way to stop this threat, I feared for Akira’s safety -- and for the future we’d been fighting for.

After what felt like an eternity, the doors finally creaked open. Some of the men I’d seen around town previously, others I’d heard of. I read each name on their cuts. Savior, Tempest, Saint, Wraith, and Venom. Their expressions were a mix of anger and determination.

“Come inside,” Wraith growled, his gaze locked on mine.

I exchanged a glance with Dawson, a silent understanding passing between us. This was it -- our chance to make things right, to protect Akira and bring this stalker to justice. It was also my best shot at earning the approval of the Dixie Reapers to be with Akira.

Inside the clubhouse, Savior gestured to the tables where we’d been sitting previously. He motioned for us to sit. Once everyone had claimed a chair, Savior caught each of our gazes. “Let’s be clear. We’ve only agreed to help because of Akira and Dawson. Whatever is going on, it affects our kids. And yes, those two will always be Reapers by birth.”

Dawson cleared his throat and took charge of the conversation.

“Like I said before, we have a problem,” he began, his voice steady despite the tension in the room. “There’s a dispatcher who seems to be stalking Logan, and she’s threatened Akira. But this seems like something more. She’s paired up with an ex-con. They were either going to kidnap or hurt Akira earlier today. I’ve known Scarlet for a few years now. That being said, I don’t know her well. We’ve talked some on breaks at work, but that’s about it. While she’s always been flaky when it comes to her job, she never seemed like the type to do this sort of thing.”

Wraith’s eyes flashed with fury, his hands clenching into fists on the table. I braced myself for another outburst, but Dawson continued before he could speak.

“We need help to get to the bottom of this, and we were hoping you would let Wire and Lavender step in. We could really use their skills. While some of us aren’t comfortable with the way they obtain their information, we’re willing to do what it takes to keep our club and Akira safe.” Dawson leaned back in his chair, appearing incredibly relaxed. Then again, he’d grown up here, so he probably was.

A heavy silence settled over the room as the Reapers exchanged glances. I held my breath, waiting for their response.

Finally, Savior spoke. “Wire and Lavender are good at what they do, but before we bring them in, we need to get a few things straight.”

He leaned forward, his eyes boring into Dawson’s. “You know the Reapers handle things differently than the Swift Angels. If we’re going to work together, there will have to be compromises on both sides.”

I felt a flicker of hope in my chest. They were willing to help, to put aside their differences for Akira’s sake.

As I listened to Dawson and the Reapers hash out the details of our temporary alliance, I couldn’t shake the feeling that we were running out of time. I didn’t know if it was Scarlet, Isaac, or someone else sending the text messages to me. Whoever they were, things seemed to be escalating, and at a rather rapid rate. It wasn’t like this had been going on for weeks.

I could only hope that with the Reapers on our side, we would be able to put an end to this nightmare once and for all.

Savior ran a hand over his beard as he stared at Dawson. “You sure you know what you’re doing, boy? You go down this path, you can’t go back.”

I felt a flicker of irritation at Savior’s words, but I knew he was right. We were on a slippery slope, and we could all land on our asses. If we were willing to use the skills of the Reapers hackers, what else would we do in the future? Look the other way when they killed someone? Or do it ourselves? I wasn’t sure I felt comfortable with all of it, but at the same time, I needed to know nothing would happen to Akira.

Justin cleared his throat, drawing everyone’s attention. “We’ll do what we need to do. As long as we keep things as legal as possible. I want to uphold the law, but I also know the system doesn’t always work the way it should. Right now, my priority is keeping my club and Akira safe. But I’m worried about what could happen if this spills over into our personal lives. I have a young daughter to think about.”

I nodded in understanding, my thoughts turning to Kelsey. She was just a child, innocent in all of this. The last thing I wanted was for her to get caught in the crossfire. Justin had his daughter to think of, Dawson had a wife and kid with a baby on the way, and Diego had a lot of nieces and nephews. As for me, I had a sister, but at the moment, she was dating a cop who’d protect her. I’d give her a heads-up so she could stay at his place until this blew over.

“We’ll do what we can to keep things contained.” Wraith leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms. “But if it comes down to it, we’ll handle things our way. It’s not up for discussion.”

