Page 42 of Reaper

“What the fuck is your problem, Zac?” she demands.

Zac’s body tenses and he clenches his fists before turning on her and pointing angrily toward Reaper and Python. “Did you knowtheywere going to be here?”

The way he says ‘they’ has both Reaper and Python tensing further beside me, their muscles almost visibly coiling tighter than they already were, like they’re ready launch into a fight at a second’s notice.

Khloe stands and crosses her arms across her chest. “Yes. Lark told me last night and I thought it was sweet that they were thinking of her and wanted to help her when she was clearly tired and overwhelmed from seeing the state of her house and the supper club for the first time yesterday. Not to mention everything that was lost. I don’t have a problem with them being here either. I’ve gotten to know them pretty well over the past few months and I know no one in the club would ever lay a finger on Lark. Now, again. What the fuck is your problem?”

“Nothing,” he mutters and then stomps toward the front door, slamming it shut after him. A moment later, his truck starts upand through the window, I can see him gunning it down the driveway. When he’s out of sight, tension thickens in the room.

“Khloe, I’m sorry—”

She shakes her head as she crosses the room toward us. “Don’t you dare apologize, Lark. He’s been acting weird ever since you guys got here last night, and I don’t know why.” She frowns and looks at something on her phone. “He’s got a shift starting at noon and it’s a twenty-four-hour one. I’ll talk to him tomorrow after he’s had a chance to cool off and sleep so I can figure out what crawled up his ass and died. If he can’t handle you and the guys being here, then he can stay at his apartment in town. It’s not like he lives here. He just sleeps over sometimes.”

“How has he been acting toward you?” Reaper asks me, and a shiver runs down my spine at the possessive tone in his voice and the glint in his eyes.

I open my mouth to reply, but Khloe beats me to it.

“Staring a lot, watching what she does, hovering. This isn’t the only time he’s tried to dictate what Lark does either,” she says as she frowns. “He almost threw a tantrum last night when she said she was craving Chinese and then blew up when Emma, Lottie, and I all agreed with her. He said she should be eating healthier foods because her body needs them to heal. I told him to mind his fucking business. After the day she had, she wanted some damn comfort food, so comfort food was what she was going to get. It’s not like we always eat like that.”

I fume as memories of the argument come back to me, but I try to reign in my anger. “I don’t get why he’s trying to dictate so much about what I do or who I’m with. He’s not my boyfriend, he’s yours, Khloe. And I’m sorry that I never told you about this before. I wasn’t always around him, so I just let it roll off my back. However, last night and just now... it was starting to get to be too much, and I couldn’t just let it slide this time. I’m sorry.”

“Well, he might not be mine for long if he keeps this shit up. I won’t tolerate him treating you like this, either. And I don’t want to hear you apologizing again. It’s not your fault, it’s his.” She pauses as she runs a hand through her hair. “I’m going to head into my office to do some work and to give you guys some privacy while you finish setting up the laptop and then having your meeting with Emma and Lottie.”

I bite my lip as I watch her disappear down the hallway and then her office door shuts softly.

“Are you alright, Darlin’?”

My shoulders slump. “I don’t know, honestly. Being around Zac has always had me on edge, and it just got to be too much with everything else going on. But still, I feel bad for Khloe because it seems like Zac has been focusing on me rather than her and he’s her boyfriend, not mine. Before this, I knew she was happy being with him, but I don’t want to cause problems with their relationship.”

I’m pulled into his arms again and his spicy scent mixed with the smell of leather relaxes me.

“If he ever makes you feel unsafe, I want you to call me, Darlin’. I’ll be there as quickly as I can. Or for that matter, if anyone makes you feel unsafe.”

I relax further into his embrace at his words. “Just don’t forget, I’m also more than capable of hurting him if need be. Though, I should probably take up some self-defense classes for when I’m not armed. Once my burns heal more, that is.”

“Well, when you’re ready for that step, just let me know. Cannon runs our gym here in town, so I can hook you up with some lessons.”

Movement behind me has my cheeks heating as I remember we aren’t alone. Clearing my throat, I step away from Reaper and turn toward the table.

“So, what all do I need to do still for setting up the laptop?”

Chapter 19

Lark

TwoMonthsLater~December 9th, 2022

Pulling up in front of my therapist’s office, I put my car in park and sit there as I stare at the front door. My usual therapist, Dr. Remington, or Alice as she often tells me to call her, had to leave town for a while because of a family emergency. I’ve made great progress working with Alice, so the thought of working with someone new has me feeling uneasy. She’s lined everything up for her associate, Dr. Ashcroft, to take over my sessions while she’s gone. I’ve met him a few times, and each time, I’ve felt wary around him. I told Dr. Remington about my worries but unfortunately, none of the other doctors were able to take on another patient. While she reassured me that Dr. Ashcroft has always been very professional and is highly recommended for his work with trauma patients, I could always bring someone with me so that I’m not alone with him. Or she can reach out to other therapists in surrounding towns and see if there are any openings. After a lot of debate, I told her I’d go to one sessionwith Dr. Ashcroft. If it didn’t go well, then I’d take her offer of reaching out to the other therapists.

My phone buzzes in my hands and when I look down, I realize I’ve got a white-knuckle grip on my phone.

Reaper: You can do this, Darlin’

Reaper: And if you need me, I’ll be there

I smile, ignoring the pulling of my skin. Since that day at my house, we’ve been talking a lot more. I told him about my worries about Dr. Ashcroft and it eased some of them when Reaper told me he could be here in less than five minutes since he’s working at the garage today.

Reaper: Take a deep breath and let it out slowly. If you’re still worried, have a message already typed up so that all you have to do is hit send and I’ll be on my way.