Total pages in book: 57
Estimated words: 54705 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 274(@200wpm)___ 219(@250wpm)___ 182(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 54705 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 274(@200wpm)___ 219(@250wpm)___ 182(@300wpm)
Fuck this.
“Brace yourself,” I warn Lily, flitting my eyes to her then the rear-view mirror.
Nodding, she grins. “Do it.”
I slam my foot on the brakes. Our bodies jostle forward. A deafening crunch is followed by a thudding rolling over the roof and onto the hood. Fisher’s body skids across the asphalt in front of our car, our headlights igniting the road and him like a spotlight on a stage.
Every part of me is shaking. “You think he’s dead?” I gasp, my chest rising and falling, shock, adrenaline, relief gushing through my blood stream, sending a wave of nausea to my gut.
“Let’s be sure.” She maneuvers her body so she’s half on my lap, her foot-stomping down with mine on the gas, driving the car forward. The car bounces us around like a lowrider on hydraulic lifts as it crushes Fisher beneath its wheels. It’s something that will haunt me for the rest of my life. I stop the car a few feet from his crumpled body, watching for movement in the rear view. He has to be dead. There’s no way anyone would survive that.
“Ruby,” Lily says, her tone cautious as she points forward. Headlights beaming in front of us tighten my stomach. At least five cars are coming into view followed by the unmistakable roar of bike engines.
“His backup?” Lily asks, her pupils swallowing the color of her eyes.
“I don’t know,” I say, willing my hands to stop shaking.
“Just drive.”
“Forward or back?” I swallow, then let out a relieved cry when the Royal Bastard’s bikes pull around the cars and slow to a stop in front of us.
It’s them. They came for us.
My sister scoots back into her seat and grabs my hand, squeezing tight. I let out a strangled sob.
“We’re okay,” she says, nodding in confirmation.
“We’re okay,” I repeat.
Chapter Twenty-Four
carnage
When you’re given a road name like Idiot, it’s usually because you are one. Lucky for us, this little prick lives up to this name. The SUV he took has tracking engaged on it. Ink sits beside me, his laptop open on his lap. Jameson’s driving, Rage’s in the passenger seat, and a convoy of brothers follow behind us, en route to find Ruby and the others. This ends tonight. If my girl suffers even a fucking graze, they will all experience slow deaths. It’s a helpless, paralyzing feeling when someone take what’s yours and you have no control over what’s happening in the time it takes to reach them.
“You’re right.” Ink taps the screen. “It’s the meat factory.”
Jameson tugs out his phone and stares at the number on the screen.
“Who is it?” Rage asks.
“Don’t know the number.” Jameson shakes his head then hits the speaker button.
“Jameson?” a panicked female cries down the line, stiffening my posture.
“Monroe?” Rage asks, looking around the car. How the fuck is she calling?
“Baby, where are you? Are you okay?” Jameson breathes out.
“He let me go but took the girls. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. Lily wouldn’t get out of the car,” she sobs.
“It’s okay. It’s okay,” he assures her. My pulse races. A pounding vibrates through my skull listening to her scared, panicked voice.
“Where are you now?”
“I flagged a car down and this lady let me use her phone. I’m safe. Find the girls please.” She sniffles.
“Stay on the line. I’m going to pass you to Ink and he’s going to find where you are. Don’t move,” Jameson warns her.
Rage drops a hand to Jameson’s shoulder, a relieved breath shared between them once Ink has the phone. “We’re getting them all,” he assures his best friend.
It feels like lava is rushing under my skin. I hate sitting here. Even though we’re driving to my woman, I can’t help but think of the shit that fucker could be doing to her in the time it’s taking us to get there.
Ink plugs a wire into the phone Jameson gave him and flits his fingers over his screen. Bringing up maps, he pinpoints a destination. “I got her. It’s on route. I’m sending the coordinates to Mason to pick her up,” he announces. Jameson’s hands tighten on the wheel, his jaw flexing. I get his predicament: sisters or ol’ lady. But his woman is safe, mine isn’t. His eyes clash with mine in the mirror, a conversation being said without words. “There are coming home. All of them.”
The roaring of Koyn and Loki’s bikes coming up beside our car gets my adrenaline pumping. There are headlights ahead on the wrong side of the road coming from a stationed car. My heart slows when I recognize the SUV.
“That’s them,” Rage barks, smacking his hand on the dash. “That’s them.”
I push out of the car before it comes to a complete stop. The silhouette of Ruby’s body highlighted by the headlights comes rushing toward me, giving me life. I’ve never felt an emotion like it. My chest cracks open. The beast within me roars, peeling back the bone, exposing the bloodied beating heart to the woman who owns it. She leaps into my arms, her arms and legs wrapping around me so tight, she could embed into my skin and leave a scar. “I got you,” I wheeze, the wounds in my stomach screaming out in pain. Breathing out all the fear I had of losing her into our embrace, I squeeze.