Reap: Red Ridge Sinners
REAP
RED RIDGE SINNERS
CAITLYN DARE
CONTENTS
1. River
2. Diesel
3. River
4. Zach
5. River
6. Diesel
7. River
8. Jax
9. River
10. Zach
11. River
12. Diesel
13. River
14. Jax
15. River
16. Jax
17. River
18. Diesel
19. River
20. Zach
21. River
22. Diesel
23. River
24. Jax
25. River
26. Zach
27. River
28. Diesel
29. River
30. Jax
31. River
32. Zach
33. River
34. Diesel
35. River
About the Author
Also by Caitlyn Dare
SAVAGE ~ Sneak Peek
Copyright © 2021 by Caitlyn Dare
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
Edited by Pinpoint Editing
Proofread by Proofreading by Sisters Get Lit(erary) Author Services
1
RIVER
“What the fuck did you do?”
Terror slams into me as blood seeps from Zach’s shoulder.
“Relax.” My brother tucks his gun into the waistband of his jeans. “It’s just a surface graze.”
“You shot me.” Zach winces, trying to stem the bleeding. “You crazy fucking asshole shot me.”
“Yeah, well, you touched my sister.”
Rhett at least has the balls to look apologetic.
“I hate you,” I shriek. “I hate you. I hate you. I hate—”
“Deal with that, would you?” Rhett says to Diesel, who’s still holding me. He tries to whisper soothing words in my ear, but all I can see is Rhett—my big brother, my everything—pointing a gun at Zach and pulling the goddamn trigger.
People swarm the roof. Crank and Dane and a couple of the other guys. They take one look at Zach and both start yelling at Rhett. Crank attends to Zach, saying something about him needing sutures. Kat appears next, her gasp audible.
“River, oh my God, what happened? What—”
“I said stay the fuck down there.” Crank pins her with a dark look.
“Fuck you, Killian. She’s my best friend. I wasn’t just gonna—”
“Fuck, that hurts.”
“Oh my God. Zach.” A fresh wave of terror fills me and I sob harder. “You could have killed him, Rhett. You could have fucking killed him.”
Everyone looks at me, frowning at the pain in my voice.
“Does someone want to tell me what the hell happened up here?” Dane looks between us. Me and Rhett. Then me and Zach.
“Ask Stone.” Rhett spits, his expression still murderous. “He was pawing all over her, like she… fuck. Fuck!”
“So you… shot him?” Disbelief coats Dane’s words, but Rhett only snorts.
“Like you wouldn’t act first and ask questions later if it was your baby fucking sister.”
“Okay, okay, let’s just all calm the fuck down. Crank, go see to him. Preferably inside, where we’re not all just sitting ducks.”
“Yeah, come on, man.” Crank slips his arm around Zach and leads him toward the emergency access ladder.
Zach doesn’t look at me.
Not even a glance.
Not that I blame him. I got him shot.
Shot.
Oh my God.
But he knows—he knows the truth about what happened that night with Henry and his friends. If he tells them… If he tells Rhett…
Crap.
“Riv, talk to me.” Kat stares at me with a worried expression. “What the hell happened?”
“I…”
Before I can beg Zach not to spill my secrets, he disappears. Letting out a heavy sigh, I look over to where it went down, and my gaze collides with Diesel’s.
His expression is flat, and realization slams into me.
He saw me too.
He saw me and Zach… together.
Guilt coils around my heart. I don’t regret what happened with Zach, I can’t, but I do regret that Diesel found us like that.
He looks away first, following the rest of the guys off the roof, leaving me with Kat.
“Rhett shot Zach?”
“He… God, Kat, I messed up. I think I really messed up.”
“Come on, let’s sit. Whatever it is, it can’t be that bad.”
“They found us,” I whisper-hiss. “My brother and Diesel turned up right as Zach and I were…”
I can’t get the words out over the giant lump in my throat.
“Oh shit, that’s… wow. You’re right, I’m not sure there’s any coming back from that.”
“Helpful, thanks.” I glower at her.
“Joke.” She nudges my shoulder. “I’m joking. Rhett will get over it. You’re not his kid sister anymore.”
“I’ll always be his kid sister,” I point out.
“You know what I mean.”
“Kat, he literally saw Zach… you know.”
“Fucking you?”
“Oh God.” I bury my face in my hands.
How embarrassing.
I’ll never be able to look Rhett in the eyes again, let alone talk to him.
“Still, shooting Zach… that’s pretty badass.”
“There is something very wrong with you.” I shake my head, and she smirks.
“What? It’s hot.”
“We should probably go down there, make sure they aren’t killing each other.”
“Crank and Diesel will keep the peace.” I frown and she adds, “River, what aren’t you telling me?”
“You promise to keep this to yourself? It’s not something I want everyone knowing. Not yet, at least.”