I could feel the tension in the room. The implications of what he’d said would weigh heavy on my club. I wasn’t sure Justin would agree. Glancing his way, I noticed his tight jaw and the way his eyes had narrowed. Yeah, he was going to have a hard time with that one. If this had been any other situation, I may have reconsidered their involvement. But I knew Wraith and the other Reapers would do whatever they felt necessary to protect Akira, and I couldn’t fault them for it. She meant everything to me.

I watched Akira, trying to judge how she felt about all this. She’d grown up in this world, knew these men better than she knew me and the Swift Angels. Well, except Dawson, since they’d grown up together. Did any of this bother her?

Savior cleared his throat, drawing everyone’s attention. “We don’t like this any more than you do, but if working with the Swift Angels is what it takes to keep Akira safe, then that’s what we’ll do. She may be dating one of you, but she’s a Reaper by blood, and nothing will ever change that.”

Relief flooded me and I gave him a nod. “Thank you. We appreciate your help.”

Savior nodded. “Just remember, this is temporary. Once the threat is eliminated, we go back to business as usual.”

It wasn’t exactly the answer I’d hoped for, but at least this gave me a chance to get to know Wraith and the others better and prove a relationship with Akira could work. I wouldn’t take her away from her family, and I wondered if that’s what bothered them the most.

“Understood,” Dawson said, his tone equally serious.

A couple I assumed were Wire and Lavender had come in at some point and sat at a table nearby, both tapping away at their computers. I didn’t know what they were doing with so little information, but they seemed focused on their tasks. My phone vibrated and I checked the message.

Are you ready to watch her burn ?

A chill skated down my spine and my gut churned. I looked over at Wraith and met his cold, hard stare. I had no doubt he’d somehow read the message from where he sat, and he was beyond pissed.

Wraith stood and went to Wire. “Find these fuckers. Now. They chose the wrong person as their target. Fuck the rules and fuck our agreement. When I get my hands on whoever is behind this, I’m sending them straight to hell.”

Justin shifted in his seat, and I knew Wraith’s words had made him uncomfortable. As a police officer, it had to be a burden to hear someone outright say they were going to murder someone. Especially after you’d just agreed to give them a free pass this one time. I wasn’t sure how Justin would hold up through this, but I hoped he’d be okay. I didn’t need our club president unraveling.

“If any plans we come up with require bait, I’ll be it,” I said. Akira started to protest, but I held up a hand to stop her. “No. Scarlet seems to be obsessed with me. That would be the quickest way to draw her out.”

“Before we go that far, give us time to do some digging,” Wire said. “I’ll need your phone number, as well as the number or numbers the messages have come from. I’m already working backward by using Akira’s information. Found the text from that Scarlet woman, and now I’m in her phone records trying to see who she’s been in contact with. But I can use the information I get from your phone to cross-reference and see what we can discover.”

His fingers kept flying over the keys even as he spoke. I’d never met anyone like him before, or his wife. They both amazed me. I wrote down the information he’d requested and Wraith handed it over to the hackers.

“Can I stay with you tonight?” Akira asked, keeping her voice low. We hadn’t spent the night together, not even once. The most we’d done was make out a little. But I doubted that’s what she was hinting at right now.

Wraith growled and glared at me. I did my best to ignore him and focused on the woman I loved.

“Sure. If you want to go home and get whatever you need, I’ll wait here for you.”

She flashed me a smile and stood up. “I’ll be back in ten to fifteen minutes.”

As she passed her dad, he opened his mouth to say something -- most likely to stop her -- but she flipped him off and kept walking. My jaw nearly hit the floor.

“Um, I don’t think she meant that,” I said. “And if it’s any consolation, I’m not happy about her walking off either.”

“Yeah, she meant it.” He smiled a little. “That part she gets from me. The rest is definitely her mother, though.”

“Nope. Akira is almost all you except her looks,” Saint said. “Rin is more submissive than Akira could ever be.”

As the Reapers started giving Wraith hell about his family, I just counted myself lucky. His precious little girl had said she was staying the night with me, and I was still breathing.