Total pages in book: 39
Estimated words: 36070 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 180(@200wpm)___ 144(@250wpm)___ 120(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 36070 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 180(@200wpm)___ 144(@250wpm)___ 120(@300wpm)
The boy shrugged. Johnston reached out and ran his hand over Gabriel’s dark locks. Tango clenched his jaw but stayed silent. I figured it had to do with Johnston helping put the kid at ease. “Can you tell me how you ended up here? Your old man never let you out of that damn clubhouse.”
“Got older,” Gabriel muttered. “And Mark and Tango caught me and Rick trying to get into one of the businesses they run security for.” He swallowed thickly, calming down now. Tango ran his hands over the boy’s back and hair, soothing him as he talked to Johnston. Hell, all of us were still shocked that Johnston knew how to be tender and comforting. I wasn’t even sure if he was like this with Aaliyah. Gabriel really was something fucking special. Two of the grumpiest mother fuckers I knew were sweet with this boy. “I spilled everything to Tango when he was asking me questions.” He sniffled, tears blurring his eyes. “I didn’t want to die slow.”
Tango pressed his lips to the boy’s temple. Johnston followed the movement, but no surprise showed in his eyes. “Can you tell me what you told them?” Johnston asked him.
Gabriel nodded and began to quietly relay what he’d informed Tango of. Johnston listened patiently, allowing him the pauses he needed when he began to get emotional and upset, which was when Tango upped his comfort, gently rocking the boy, whispering soothingly to him, his hands running all over his small form.
“Alright, Gabriel,” Johnston said quietly. “That’s all I need to know. You can go back to your room now. Is there anything you need or want?”
“No,” Tango answered for him, shooting Johnston a dark look as Gabriel burrowed his face in the curve of Tango’s neck. “I’m more than capable of taking care of him.” He stood from his chair and carried Gabriel out of the room without another word.
“He’s soft over him,” Johnston said, striding back to his chair. Once he took a seat, he looked at Scorpion. “He gets protected like he’s an old lady, clear?” Normally, I’d have been surprised, but after witnessing how he was with Gabriel, I kind of saw it coming.
Scorpion nodded. “Crystal.” There was no need to tell Johnston we already were. He wanted confirmation that we would continue, no matter what happened between him and Tango.
The room was silent until Tango came back in and took his seat back at the table. “First things first,” Johnston said, “Gabriel gets protection. Understand? His father is a nasty fucker.” We all sounded our agreements. He pointed at me. “Tomorrow morning, you begin working on getting your hands on the VP, clear? You have twenty-four hours to get it done—that’s getting your hands on him, torturing him, and getting rid of the body and the evidence. Understood?”
“Yes, Prez,” I immediately answered. That was more than enough time.
He nodded once. “Good. Meeting adjourned until tomorrow morning.”
With that, he strode out of the room and headed outside, pulling a blunt from his pocket. Aaliyah quickly followed him, her worried eyes on his back. I sighed. “What do you think Johnston knows?” I asked Scorpion once the room was cleared.
Scorpion shrugged, standing beside me, his hands shoved into his pockets. “Johnston is full of secrets. But if he wants Gabriel protected, then he knows something we don’t.” He looked at me. “When Johnston cares about something, he’ll tear the world apart. This war is about to be bloody as fuck.”
I nodded. I knew that, too. I just hoped we didn’t end up with casualties. But there was no backing out now. We were eyeballs deep in this mess, and I could already taste the blood of war on my tongue.
17
Chase
Blayke grunted and adjusted his elbows, digging them into the dirt. I quietly snickered when he grumbled under his breath about this being absolute bullshit. “Getting too old?” I whispered.
He rolled his eyes at me, but his lips twitched with a smirk. “Fuck you, Chase.”
I quietly laughed and lifted my binoculars back to my eyes, looking around the exterior of the Ghosts of Chaos’s clubhouse for the VP. Gidget was creeping around the exterior of the building, his stealth remarkable. If I didn’t know he was there, I’d never notice him. He slunk through the shadows like he was part of them.
It was kind of creepy, but hell, at least he was on my side. I’d hate to be faced with a man I couldn’t detect. And none of these assholes were detecting him. They were just partying and drinking like nothing was amiss.
Dom was watching Gidget’s back from his high-up position on a tree branch, and I could hear him whispering in our earpiece, though Gidget never responded. It was too risky to. But at least he was getting the intel he needed to remain safe, even if sometimes I thought Gidget was invincible.