Total pages in book: 72
Estimated words: 70716 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 354(@200wpm)___ 283(@250wpm)___ 236(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 70716 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 354(@200wpm)___ 283(@250wpm)___ 236(@300wpm)
“I’m okay,” I lie. “I was just ... messed up. I’m here now.”
“You really know where they all are?”
I do.
That’s one thing I’m not lying about.
I do happen to know where they are, once again, by sheer luck. I know where they hide out when all the things in the world goes bad, I know about the island, I know about the sales, I know about everything to do with the operation Uncle Peter is involved in, and I know I’m going to be part of bringing it down. Not because I want to help this club, but because I’m taking them down, too.
I’ll bring all the evil down.
They’ll never see it coming.
I look at Briella, a person I once called my best friend, and I know I’m going to ruin her whole life. It’s not because I don’t care about her, or because I don’t love her. I do, gosh, I really do. Seeing her again, it makes me feel a certain type of way inside, a way I haven’t felt for a very long time. Unfortunately, I have to look at the bigger picture, and the bigger picture is the club and what they did to my family. Mostly, Cohen.
I’ll make him wish he never did what he did.
I’ll make him wish he never met me.
“I’m glad you came back,” Briella tells me, smoothing her hand over the blanket on the bed. “Are you hungry?”
“No, but I’m sure Alarick is going to want to talk to me, considering I have all the information on Steven that he wants right now. So, lead the way.”
Briella glances at me, her face scrunching. “Alarick can wait, I’m sure you’re tired.”
“It can’t wait, you and I both know that.”
She exhales. “I’ll be glad when this is all over, really I will.”
Her and me both.
She walks out, and I follow her through the house. When I reach the living area, all the bikers are here, including recently returned Mykel, who was apparently in New York searching for his parents, or something of the like. I haven’t seen him yet, and I can’t help the automatic swell in my heart when I lay eyes on him. Mykel was always my favorite, he was always Briella’s favorite. He was always nice to us, and he always made time to make us feel good.
Every instinct inside of me tells me to rush over and let him embrace me, but at the very same moment, my body recoils at the thought. I’ll never be normal again—I swear for the rest of my days I’m going to be this god damned bipolar mess. Nothing will ever feel right, and nothing will ever bring me comfort.
“Well, I’ll be,” Mykel murmurs. “You sure did grow up to be a hell of a looker, Aviana. You goin’ to come over here and give me a hug or should I make the first move?”
I can’t help but smile, even though my soul is so god damned black I can’t think straight half the time. Smiling is rarely real, but in this moment, it is. “I’m not a hugger, I’m afraid,” I say, giving him a wink. “But I will opt for having a drink with you, old friend.”
If I could take one person out of this club when I destroy them, it would be Mykel.
I’d take him out and make sure he was safe, that he wasn’t harmed by anything I was bringing to him.
But, alas, my heart is stone-cold and I can’t pick and choose.
“I’ll take that.” He winks, walking off to get a beer.
I look at the rest of them, namely Cohen who is staring at me with a ferocity that only brings me more determination.
“How are you settlin’ in?” Alarick asks.
“I’m fine,” I shrug. “I’ve slept in some pretty prime places ...”
My gaze flashes to Cohen and he scowls at me.
He’s a god damned monster.
And almost as evil as me.
Almost.
“We won’t keep you too long. We just need anything that you have that can lead us to Blanche and his little fuckin’ crew. We gotta get someone back.”
“Samson’s daughter, I know,” I say, flopping down onto the sofa and kicking off my white, scuffed Sketchers. “Where should I start?”
They’re all staring at me, mostly in shock. “You know about Samson’s child?” Alarick asks.
“Of course I do. I told you, I know more than you could possibly imagine. So, are we going to get on with this or are we going to chit chat all night long?”
Alarick’s eyes flash, and he glances at the other guys before giving me a sharp nod.
“Good,” I murmur. “You were right in looking at Steven, he is most certainly top dog, but there’s one other person you don’t know about. A person who is behind the scenes, a person so dangerous that he is rarely mentioned. Most people don’t know about him. He calls the shots and Steven is his leading man. People only know about Steven, and that’s exactly how it’s meant to be. A silent partner I suppose you could say.”