Page 199 of Reaper

“Yeah, there’s three more,” he replies as he lifts the others out of the nightstand drawer.

I take each one and my suspicions rise when I find the oldest entry starting in March of 2022.

“Take pictures or videos of every page. We need to find out everything he knows.”

Punisher gives me a chin lift and Lark and Beast each take a journal and start taking pictures. Needing to check on the others, I head into the other room. We need to be out of here soon just in case those other two come here.

It takes us another ten minutes to get everything documented and put back in place. I pull out my phone and double check the most recent tracking Python sent me of Nathan and Drake’s phones. Both are still moving and worry tugs at my gut.

“Perimeter team, is everything still clear?”

“Affirmative,”Axe replies, and I give the signal.

We creep silently out into the night and through the woods, covering our tracks as best as we can as we make our way back to the vans.

Chapter 73

Lark

Walkingbackintotheclubhouse, I squeeze Anthony’s hand. “I’m just gonna go get out of these layers,” I tell him.

He looks down at me with concern in his eyes before nodding and kissing my forehead. He’s right to be concerned, but right now, I need a few minutes alone to process everything we just found.

A few minutes later, I unlock our room. Locking the door behind me, my gaze snags on the clock and I groan when I realize it’s past midnight already. With another groan, I angrily rip my sweater off followed by my jeans and then the thermal long johns and wool socks I always wear when I go hunting with Uncle Mark. Picking up my clothes, I throw them in the hamper and grab some clean clothes out of the dresser.

I’m about to put them on when I pause. My gaze catches on my burns, and I straighten in the mirror, lightly tracing them with my fingers. Tears spring to my eyes when it really sinks in that Zac is the reason why I was hurt in the first place.

He’s the one that cut our security feed, cut the wires to the smoke detectors, sabotaged every window and exterior door so that we couldn’t get out. He did all of that for what? So he could come in and rescue me? What was his plan after that? I mean, he was dating Khloe at the time, though I am wondering if he did that just as a way to get close to me.

My stomach bottoms out at the thought of Khloe.

Even though she tries not to show it, their breakup really did a number on her self-esteem. She’s not as bubbly or energetic as she used to be. Oh God, if the cops somehow get involved in this before we get our hands on Zac and all of this comes out into the open, this is going to kill Khloe.

My mind goes back to the cops and I freeze. We need to find out if Zac was only responsible for the fires at our family’s places or if he was responsible forallthe fires that night. I’ve gotta go through those pictures and videos of the journals and anything else the guys might have found. While I want to make Zac pay for what he did to me, if he’s the one behind all the fires, then I might need to put aside my own feelings so that Zac can be arrested and brought to trial. Everyone affected by the fires should get closure but especially Ricky Merser and Bill and Edna Sharpe’s families since they had died because of the fires. I need to talk to Anthony and the others. Then again, he knows waaaay too much about the club. I might just get to make him pay for everything he did.

With that thought in mind, I hastily dress even though my skin feels grimy after being in Zac’s house and I desperately want a shower, but that will have to wait for now. I’m going to guess that Anthony’s going to call Church soon. I don’t know if I’ll be allowed to join them, but if I am, I want to be down there.

I grab my cut off the hook and slip it on. Heading back downstairs, I make a beeline for the bar and take the beer Mama Astrid’s just grabbed from the cooler. She eyes me for a moment,probably wondering where my head is with all this, but she doesn’t need to worry. While I know my journals are going to be getting a hell of a workout after this, I’m good. I give her a small nod and she returns it before tilting her head toward Church.

“Reaper said to head on in when you came down.”

“Thanks,” I go to leave but then pause. “Did they all get drinks or should I take some in for them?”

She laughs. “They got drinks before they headed in so they should be good.”

She does a shooing motion with her hands and with a laugh of my own, I turn on my heel and cross the room. I pause at the door, knocking like I’ve seen Nathan and Drake do before entering and a moment later the door opens and Devil gives me a chin lift.

Anthony watches me for a moment, probably wondering where my head’s at, but I give him a small smile, trying to reassure him. He nods and I look around for an empty seat, which just so happens to be the one Anthony had me sit in before, on his left side.

Once I’m seated, Anthony raps his knuckles on the table. Shit, I wonder if I’m going to need to start calling him Reaper more since I’m a Prospect now? Before he said I could call him Anthony, even in front of the club. I’ll have to ask him.

“Alright. Drake’s reported in that the two guys he was following have stopped in a little town called Fox River that’s south of us. Nathan is still on the interstate following Zac and they’re heading north. Before sending people out to support them, we need to debrief on what Python and Smoke found.”

Anthony tilts his head toward Python and Smoke, giving them the floor.

Python gestures toward the wall and Anthony pulls down the screen. After a few moments, a map shows up on the screen.

“The house here,” Python pauses as he makes a red ‘x’ on the screen, “is being rented out to Sara Wild. Maiden name is Hammit.”