Unless Zach opens his big mouth before I have a chance to tell him not to.
“Sure, you can trust me.”
I nod, trying to find the words. But then Sadie Ray’s voice cuts through the air.
“River? Oh my God, Riv.” She swings her leg over the edge of the roof and practically runs for me. “What happened? What the hell happened?”
“Rhett shot Zach,” Kat says as if it’s nothing.
As if my brother didn’t pull out his gun, aim it at Zach, and clip him with a bullet.
“I got the short story. But what I haven’t yet worked out is why.” She arches her brow at me.
“I…” I glance at Kat, and she holds up her hands.
“Oh no, this is all on you.”
“Thanks,” I mutter before expelling a shaky breath. “Rhett and Diesel found me and Zach… you know.”
“Fucking. He found them fucking.”
I shoot Kat a ‘what the hell’ look and she shrugs.
“Holy shit, you and Zach? But he’s so… and you’re…”
“Gee, thanks.”
“No, no, I don’t mean it like that. I’m just surprised.” Her expression softens, but hurt glitters in her eyes. “You never said anything.”
“It’s been a confusing time.”
“Do you… like him?”
“It’s complicated.”
“Complicated how?”
“Because she likes my brother too.”
“Kat!”
“Shit, sorry. I’m no good at this. I should go. I’ll be in the clubhouse.” Kat takes off, leaving me with Sadie Ray.
She watches me intently, willing me to look at her, but I don’t know what to say.
She’s the one person who might know how it feels to be in my predicament, yet I can’t bring myself to say anything.
“River, come on.” She squeezes my arm. “Talk to me, please.”
Slowly lifting my head, I offer her a weak smile. “I don’t even know where to start.”
“How about the beginning?” she suggests.
Maybe it’s time. Maybe talking about it will help.
Maybe.
Maybe.
Maybe.
But how can I talk to anyone about it when I haven’t even figured out where I stand with each of them first? There isn’t an us yet, there’s a me and three guys I can’t let go no matter how much I try.
“River?”
I blink at Sadie, hardening my resolve. “I’m fine,” I say.
“You’re not going to tell me, are you?”
“I’m not ready.” I stand. “We should probably go down there.”
Before I cause any more damage.
* * *
The second we step into the clubhouse, the tension hits me.
Sadie Ray didn’t push when I told her I wasn’t ready to talk about it, but I can tell she’s pissed at me.
She can get in line.
“Stop squirming like a little bitch and let me see to it.”
Dane and Crank have Zach pinned in a chair as Crank attempts to clean the graze on his shoulder.
“It stings.”
“You’re lucky I didn’t leave you with a hole,” Rhett grunts.
“I warned you, brother.” Dane pins my brother with a heavy stare. “If you can’t cool it, then you can’t be here. We need to get this taken care of.”
“Quit fussing Stray, it’s nothing more than a surface graze.”
“You shot him, asshole. You’re lucky he isn’t on his way to the hospital right now.”
“I didn’t shoot to kill.” Rhett shrugs.
“I swear to God, Savage. Quit it or—”
“Why doesn’t everyone just relax?” Sadie wraps herself around my brother and demands his full attention, the two of them communicating with nothing but heated looks. It must work, because Rhett visibly relaxes and drops his antagonistic bullshit.
“Okay, now I’m going to suture it.” Crank opens the suture kit and begins laying out all the contents. “It’ll probably hurt. You’ll want a shot of whiskey.”
“Nah, I can handle it.” Zach finds me across the room, finally looking at me.
“Get your fucking eyes off her, now.”
“Rhett.” Sadie grips his arm.
“Guess baby Savage is all grown up,” Dane chuckles.
I roll my eyes, joining Kat over at our usual booth.
“Hey, listen,” she says. “Sorry about before.”
“Forget it.”
“Shit, River, I…”
“Kat, I said it doesn’t matter.”
Guilt flashes in her eyes, but she doesn’t say anything. Instead, we just sit there, watching Crank stitch Zach up.
“How’s that feel?” Crank asks.
“Yeah, it feels okay.” Zach stands, rotating his shoulder a couple of times. “Thanks, man.”
Crank runs a hand through his hair, glancing between Zach and my brother. “Figure we got some shit to work through.”
“Yeah, like how you’ve been lying through your fucking teeth to everyone about who Zach really is.”
A ripple goes through the air, and everyone stops what they’re doing.
“You got somethin’ you wanna say to me, Savage?” Crank steps up to Rhett, and I don’t miss the way he’s actively putting himself between the two of them—Zach and my brother.
“I don’t know what game you’re playing, but she’s my sister—my fucking family—and you didn’t think to fill me in?”
“Rhett, what are you talking about?” Sadie asks. When he doesn’t answer her, she pins Dane with a worried look.
“Don’t look at me, princess. I’m as in the dark as you are.”
