REAPER: GOLDEN SKULLS M.C. by Rebecca Joyce (elon musk reading list TXT) 📗

“You wouldn’t have to if you hadn’t said what you did. Calling people names isn’t nice, Snake.”

“He calls me names all the time.”

“Really?” I asked, turning to Grimm. “Is that true?”

Grimm shrugged his shoulders and went back to work, cleaning the mirror over the bar.

“Well, it isn’t nice. Now hurry up. We’re almost done in here. I want to start on the bedrooms next.” When those words left my mouth, I saw Shamrock, Snake, Grimm, and Bullseye each take out their phones and quickly typing something into them as they stopped what they were doing and headed for the stairs. Seconds later, all other Golden Skulls members came running in from every direction, each heading for their rooms.

“What in the world?” I asked as chaos reigned around me.

Max came up behind me laughing as he wrapped his arms around me and kissed the top of my head. “Remind me to use you next time when I need to motivate them.”

“But I didn’t do anything?”

“You were threatening to clean their rooms, babe.”

“It wasn’t a threat. I’ve got the kitchen, the common room, and most of the offices downstairs done. The only thing left is the bedrooms and the chapel. They need to be cleaned too.”

“Baby, the place looks great. But I don’t want you cleaning up after us all the time. That’s not why you’re here.”

“And why am I here?” I asked, turning in his arms.

Max smiled brightly. “To service my needs, of course.”

TWELVE

REAPER

I walked into Patty’s diner and smiled. God, I loved this place. Patty and I grew up together, went to school together, and even went to prom together. While I stayed and worked at my Pops Autobody shop, Patty went to culinary school and got her degree. She was a fantastic cook. We were still good friends, and when she returned to Purgatory, I asked my Pop’s to help her out with her first place, and he did.

Patty was now married with two young boys who loved bikes and a husband who served in the U.S. Marine Corp. With her husband deployed, the club looked after her and her kids and made sure she had everything she needed.

“Reaper,” Patty smiled. “Hungry?”

Looking around the diner, I spotted Chief Brian Conners at the back table. Nodding, I turned my attention back to Patty.

“Yeah. Make my usual, please.”

“Sure thing. Oh, and thank you for sending some of the boys over to fix that leak.” Last month a pipe burst in her small house, flooding the whole downstairs. She tried calling for a regular plumber, but she called me when she realized she couldn’t afford the fix. I sent three of my guys over to her place the next day, and they fixed the pipe and even stayed to help clean. When they were done, Patty praised them to the moon and back, and my boys came home with freshly baked brownies, which they refused to share.

“No problem. You need anything else you call.”

“Will do.”

“When’s Patrick due back?”

“Three more months.”

“Good,” I said, walking over to the counter and sliding her a few hundred dollars.

“Max,” she whispered, pocketing the money. “You don’t need to keep doing that.”

“Yeah, I do. I’m serious, Patty. Anything, anything you call and do me a favor, keep the boys contained to the yard. I know they like riding their bikes up and down the road, but for the time being, keep them in the backyard, okay. If they want to ride, call me, and I’ll get one of the prospects to wave you in. The boys can come to ride with us out on the farm.”

“Should I be worried?”

“Nope. Just being cautious.”

“Okay. I’ll have your food out to ya soon.”

Moving past the counter, I took a seat across from Brian.

“Chief.”

“Reaper.”

“How are the kids’ Bullseye dropped off?”

“Getting better. Their parents were notified. They flew in this morning. Those kids were a long way from home. Should I ask about the asshole who took them?”

“Nope.”

“Max,” Brian groaned, rubbing the back of his neck. “Look, man, we go way back. My dad went to school with your Pops. Played for the same damn team in High school. We grew up next door to each other. Best friends, till high school. Then nothing. Tell me what’s going on. I’ve seen the heightened security out at your place. I’ve seen your boys around town more, helping everyone, making sure everyone is getting home safe, and don’t get me started on the two men you have at each of the schools, watching. Something is going on. I can’t help if you don’t talk.”

“Just making sure my town stays safe and those in it are safe.”

“Bullshit. It’s more than that.”

Patty chose that moment to walk over with my plate of food. It looked delicious. Smiling up at her, I nodded my thanks before she left. When she was out of earshot, I asked, “We’re you able to find the information I asked for?”

“Yeah,” he said, sliding a brown folder across the table at me. Opening it up, I scanned the documents as Brian talked.

“Her biological parents, Benjamin and Diana Greyson were high school sweethearts. Married after graduation. The dad worked construction while putting his wife through college. The mom got a degree in accounting. They gave birth to a daughter one year after they were married. She was kidnapped two days later. Let me rephrase. She was stolen right out of the hospital and sold. She was later adopted illegally, bought like cattle from Holy Mary’s Orphanage in San Diego. I called a friend of mine down there, and he found her biological parents. When she was born, her parents had the good sense to clip a locket of hair from her head. So, when she went missing, the FBI, State, and Local police had her DNA. She was kidnapped right out of the hospital, man. When my friend investigated the orphanage further, he was shut out. He found nothing else. As for her