Under Protection
1419 Words
The ride back to Reaper’s Bar was silent.
Not because we had nothing to say.
Because neither of us knew where to start.
The image of the black SUV refused to leave my mind.
The tinted windows.
The familiar face.
The certainty that whoever those men were, they weren’t here by accident.
I stared out the truck window as pine trees blurred past.
For two days, I’d almost convinced myself I was safe.
Two days of pretending Black Hollow was just a strange little town with too many bikers and not enough privacy.
Now reality was catching up.
“They won’t get near you.”
Reaper’s voice broke through my thoughts.
I looked over.
His eyes remained on the road.
Calm.
Steady.
Certain.
“How can you know that?”
His jaw tightened.
“Because I’d have to be dead first.”
My stomach flipped.
The words weren’t romantic.
They weren’t sweet.
If anything, they were terrifying.
But I believed him.
That was the dangerous part.
I believed every word that came out of Ryder Kane’s mouth.
And I’d only known him for a few days.
The truck rolled into the parking lot of Reaper’s Bar.
My heart sank.
Motorcycles filled every available space.
Men stood outside talking in small groups.
The atmosphere felt different.
Heavy.
Alert.
The second Reaper parked, several heads turned.
Luca immediately pushed away from the wall.
“Tell me she’s okay.”
The concern in his voice surprised me.
“I’m fine,” I said.
Luca looked unconvinced.
“You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
“Close enough.”
Reaper climbed out of the truck.
The conversations around us died almost instantly.
Power.
That was the only word for it.
The way the entire parking lot seemed to shift around him.
The way everyone watched for his reaction before deciding how to react themselves.
It was intimidating.
And oddly reassuring.
“Inside,” Reaper said.
Nobody argued.
Including me.
⸻
The bar was closed despite the early afternoon hour.
Club members occupied nearly every table.
Some I recognized.
Others were new.
Conversations quieted as I entered.
Curiosity followed me across the room.
Not judgment.
Not hostility.
Just curiosity.
Luca dropped into the chair beside me.
“You know,” he said conversationally, “normal people usually ease into trying to get hunted by criminals.”
I groaned.
“Thank you, Luca. That’s incredibly helpful.”
“I try.”
Ghost appeared beside him.
Silent as ever.
The giant biker set a cup of coffee in front of me.
Then walked away without saying a word.
I stared after him.
“What was that?”
Luca shrugged.
“That’s Ghost being nice.”
“That’s nice?”
“For Ghost? Extremely.”
A laugh escaped me despite everything.
The tension in my chest eased slightly.
Across the room, Reaper was talking with several senior club members.
Maps covered one table.
Phones covered another.
The sight made my stomach twist.
This wasn’t a misunderstanding.
This wasn’t paranoia.
Something was happening.
And somehow I’d brought it directly to their doorstep.
Maria appeared beside me carrying a plate.
“Eat.”
I looked down.
Burger.
Fries.
Again.
“Is this the only food available in Black Hollow?”
“It’s the only food Reaper trusts.”
“That’s ridiculous.”
Maria snorted.
“So is he.”
Fair point.
⸻
An hour later, the club meeting finally started.
Reaper stood at the center of the room.
Every conversation stopped immediately.
“Ivy recognized a man connected to her ex.”
Silence.
“He was watching the grocery store.”
The room darkened collectively.
Ghost folded his arms.
Luca’s smile disappeared.
Nobody looked surprised.
Only concerned.
“What do we know about the ex?” someone asked.
All eyes turned toward me.
I swallowed.
“His name is Daniel Cross.”
Reaper’s expression hardened.
“He worked in finance.”
“Worked?” Luca asked.
I nodded.
“I don’t know what he does now.”
That wasn’t entirely true.
I had suspicions.
Lots of them.
The problem was saying them out loud would make everything feel real.
“What aren’t you telling us?” Reaper asked quietly.
The room fell silent.
I hated how quickly he saw through me.
I looked down at my hands.
Then sighed.
“A few months ago, Daniel changed.”
