Total pages in book: 47
Estimated words: 41918 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 210(@200wpm)___ 168(@250wpm)___ 140(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 41918 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 210(@200wpm)___ 168(@250wpm)___ 140(@300wpm)
Gunnar is all but begging now, trying to get me away from the building riot. I realize Luke must have given him this order a long time ago, to protect me if things ever went south, and his second is desperately trying to follow the order. But I'm not leaving with another man I barely know on a motorcycle while a murder might be happening. All of it resting on my shoulders.
A true, blood-curdling scream builds in my throat, panic welling, my breathing coming in short gasps. Then an angel arrives in a red Toyota Corolla, bright headlights blinding Gunnar and me as she screeches to the curb.
Sarah. My best friend. She came for me.
She doesn't dare turn the car off, but in the madness, only Gunnar and I really notice her. Sarah rolls the window down and yells, "Let her go, asshole!" to Gunnar, and then her gaze fixes on me. "Emma, let's go! Get in!"
But I can't move, and I know Gunnar won't let go until Luke or the club give the word. He's so big, his bulk blocking my view of Sarah's car. The roar of the crowd of bikers seems to grow even louder as the seconds tick by.
I feel sick. I feel like I might pass out. And then Gunnar releases me, just as Luke breaks free of the crowd. "Take her," he yells, gesturing towards the car, but he's not talking to Gunnar. He's talking to Sarah. "Emma, get in the car!" He turns to Gunnar, and I can see how the adrenaline has him shaking. "Make sure they don't do something stupid!"
Without a second thought, I pull the passenger door open and climb in. And then Sarah's car is roaring off with Gunnar on his bike at her back, but my gaze is still trained behind us, still locked on the scene that's slowly receding.
I watch the Iron Guardians descend on Jason, who is being held on the ground by two other men. They haven't started beating him yet, but I can picture it, the sound of flesh hitting flesh over and over echoes in my skull. Then we're turning the corner, and the only thing behind us is Gunnar on his motorcycle, escorting us to wherever Sarah has decided to go.
The silence in the car is deafening, but finally, my friend speaks. "We were still sharing locations from that vacation we took together last year. When you texted me, I just felt this dread, and I ran to the car to come find you. What the hell was all that?" she demands, a tremor in her voice. She sounds upset, scared even, but when she turns to look at me, she's still beautiful, her red hair shining like fire in the street lights. Sarah is gorgeous, even when she's angry with me, her bright blue eyes fixed on my face as she takes another turn and we speed through the streets of Stonebridge. "Was that Jason they had?"
"Yes," I admit quietly.
She's silent for a long moment, and then she says quietly, checking the rearview mirror to see Gunnar still tailing us protectively, "Your new boyfriend's club is terrifying. I didn't think … I thought the Iron Guardians were all show." She takes a deep, slow breath and finally relaxes back into the seat. She seems to think about things for a while, glances at me, and says, "Are you okay?"
Am I?
I think about the question for a long moment. Am I okay? No, I think not, and that realization hits me hard, so hard that I have to reach up to wipe away tears. No, I am not okay. I feel so tired and so confused, and I want to just sleep until everything goes back to normal. ‘I'll kill you,’ Luke told Jason. Then that crack of something on the pavement. It's all so familiar.
My voice is small when I tell her, "No."
Sarah's expression goes hard, like it does when she knows it's time to lock in and deal with some real shit. "Okay. I'm staying at my sister's place still as you know, feeding her mean ass cats, because she's still staying in our mom's guest room as she recovers. You're coming there with me."
There's a finality to her words, and I'm overwhelmed with relief to be able to let her take control. "Yes. Thank you, Sarah." I reach over and grab her hand, squeezing it tight. "I love you."
"I love you too, girl." She smiles sadly but rolls her eyes when she glances back at Gunnar again. "Just go straight inside when we get there. I'll send our shadow on his way."
Sarah's sister doesn't live too far from Stonebridge, and her neighborhood is quaint and quiet. When we pull up, I do as Sarah says and head inside without looking back. Just as I'm about to shut the door, I hear Gunnar's bike pull in and the engine shut off as he and Sarah talk. I don't know what they say to each other, but he's still here when I shut the door and go straight for Sarah's room. I'm just in time too. She arrives not more than a minute later, shutting and locking the door behind her, and then leaning against it like it's been a long night and it isn't even ten.