Reaper's Salvation: A Last Riders Trilogy by Jamie Begley (read a book TXT) 📗

… There’s only one person who can save her, and I’m not him.”

“Don’t you fucking dare to turn Ginny’s machine off!” he shouted, turning in the direction of the door.

“Where are you going?” Silas called after him.

Reaper took off as if the hounds of hell were after him. Running to the Escalade, he then sped out of the exit, passing Dalton and Trudy’s car as they entered the parking lot. They honked the horn at him, but he didn’t stop. Reaper couldn’t. He didn’t have any time to spare. He had to talk to the only man who could save Ginny’s life, and he wasn’t going to take no for an answer.

Chapter Fifty

Turning the radio off, Ginny slid out of Moses’ car, then shut the door. Her brother wouldn’t be happy that she had taken his car without his permission. She would have to get Gavin to drive her to drop it off.

Lacking the energy to go up the front steps, she walked up the back path.

Ginny opened the kitchen door and came to a stop at seeing Willa, Lily, Winter, and Beth sitting at the kitchen table, crying their eyes out. Meanwhile, Puck and Jesus were staring at her as if they were looking at a ghost.

“Willa, what’s wrong?” Ginny rushed forward, dropping the two bags of maternity clothes she had bought to the floor to comfort her crying friend.

Hearing her voice, the women jumped up from the table, running toward her to crush her in their arms.

“Willa!” Ginny tried to gain control of the chaotic situation. “Please, tell me what’s wrong. You’re scaring me.”

“There was an explosion … Yours and Gavin’s house has burned to the ground.”

Ginny felt like she was going to faint.

Jesus went to the table and slid out a chair for her sit down on. Ginny sank down into it.

Her beautiful house … gone.

“Ginny … we … we …,” Willa stuttered. “They found a woman inside. Silas and everyone thinks it’s you.”

Shocked, Ginny couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “I need to call Gavin … Silas.” Ginny took her phone out, calling Gavin, her pulse going faster when he didn’t answer.

Disconnecting the call, Ginny then called Silas. She wanted to burst into tears at the sound of his voice.

“Silas!”

“Ginny, where are you? Everyone thinks you’re here in the hospital on death’s door.”

“I know … I’m at the club. I just found out. Is Gavin there? He isn’t answering his phone.”

“He was here, then ran out. I don’t know where he is. Trudy is here. She wants to speak with you.”

“Ginny!”

“Trudy, I’m fine. It was just a horrible mistake. I’m fine,” Ginny kept repeating until she was able to calm her sister.

“Do you have any idea who was at your house when it exploded?”

Ginny didn’t want to tell Trudy over the phone.

“Trudy, I have to find Gavin. When I find him, I’ll come to the hospital. I shouldn’t be long.”

Ginny disconnected the phone and tried calling Gavin again. Still no answer.

“Does anyone have any idea where Gavin is? He’s not at the hospital. I need to go to the hospital in case he goes back there.”

Willa grabbed her coat off the back of her chair. “I’ll drive you. I don’t want you driving when you’re this upset.”

Ginny didn’t want to take the time to argue, so she hurried after Willa to her car. In the car, Ginny crossed her arms, shivering.

“I’ll turn the heat on and warm the seats,” Willa said, flicking a series of buttons on the dashboard.

“Thank you.”

“Who do you think it was?” Willa asked as they hit the bottom of the hill, coming to stop light.

“My mother. She came to see me. I thought Soleil had left. She must have come back and I’d already left.”

The light turned green.

“I’m sorry for your loss.”

Ginny turned her head toward Willa. “Don’t be. It wasn’t much of a loss.”

Ginny caught sight of Gavin running into the church.

“Drive back! I just saw Gavin.”

Willa turned around, pulling into the parking lot.

Ginny opened the door and got out.

“I’ll call everyone and tell them you found him,” Willa called out as Ginny shut the door.

Wary of the slick sidewalk, Ginny walked as fast as she could to the church entrance. Inside, Ginny went to Pastor’s Dean’s office. Seeing it was empty, she was about to go toward the kitchen when she heard a voice coming from the chapel.

As she drew closer, Ginny heard Gavin. “I don’t deserve her, but I’m begging You, anyway. I swore I would never beg to You again. You undo what You’ve done, I will praise Your name every day for the rest of my life.”

Ginny saw where Gavin was as she came into the chapel. He was kneeling in front of the statue of Jesus on the platform where Pastor Dean gave his sermons. The room, other than Gavin’s voice, was eerily still.

“I love her. She’s having my child. Take my life for theirs. I was too stupid to appreciate what I had. Is that why You took them away from me? I wasn’t even brave enough to tell her I love her. Why would she love me after the filth I did?”

Ginny couldn’t bear it anymore. She went to his side, dropping to her knees to place her arms around him.

“Gavin … I’m here … It was just a terrible mistake.”

Reaper abruptly raised his head. When she saw his face ravaged with grief, she leaned into him. Turning around to sit, she pulled his head to her chest and began slowly rocking him.

“I’m here … I never left you … I could never leave you … ever. I love you.”

Gavin’s heartrending sobs tore at her heart.

“I thought I lost you and the baby.”

“Your son is fine. Snug as a bug in a rug,” she crooned, continuing to rock him.

“I love you.”

“I love you, wild man.”

“I spent nine and a half years in what I considered hell. It took me one hour thinking I lost you forever to find out what