Total pages in book: 44
Estimated words: 41246 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 206(@200wpm)___ 165(@250wpm)___ 137(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 41246 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 206(@200wpm)___ 165(@250wpm)___ 137(@300wpm)
Outside, the sheriff and some of his deputies were in my yard. “Something I can help you with sheriff?” My crew was already back to work like nothing happened. This wasn’t our first time at the Rodeo we knew how the fuck to play innocent bystander.
“There was some trouble out on fifty-one about an hour ago. The ME’s still scarping bodies off the damn highway.”
“And?” I looked around at my place. “All my people are accounted for. Who was it?”
“That asshole Sanchez and some unknowns. I didn’t recognize any of them but my boys here tell me they were part of MK.”
“You don’t say. What the fuck were they doing this far out? They don’t have any dealings in these parts.”
“And I aim to keep it that way. Anyway, just came to make sure all was well here.”
“As you can see, we’re hard at work doing what we do.” That little twitch at the corner of his lips told me he wasn’t buying shit I say, but he couldn’t prove shit either, and no one was gonna lose any sleep over Sanchez and MK members.
“Where’s my wife?” I pointed over my shoulder and he went after ma. I sent a couple guys out to my place to check shit out while I waited. Usually I would do that shit myself but I wasn’t about to take her into an ambush and I wasn’t ready to leave her alone just yet.
She’d finished her drink and was just sitting there in the dark. I walked over and took her out of the chair before sitting with her in my lap. I just held her, and we sat there in the dark quietly. Her head was on my shoulder and tears were drying on her face.
“Anybody ask you don’t know anything about what went on out there tonight.” She nodded her head and wiped her nose with the tissue she held clutched in her hand.
“I know the drill Gavin, you do remember who my dad was right. Who were those guys?” “You don’t need to worry about that. It’s taken care of, and they won’t be bothering you again.”
She must be really out of it because she didn’t argue. The boys called me back with the all clear. “Let’s go, you’ve had a long day.” I drove her piece a shit car and left my ride at the club because she was in no condition to drive.
Once back at the house, I ran her a bath and put her in it. Something was off. I hadn’t noticed it before because I wrote her silence off as after effects, but this wasn’t like her. She knew she was safe, and yet she hadn’t bounced back in her usual way.
When I called her my warrior, I wasn’t kidding. She’d gone through a hell of a lot in the last few weeks, but each time I’d seen that fighting spirit in her. This time it was like she was lost inside her own head or some fuck, and she wasn’t letting me in. Fuck that shit.
I grabbed the bath sponge and knelt next to the tub. “You wanna tell me what’s on your mind?” I wet the sponge and squeezed the water out on her chest. She looked at me with such sadness in her eyes before turning away again.
“That’s not gonna work baby. You don’t get to hide your thoughts from me.”
“But you do?” Good at least there was still some life in her. “Explain, and watch your damn tone. I’ll give you some room because you’ve been through some shit, but don’t make a habit of that fuckery. Not acceptable.”
She backed down and went back to sulking. “Talk.”
“You’re going to be mad.”
‘Try me.”
“I did something stupid.”
“What did you do Chloe?” My voice didn’t change and my hand didn’t stop moving as I washed her.
“Okay so Sanchez called.” That got my attention. I stopped my hand’s movement for a split second before continuing. “Go on.”
“I shouldn’t have answered, but I didn’t know it was him. Even so, after I realized I should’ve hung up but he said he had news, about dad.” I didn’t say anything just waited for her to go on.
“He said that I shouldn’t trust you. That my dad had killed yours and you were out for revenge. He said you were just waiting for the right time to get rid of me.”
“And you believed him?”
“No, not really, it was just so confusing. I mean, what he said made sense you know, it got me thinking. But then I thought of the way we’ve been lately and I couldn’t believe it was all just an act.”
“Was it an act on your part?”
“I’m going to turn into a prune in here.”
“Fine let’s get you out.” I helped her out of the cooling water and wrapped her in a towel.