Reaper
I watched as Remi and Ari headed for the door. I wanted to say so much more, especially to Ari, to show my appreciation for everything she had done for my daughter, mainly for her courage to return to the place which still gave her nightmares, but I couldn’t.
I couldn’t say a word. There were too many in the room.
It was bad enough I just made a fool of myself when I saw a picture of my daughter. I refused to become a blubbering idiot in front of my boys. I was the president of the Golden Skulls. Not some whiney, whimpering pussy.
No. I was just going to have to make time later.
Preferably in private.
I was still trying to wrap my head around the fact that my kid was safe. That the least obvious person on the planet was the one who risked so much to bring her to safety. That my own woman could keep this from me. That two of my club members willingly followed a fucking angel into hell because she asked them to. Then there was Layla. The brains behind it all. She knew and said nothing. I mean, I got that she wanted to confirm it all and I appreciate the fact that they didn’t want to scare my kid. But holy fuck! They just took my kid as if they went out shopping. No muss. No fuss!
It was almost like an afterthought for them.
Not even one scratch.
Rubbing my temples, I tried not to think about the millions of things that could have gone wrong. That alone would drive me insane. But to have four of the most unsuspecting individuals just waltz into a fucking cult’s compound as if they were out for a fucking stroll, snag a kid and disappear into the night. Who the fuck does that?
Women!
That’s who.
“Am I the only one having a hard time with this?” Ghost muttered as the door shut closed. “I mean, this is Ari we’re talking about. My angel.”
“No,” I groaned, rubbing my face. “I am too.”
“Sometimes, simple is best,” Phantom grinned. “You have to admit that no one would ever suspect Ari. The woman radiates wholesomeness.”
Ghost growled. “So many things could have gone wrong.”
“But they didn’t.”
“She could have been hurt or worse.”
“Yet she’s fine. Face it, Ghost, you may be married to an Angel, but she is strong too. She faced her fears head-on last night and let nothing stop her from doing what she needed to do. Hell man, do you know how much courage it took for her to come to talk to me? We don’t speak. When we do, it’s only in passing. Your wife has balls of steel and I’m proud of her.”
Ghost grumbled something unintelligible under his breath.
Sighing, I leaned forward and looked at the woman at the other end of the table.
The brains.
The pain in my ass who knew too much and refuses to say shit about anything until it’s absolutely necessary. “Tell me what Ari and Remi were doing with this shit because if they are involved in anything else, I want to know right now.”
“That was it. In fact, I was surprised Ari even told Remi.”
“You should have come to Gio or me with this information.”
“Brute force isn’t always required, Reaper. Sometimes a softer touch is needed. Now that Emma is safe, what comes next is all on you.”
“What do you mean?”
Looking at her watch, Layla said, “Goldman is about to get a call that Emma is gone. It won’t take him long to figure out who took her. Which means you should be receiving a call from him soon.”
“Shit,” Phantom muttered, getting to her feet. “I’ll go get the phone and my equipment.”
Looking at Giovanni, I asked, “What are your thoughts about all of this?”