Diesel moves closer to them. He lays a hand on my brother’s shoulder. “Rhett, man, why don’t we just cool down, yeah? It seems we all need to talk.”
“Talk?” Rhett spits. “It’s a bit late for that, Walker. He”—he jabs his finger toward Zach—“was all over my sister. I can’t unsee that. I can never—”
“Stop. Just stop.”
I don’t realize I’ve spoken until everyone is looking at me.
“You don’t understand,” I say.
“River,” Diesel says. “You don’t have to do this. You don’t—”
“He shot him. What if he’d, he’d…” A shudder goes through me as I think of how differently tonight could have ended.
“Riv, you gotta see it from my point of view. I—”
“You messed up, Rhett.” I stare at my brother, the guy who’s always protected me, with hate in my eyes. “I’ll never forgive you for this.” The words are out before I can stop them.
Before I can process what they mean.
Pain flashes across his face, but his expression quickly darkens. “You don’t mea—”
“Okay, okay,” Dane says. “Why don’t we all just take a breath? You two,” he says, jabbing a finger at both Rhett and Zach, “my office. Now.” Then he looks at Crank and Diesel. “I’m guessing this is a conversation you should probably be there for as well.”
Crank scrubs his jaw, nodding, and the four of them disappear down the hall.
Dane looks back at me with a small smile that doesn’t reach his eyes. “We’ll get this shit sorted, little Savage. You’ll see.”
He takes off after them, leaving me standing there.
Wishing I could believe him.
2
DIESEL
“What the fuck is going on?” Stray barks the second he swings the door closed behind us, making his office feel smaller than it’s ever been.
“Don’t fucking look at me,” Rhett hisses, glaring between me and Crank.
“Fuck. How’d you find out?” I ask.
“Does it matter? What matters is that the two of you have been lying to two fucking clubs about who”—he jabs his finger in Zach’s direction—“that asshole is.”
“Rhett,” Dane snaps before walking over to his desk and dropping down into the chair behind it. “Shut the fuck up, yeah?”
Crossing his arms over his chest, Rhett sulks while Dane turns to his VP.
“Wanna start talking?” he hisses at Crank.
“Zach isn’t just our cousin,” he starts. It might not be common knowledge around the club, but the reason we helped Zach in the first place was because he’s family. Something we didn’t make public outside of this office for fear of people looking too hard into his past. “He’s family. Family who needed help,” Crank emphasizes, knowing that Dane will understand.
“I fucking get that, man. But did you really think I didn’t need all the fucking details?”
“We were hoping to keep it on the down low,” I mutter.
“How’s that working out for you?” Rhett mutters.
“You just fucking shot one of our brothers. Be glad I haven’t sent you the fuck home,” Dane booms, much to Rhett’s surprise. “What? This club is mine, Savage, and I won’t have anyone running around with a fucking gun getting trigger happy. Even you.”
Rhett’s jaw tics as he grinds his teeth, but he doesn’t respond for long seconds.
“Get the truth. Then you might feel differently. This club might be yours, but I guarantee there’s a girl out there looking after him that you’d lay your fucking life down for. And while he’s here, she’s in danger.”
Dane’s body jolts as if Rhett just pulled his piece again.
“Exactly,” Rhett says, smugness laced through his voice.
“Who is he?”
“He came from the Colton Night Crawlers,” I confess.
“WHAT?” Dane barks. “Are you fucking serious?”
“It gets worse,” Crank adds.
“Of course it does,” Dane mutters, rubbing at his temples.
“He’s on the run because he killed their second.”
“Great, so not only are we harboring a fucking Night Crawler, but he’s also in fucking hiding from the boss? Don’t you both think we’ve seen enough trouble over the past few months?”
“He’s family,” I sigh, knowing it’s the only angle Dane will understand.
“I know, and I fucking get that—” His eyes move from mine to Zach when he shuffles in the corner, his hand clamped over the wound on his shoulder. “Sit the fuck down, Zach,” he demands.
Zach looks at the couch where Rhett is sprawled out and then to the one remaining empty chair I’m yet to sit in.
“Fine,” he mutters, stalking to the seat beside Crank and lowering his ass down.
“Tell me you had a really good fucking reason for wiping out the Night Crawlers’ second,” Dane begs, staring Zach dead in the eyes.
“Because he was a cunt,” Zach scoffs, clearly not wanting to tell his story.
“Truth, Zach,” I tell him. He’s not going to get out of this room without it.
“He was abusing my mom,” he confesses quietly. “He’d been controlling her for years, but one day I came home and… I’d put a bullet through his head before I even knew I’d pulled my gun.” He shrugs like it was nothing, as if he regrets nothing. And I must admit, after hearing the whole story from Mom, I’m pretty sure I’d be feeling the same.
“And you ran?”
“Yes and no. Mom got me out, set me up here. Evelyn is my dad’s sister. She thought it would be safe here.”