Total pages in book: 39
Estimated words: 36216 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 181(@200wpm)___ 145(@250wpm)___ 121(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 36216 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 181(@200wpm)___ 145(@250wpm)___ 121(@300wpm)
“I didn’t see a sign, and there wasn’t anything blocking it, or I’d never have turned in. There was a gate, but it was open. I thought it odd at the time but shrugged it off.”
I knew she was telling the truth because Soul Reapers had opened it for ease of transportation for the meeting I’d just attended. Which brought me up short. I’d left before the other members had. There was a big party afterward, and I only participated enough to keep any suspicion down. The things they did at those parties made me want to kill a motherfucker. They had women practically begging to get inside, and the men liked to brag they could literally do anything they wanted to the women. Which was how the woman they now kept at the clubhouse had come to be with them. It would surprise me if Dutch didn’t bring home a few more women with him since the young girls had “escaped.” I wasn’t sure how many more women or children I could safely protect on my own. It was time to call in my brothers.
“Well, now that you know, you shouldn’t have problems next time.”
“I hope not. It would be embarrassing if I didn’t remember after I bragged about my memory.” She smiled at me. I moved slowly so I didn’t frighten her, standing close to her. Her eyes widened when I towered over her again, but she held her ground. She was still nervous, but she was trying.
“Good. Let’s get you on your way, shall we?”
Only the jack remained to stow. She moved her luggage around to replace the jack in the trunk. Then she shut the trunk before sticking out her hand to me. “Thank you so much, Mister, uh, I mean Drake. I’m not sure I could have done this if you hadn’t stopped to help me.”
“Every woman needs to be able to change a tire if she has to. If you’re gonna be out on your own, you need to learn. And a few other things about cars.”
“I’ll sign up for a class.”
I wasn’t sure if she was scoffing at me or not. Her smile, though, made me feel things I shouldn’t. This wasn’t the time, and it certainly wasn’t the place. Not to mention this girl was half my age if she was a day. “I’ll try to find you one.”
“I’d offer you my number, but I have no idea if I’ll be able to keep the same number when I get a new phone.”
“It’s fine. I’ll just ask on campus for the teacher with the photographic memory when I find a class for you.” Sweet God, that planted some decidedly erotic images in my mind.
Her laugh was even more distracting than her smile. Her hand in mine felt good. It was soft and delicate. Like the woman. She had straight, golden-brown hair that fell down her back past her waist, and wide hazel eyes. Her skin was a golden tan, and her lips a deep pink and plump. I could imagine taking that beautiful mouth in a lingering kiss.
Or having them wrapped around my cock…
I was about to open her car door for her when I heard the rumble of bikes coming from the meeting place.
“Fuck!” I turned my head and, off in the distance rounding a corner, I spotted headlamps and knew it was too late. The club was headed home, and this woman was directly in their path. There was no way to prevent her from being taken without blowing my cover. While I honestly could give a good Goddamn if it meant keeping her safe, me against twelve big, armed men trying to protect someone wasn’t going to do either of us any favors. The only option I had was to take her with me, but to do that and keep everyone else away from her, I’d have to tell them she was my ol’ lady, and they’d likely insist on making it official. Which meant we’d both be branded. Literally.
I weighed my options for a couple of seconds before making my decision. There was no way of fighting my way out of this situation. Not and get Bellarose out safely. I’d take her with me and regroup later.
“What’s wrong?” She stepped closer to me, her hand going to my chest. Automatically, my arms closed around her and, despite the gravity of the situation, something inside me settled. This was where this woman was supposed to be. In my arms. Under my protection. I looked down at her and saw the moment she saw the group of motorcycles headed toward us. Her lips parted in a gasp and her breathing quickened. “Oh no. That’s bad. Isn’t it?”
“Yeah, honey. It’s bad. Gonna need you to do exactly as I say. Don’t speak unless I tell you to. Don’t look directly at anyone. Keep your head down and do not leave my side. For any reason.”