Iron Scythes

A hand slammed over my mouth and ripped me backward into the darkness. My heart exploded in my chest. I twisted hard and rammed my elbow into whoever grabbed me. The guy grunted but his grip stayed like steel. Cold gun metal pressed right against my head. "Stop fighting," a deep voice growled in my ear. "You fight me again and this ends bad for you." I froze. My breath came fast against his palm. The river roared behind us. I could still smell the chemicals in the air from those drums they dumped. The man spun me around and shoved my back against a tree. Moonlight hit his face. He looked dangerous as hell. Tall, muscular, covered in tattoos, wearing a black leather vest with patches. One said "Reid" and another said "Enforcer." "Who are you?" he demanded. His gun pointed straight at my chest now. "Ivy Laurent," I said fast, trying to keep my voice steady. "I am a journalist. Lower the gun before you do something stupid." Reid gave a short laugh. "Journalist. Right. What the hell are you doing out here at night with a camera on Iron Scythes land?" "I was getting proof," I shot back. "I saw your men dumping those chemical drums into the river. I got pictures of everything." He stepped closer until I could feel the heat coming off him. "You got pictures of my club and you think you are walking away with them? You must have a death wish." "I do not have a death wish," I said. "I have the truth. And the truth is your club is poisoning protected land. People downstream are getting sick because of you." Reid stared at me hard. "You talk real big for someone with a gun in her face. Who sent you?" "Nobody sent me," I answered. "I got an anonymous package this morning. Full of documents and photos that prove the Iron Scythes are behind the toxic dumping. Routes, dates, everything. I came here to see it with my own eyes before I publish the story." He rubbed his jaw with his free hand. "A package. Just showed up at your door. And you believed it enough to come out here alone?" "Yes I did," I said. "Because the evidence looked real. And now I have my own photos to back it up. Those drums were glowing under my night vision lens. Whatever you are dumping is nasty stuff." Reid shook his head. "You got no clue what you stepped in. You think it is simple. Good guys and bad guys. It is not like that around here." "Then explain it to me," I challenged. "Tell me why the Iron Scythes are dumping poison in the river. Make me understand why I should not blow this story wide open." He laughed low. "You think I am going to stand here and spill club secrets to some reporter I just caught sneaking around? You are either very brave or very dumb." "Maybe both," I said. "But I am not leaving without the truth. Show me the camera. Look at the pictures yourself." Reid snatched the camera from around my neck and scrolled through the shots. I watched his face change. His jaw got tight. "Son of a b***h," he muttered. "These are our trucks. Our cuts." "Exactly," I said. "Your men. Your club. You cannot deny what is right in front of you." "Could be someone wearing our colors to set us up," he said but he did not sound sure. "You do not know how things work around here." "I know what I saw tonight," I replied. "And I know what was in that package. Someone inside your club is dirty or someone wants the Iron Scythes to take the fall. Either way the story is real." He handed the camera back but kept his gun ready. "You are coming with me." "Like hell I am," I said. "You cannot just kidnap me. My friend knows exactly where I am. If I disappear the cops will tear this place apart by morning." Reid smirked. "Nice try. But I have heard every bluff in the book. Move. Now." I dug my feet in. "You enjoy scaring women in the dark? Does it make you feel big?" "Only when they come looking for trouble like you did," he answered. He grabbed my arm and started pulling me through the trees. "Keep talking. I like the fire in your voice." I kept pace with him but did not stop talking. "You know this story is going to destroy your club if you do not let me go. People need to know what is happening to the land." "You talk like you already got the whole world on your side," Reid said. "But right now you are deep in Iron Scythes territory. My rules." "What are you going to do with me?" I asked. "Kill me? Lock me up? That will only prove I was right." He squeezed my arm a little tighter. "I have not decided yet. First I need to figure out if you are really a reporter or something worse." "I am exactly who I said I am," I told him. "Ivy Laurent. I chase stories that matter. This one matters. Kids are drinking that water. Families are getting sick." Reid stayed quiet for a few steps. "You really believe that stuff?" "I do," I said. "And I am not backing down. You can threaten me all night but the truth is already out there." He stopped and turned me to face him. "You got guts. I will give you that much. Most people would be crying by now." "I do not cry easy," I said. "And I do not quit easy either." Reid looked at me for a long moment. His eyes moved over my face like he was trying to read me. "Welcome to Iron Scythes territory sweetheart. Hope you are ready for what comes next." We kept walking toward the distant lights of the clubhouse. I kept talking the whole way throwing questions at him trying to c***k his armor. He fired questions right back at me. Every word between us felt sharp and electric. Neither of us noticed the extra set of eyes watching us from the shadows as we got closer to the club.