Hunting Season
974 Words
The room went silent.
“They’re still in town.”
Luca’s words echoed through the office like a gunshot.
My stomach dropped.
For a second, nobody moved.
Nobody spoke.
Then Reaper stood.
The scrape of his chair against the floor seemed unnaturally loud.
“Where?”
Luca’s expression turned serious.
“Old motel on the south side of town.”
Ghost appeared in the doorway.
“Three confirmed.”
“Only three?” Reaper asked.
Ghost shrugged.
“Three we can see.”
That somehow felt worse.
Reaper looked toward me.
His expression didn’t change.
But something in his eyes did.
Calculation.
Assessment.
Protection.
“Ivy stays here.”
I blinked.
“Excuse me?”
His gaze shifted to me fully.
“You’re not leaving the bar.”
I folded my arms.
“That’s not a request, is it?”
“No.”
Luca winced.
“Oh, good luck with that.”
“Stay out of it,” I muttered.
“Absolutely not.”
The traitor grinned.
Reaper ignored us both.
“Ghost.”
The large biker nodded once.
“With me.”
Within seconds they were moving.
Making plans.
Issuing orders.
The atmosphere inside the office transformed into something military.
Efficient.
Disciplined.
Dangerous.
I suddenly realized something.
These weren’t just bikers.
Not really.
Whatever the Reapers Motorcycle Club was, it operated like a family.
A very heavily tattooed, mildly terrifying family.
But a family nonetheless.
And somehow…
I was standing in the middle of it.
⸻
An hour later, the bar was unusually quiet.
The club members had spread out across Black Hollow.
Watching.
Waiting.
Preparing.
I sat at the counter trying to focus on a book Maria had handed me.
Trying and failing.
Every time the front door opened, my pulse jumped.
Every time a motorcycle passed outside, I looked up.
Maria noticed.
“You’ll drive yourself crazy.”
I sighed.
“Probably.”
She set a glass of water in front of me.
“You trust him?”
The question caught me off guard.
“Who?”
Maria looked unimpressed.
“Sweetheart, there is only one man in this town making your heart beat that loudly.”
Heat rushed into my face.
“That’s not—”
“It absolutely is.”
I groaned.
Maria smiled.
For some reason, that smile felt maternal.
Comforting.
“Do you trust him?” she repeated.
I stared down at the counter.
The answer came far too easily.
“Yes.”
Maria nodded.
Like she’d expected that.
Like everyone had.
“Then let him do what he’s good at.”
I frowned.
“Threatening people?”
“Protecting people.”
The distinction hit harder than expected.
⸻
By sunset, rain clouds had returned.
The sky darkened.
Thunder rolled in the distance.
And Reaper still hadn’t come back.
I told myself I wasn’t worried.
That lasted approximately thirty seconds.
Then I started pacing.
Luca walked in carrying a box of supplies.
Stopped.
Watched me.
“You’re pacing.”
“I’m not.”
“You literally turned around three times while saying that.”
I glared at him.
He looked delighted.
“I hate you.”
“No, you don’t.”
Unfortunately, he had a point.
Luca set the box down.
Then his expression softened unexpectedly.
“He’ll be okay.”
The certainty in his voice eased something inside me.
Just a little.
“You don’t know that.”
“I do.”
“How?”
A grin returned.
“Because if somebody actually managed to kill Reaper, he’d probably come back out of spite.”
I laughed despite myself.
The sound felt strange.
Foreign.
Like I’d forgotten how.
Luca’s expression turned thoughtful.
“That’s the first real laugh I’ve heard from you.”
The observation caught me off guard.
Maybe he was right.
Maybe I hadn’t laughed in a very long time.
⸻
Night fell completely.
The storm finally arrived.
Rain hammered against the windows.
Wind rattled the building.
The bar had closed early.
Only club members remained.
Waiting.
The tension was impossible to ignore.
Then the front door opened.
Every head turned.
My heart nearly stopped.
Reaper.
Wet from the rain.
Dark hair dripping.
Leather jacket soaked.
Completely unharmed.
Relief hit me so hard it was embarrassing.
The moment his eyes found mine, something in his expression softened.
He crossed the room without hesitation.
Straight toward me.
Straight past everyone else.
“Everything okay?”
I stared at him.
Then blinked.
“You’ve been gone for hours and that’s your first question?”
One dark eyebrow lifted.
“So that’s a no.”
I wanted to stay annoyed.
Really.
I did.
Instead, relief won.
“You’re impossible.”
His mouth twitched.
The closest thing to a smile.
“I know.”
The room around us faded slightly.
Not completely.
Just enough that I became painfully aware of how close he was standing.
How familiar his presence already felt.
“We found them,” he said quietly.
My stomach tightened.
“And?”
His eyes darkened.
“They’re definitely looking for you.”
The relief vanished instantly.
“What do they want?”
A pause.
Then:
“The same thing everyone wants.”
“The flash drive.”
Reaper nodded.
Thunder cracked outside.
For a moment neither of us spoke.
Then his hand settled briefly against my shoulder.
Steady.
Protective.
Grounding.
“You don’t need to be scared.”
I looked up at him.
At the certainty in his eyes.
At the promise hidden beneath the words.
Maybe I should have been terrified.
Maybe trusting him was a mistake.
Maybe getting attached to Ryder Kane would end badly.
But standing there in the middle of the storm, surrounded by people willing to protect me…
For the first time in weeks, I felt something unexpected.
Hope.
And that might have been the most dangerous thing of all.
- Writer
