Devil's Ride (Royal Bastards MC Tonopah, NV #3) - Nikki Landis Page 0,41
the zip ties clasping her wrists together. “These are a pain in the ass.”
“There’s nothing in this room but an empty desk in the corner. Acid has made me sit on the cold concrete for days. My ass is permanently frozen,” I joked.
“What a dickwad.”
We both shivered as the temperature seemed to drop. A draft was allowing freezing air to pass through the multiple cracks in the walls and the poor insulation. Before I could speak, the door opened. Acid walked into the room with a smug smile on his deformed face. Sasha smiled when she noticed her handiwork.
Members of the Scorpion MC entered the room followed by Zook, Dawg, and a Hispanic man I didn’t know. He began to taunt Sasha, revealing that he knew her sister and expected Sasha to work off Suraya’s debts. We all knew what that meant.
Everything exploded into chaos when I heard Bodie’s voice and then Grim’s.
My head rose up at the sound of Grim’s deep and gravelly growl. A small whimper left my throat as he sauntered through the door followed by members of the Royal Bastards MC. At first, I couldn’t figure out why they all appeared so different. I thought they were wearing masks.
All of them looked like dead men walking. Dark hallowed out eye sockets, pale faces, blackened noses, and macabre teeth that looked like they could rip apart flesh without much effort. Each man’s eyes glowed with a feral and sinister gleam.
What. The. Fuck.
A scream of pure terror was ripped from my lips and I scrambled away, blinking rapidly to try to forget the images in my head.
Grim stood in front of Acid. “We finally meet again, Acid.”
Acid’s jaw dropped open. “What the fuck are you?”
“Your worst nightmare,” Grim announced.
I was so busy watching him that I didn’t notice Dawg approaching. He shoved me up against the wall and his hands circled my throat.
“You’re gonna die for what you did to me, bitch.”
My nails dug into the flesh of his wrists as he increased his hold. Dark spots filled my vision as I gasped and tried to suck in air for my aching lungs. The will to survive kicked in and I fought him as hard as I could, but he didn’t release me. As I started to pass out, I saw Grim’s determined expression mixed with the horror of walking death.
My life was a nightmare . . . and it was never going to end.
***
Warm, soft lips pressed to my cheek as I regained consciousness. “I’m here, Trish. I’m always here, angel. Always.”
“Grim?” I croaked. My throat was sore and felt like it was on fire. Similar to that time I had really bad strep throat as a kid.
“I’m sorry you were injured, and I didn’t reach you in time.”
“Okay,” I rasped, not knowing what else to say.
His gray eyes were haunted as I dared to look into them. He didn’t resemble that dark monster I’d seen during Dawg’s attack. This was normal Grim. The handsome biker I knew.
“I suppose you have a lot of questions.”
I nodded.
“It’s a lot to explain.” His hand reached for mine and rubbed circles into the flesh. “I know I scared you and I didn’t mean to do that. When I knew you were kidnapped, I lost my shit. I don’t want to lose you, not after all we’ve been through.”
That still didn’t answer my questions.
“What are you?”
“A Reaper. I harvest souls for the devil and hell.”
Blink. Blink.
“I don’t know what to say. Are you alive? Half dead?”
“Alive. Completely, baby. I’m the man I always have been. I just become something more when I have to take care of the bad guys.”
That was simple enough. Although I knew there was much more to it.
“I’m afraid of that part of you,” I managed to choke out. My hands rose to my throat and I winced.
“No more talking. You need to rest.” Grim leaned down and kissed my forehead. “Dawg, Acid, and Zook are gone. They’ll never harm anyone else again. I want you to know that.”
I squeezed his hand in acknowledgement.
“This is hard to comprehend. I should have told you sooner, but I didn’t know how you would react to the truth.” Grim walked to the door and then turned. “I hope you’ll think this over before you decide what you’re going to do next. If I have any say, I still want to be with you, Trish.”
His words stabbed my heart with their intensity and pain.
I loved Grim but I couldn’t handle anymore.