Total pages in book: 108
Estimated words: 105803 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 529(@200wpm)___ 423(@250wpm)___ 353(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 105803 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 529(@200wpm)___ 423(@250wpm)___ 353(@300wpm)
She grins. “Oh, I’m well aware.”
She laughs, and it’s genuine and tightens the knot in my chest.
“Well, then, this is a cause for celebrating,” Demri says, swiping her tears from her cheeks.
“And if there’s one thing we Knights know how to do, it’s how to fucking celebrate,” Balls says with a grin.
“Fuck yeah, let’s party,” Sticky yells.
Mya squeals with excitement.
The other club girls and old ladies smile in agreement.
Except Annika.
Our eyes meet through the excitement, and she shakes her head.
She senses something else is at play here but doesn’t know what, and I know I’m going to have to tell her eventually.
But not tonight.
My gaze drifts back to Belle where she’s showing the old ladies her engagement ring, and before I know it, I’m fucking smiling.
Lars puts a big hand on my shoulder. “You sure this is fake, brother?”
My smile fades. “She knows there is a lot at stake. She’s playing her part.”
“I wasn’t talking about her.” He lifts an eyebrow. “The way you look at her…”
“I’m playing my part too.”
He side-eyes me but doesn’t say anything else. He doesn’t need to.
When the band starts to play, the party really starts. My club brothers dance with their old ladies. Sticky and Balls grab a club girl each, and I don’t really know what they’re doing. I suppose it could be called dancing. But hell, those boys have no rhythm.
Those not dancing eat bowls of chili and barbecue at the outdoor tables, and the sound of laughter rises above the music.
It doesn’t take the sting out of what Boney has done to the fundraiser. But it does create a sense of celebration. It vibrates in the twilight as my club brothers, their old ladies, and the club girls continue to make a fuss about my new fiancée.
When Lars leaves me to dance with his mom, Belle makes her way over to me and hands me a beer.
“You’re a good actress,” I say, taking the solo cup from her.
“It’s hard not to be when I’m wearing a giant glacier on my finger.” She holds it up and it glitters in the streetlight. “It’s beautiful. Where did you even get something like this?”
“It’s a family heirloom. My great grandfather bought the diamond overseas and had it made for my great grandmother when he returned from the war.”
Her arm drops and she looks up at me with wide eyes. “You mean, this isn’t a fake?”
“Who said anything about it being a fake?”
She looks at it again, her brow furrowed as she whispers, “I thought it would be.”
She studies the ring, admiring the beauty. When she looks up, her eyes are soft.
“I can’t take this,” she says softly. “This means something to you.”
“So does remaining president of this club.”
I sound aloof. Like the way she’s looking at me right now doesn’t make me want to spend the night devouring her dewy lips.
Our eyes meet, and I know mine are betraying me, despite my blank expression.
She holds her hand against her chest. “I will look after it,” she says gently.
She smiles and the knot tightens in my chest again. I decide I’m going to kiss her. I mean, we need to sell this union in front of my club.
But before I can, my phone rings, and it’s Gambit who is leading the patrols tonight.
“Yeah?”
“It’s the Psychos all right. We’ve been tailing one. Want to come join the fun?”
I look at Belle who is looking up at me. I want to stay just so I can kiss her again. But this needs to be done. “All right, send me your location.”
Belle bites her lip, and I have a feeling she’s hiding disappointment which lights me up inside.
“You have to go?”
I put a gentle hand on her shoulder. “You okay to stay?”
She looks up at me and light dances in her beautiful eyes. “Of course, I’ll help clean up and see you back at the clubhouse.”
“You want me to come back and pick you up?”
She shakes her head. “Go do what you’ve got to do. I’ll get a lift back with Mya.”
Then surprising me, she hops up on her tiptoes and kisses me.
And for a moment it almost feels real.
CHAPTER 25
BEAST
I find Gambit, Bear, and Axe sitting on their Harleys on the side of the road in Thorny Pocket, a suburb in St. Boniface’s red light district.
“We spied him coming into town via the back roads,” Gambit says.
“Where is he now?”
He gestures down the hill toward the old canning factory. It’s a brothel now. “Getting his dick sucked and his balls played with.”
“You spoke with Dove?” I ask.
Dove is the owner of the brothel and a friend of the club.
Gambit nods. “She confirmed it.”
“Did you mention he might be dealing some lethal shit and to warn her staff?”
“Dove doesn’t tolerate her staff taking shit. She vets them thoroughly.”
Good. The last thing we want is him spreading that poison through the brothels.