Nobody interrupted.
Nobody rushed me.
“He started getting phone calls late at night.”
My voice felt strange.
Distant.
Like I was watching someone else tell the story.
“He became secretive. Angry. Paranoid.”
Reaper remained completely still.
Listening.
“Then I caught him cheating.”
The room collectively muttered several creative insults.
Luca looked personally offended.
“Men like that should lose privileges.”
A few bikers nodded.
I almost smiled.
Almost.
“After that,” I continued, “I started noticing things.”
“What things?” Ghost asked.
“Cash.”
The room grew quiet again.
“Lots of cash.”
That got everyone’s attention.
“I found documents too.”
Reaper’s gaze sharpened.
“What kind of documents?”
I hesitated.
The flash drive suddenly felt heavier in my pocket.
The secret I’d been carrying.
The reason I hadn’t slept properly in weeks.
“I copied some files before I left.”
Silence.
Absolute silence.
Luca blinked.
“You what?”
“I panicked.”
“Understandable.”
“I didn’t know what I was looking at.”
Reaper stepped closer.
Not threatening.
Just focused.
“Do you still have them?”
I nodded slowly.
The room exploded into conversation.
Questions.
Speculation.
Theories.
Through it all, Reaper never looked away from me.
Not once.
Like I was the only thing that mattered in the room.
The realization made my pulse stumble.
⸻
The meeting finally ended near sunset.
One by one, the club members dispersed.
Some to patrol.
Some to investigate.
Some simply to prepare.
By evening, the bar reopened.
Music returned.
Customers arrived.
Life continued.
At least on the surface.
I sat at the end of the counter watching Reaper work.
The strange thing was how normal everyone acted.
Like dangerous men searching for me wasn’t a reason to panic.
Maybe this was normal for them.
Maybe chaos was just another Tuesday.
A woman approached the bar.
Beautiful.
Tall.
Confident.
The kind of woman who knew exactly how attractive she was.
She smiled directly at Reaper.
My stomach tightened unexpectedly.
Interesting.
I definitely didn’t like that.
The realization annoyed me.
A lot.
The woman leaned across the bar.
Said something.
Reaper answered briefly.
Then pointed toward the opposite end of the room.
Dismissed.
Just like that.
The woman looked irritated before walking away.
Luca appeared beside me immediately.
“Jealous?”
I nearly choked.
“No.”
“Sure.”
“I’m not.”
“You absolutely are.”
I glared at him.
He grinned.
Unfortunately, I suspected he was right.
⸻
Hours later, the crowd finally thinned.
I slipped outside for fresh air.
The night was cool.
Quiet.
Stars visible between drifting clouds.
For the first time all day, I felt alone.
Peaceful.
Until a familiar voice spoke behind me.
“You shouldn’t be out here by yourself.”
I didn’t need to turn around.
Reaper.
Of course.
“You’re becoming predictable.”
He stepped beside me.
The space between us suddenly felt very small.
“I have people watching.”
I laughed softly.
“That’s not reassuring.”
“It should be.”
I looked up at him.
Moonlight caught the sharp lines of his face.
The tattoos along his neck.
The intensity in his eyes.
For a moment, neither of us spoke.
The silence stretched.
Comfortable.
My heartbeat accelerated.
Reaper noticed.
His gaze dropped briefly to my lips before returning to my eyes.
The air shifted.
Something unspoken settling between us.
Something neither of us seemed willing to name.
Not yet.
“You should get some sleep,” he said quietly.
I swallowed.
“Probably.”
Neither of us moved.
Not even an inch.
Reaper’s jaw tightened.
Like he was fighting something.
Or maybe himself.
Finally, he stepped back.
The moment broke.
But not completely.
Because before he turned toward the door, he said quietly:
“Nobody’s taking you from Black Hollow, Ivy.”
My pulse skipped.
The certainty in his voice was almost frightening.
Then he looked over his shoulder.
And for the first time all day—
He smiled.
Small.
Rare.
Dangerously attractive.
“Not while I’m breathing.”
- Writer
