Ride With Me (Paige and Jace) novel Chapter 248

CHAPTER 143-1

Jace’s POV

The clubhouse had gone silent again, but this time the silence felt different because nobody was processing the damage at Lawson Customs anymore.

Everyone was thinking about the same thing.

The name.

Ethan replayed the final section of the recording, and Victor’s voice came through the speakers again, distorted slightly by static.

“If anything goes wrong, Mr. Vale won’t tolerate another mistake.” Mictor said and the recording ended seconds later and Ethan stared at the laptop.

Nobody spoke.

I looked around the table, watching the faces of the men I trusted, and every one of them looked as unsettled as I felt.

“Who the hell is Mr. Vale?” Derek finally asked and Ethan shook his head.

“I don’t know.” Ethan said.

“You searched the recording?” Derek asked.

“Three times.” Ethan said.

“And nothing?” Derek asked.

“Nothing.” Ethan said.

I leaned forward and rubbed a hand over my jaw.

“Play it again.” I said.

Ethan did exactly that, and Victor’s voice filled the room.

“If anything goes wrong, Mr. Vale won’t tolerate another mistake.” Victor said.

The words sounded even worse the second time. There was something about the way Victor had said the name that bothered me, because it had not sounded like a nickname thrown around casually.

It had sounded like a warning. A man Victor feared.

“Victor wasn’t talking about someone who works for him.” I said as Derek looked at me.

“What makes you think that?” Derek asked.

“Because he said Mr. Vale wouldn’t tolerate another mistake.” I said as I pointed toward the laptop.

“That sounds like someone above him.” I added and Mason nodded slowly.

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“Victor answers to somebody.” Mason said.

“That is what I’m thinking.” I said and the room became quiet again.

For months, we had assumed Victor was the man at the top of the Black Reapers.

Ciam

We had spent all this time watching him, tracking his movements, dealing with his attacks, and trying to understand how far he was willing to go

Now we had to consider that Victor might only be one piece of something much larger.

“So if Victor answers to Mr. Vale, who answers to Victor?” Ben asked:

“Everyone beneath him.” Derek replied.

“And if Mr. Vale is higher than Victor, how high does this go?” Ben asked.

Nobody had an answer.

Ethan closed the audio file and opened another window on his laptop.

“I am going through everything we have.” Ethan said and I looked at him.

“What exactly are you searching?” I asked.

“Old club records, business records, names connected to the Black Reapers, old police reports, anything that might connect Victor to another person.” Ethan said.

“How far back?” I asked.

“As far as the records go.” Ethan said.

“Good.” I said as Ethan nodded and began typing.

I looked toward Paige as she had been sitting quietly beside me, but I could see the thoughts moving across her face.

“Do you think Uncle Will knew about him?” She asked.

The question changed the room again and I looked at her.

“I don’t know.” I said.

“The missing journal pages were from the same period when your father and Uncle Will were connected to that warehouse investigation.” She said.

“I know.” I said.

“And we’ve already found Victor’s name in the old records.” She said as Paige looked toward Ethan’s laptop.

“If Mr. Vale has been around that long, maybe Uncle Will heard the name.” She added as I reached across the table and took her hand.

“We’ll find out.” I said as she squeezed my fingers.

2/3

CHAPTER 14

“+hope so.” She said ärid Ethan suddenly stopped typing.

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