Total pages in book: 101
Estimated words: 98255 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 491(@200wpm)___ 393(@250wpm)___ 328(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 98255 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 491(@200wpm)___ 393(@250wpm)___ 328(@300wpm)
“I don’t know what’s gotten into your fucking skull—”
Grant shoved his brother hard. He couldn’t help it. Bull just pushed and pushed and pushed and he was getting tired of it. Pat wore his VP patch. He’d been kicked out of the club, for what? For not doing his job? There was more to the club than fucking fixing cars, and seeing as Bull had stopped him from doing that and moved him into dealing with the dogs, his time at the clubhouse had lessened, and now he was out on his fucking ass.
Bull stepped forward, raised his fist, and Grant didn’t even bother to block it. He took the fist to the face. Bull was strong and his fist stung. Grant went to the floor but got up quite quickly and glared at his brother. He wanted to hurt him.
“What the hell are you two doing?” Maddie asked, coming out of the clubhouse with his niece on her hip.
The guys who’d kept their distance suddenly disappeared. This was no longer club business. This was family business.
“Hey, Maddie,” Grant said.
“What is with you two?” She closed the distance between them all.
“He’s out and that’s it. I’m not having his useless ass in my club. He’s only here because he’s my brother.”
Grant didn’t show how much that stung.
Maddie shook her head.
“He won’t let Aria have the two dogs that were stolen.”
Maddie looked between the two of them.
“Give me strength. You two are brothers. I never had a sibling. I don’t know what it’s like. What I do know is that you two have put up with each other for the longest time. You are family. You’re the only family you have left. I know the club is your family but you have each other. Now, you are not coming into this damn clubhouse until you both fix this.”
Bull shook his head. “No, I’m the damn Prez of this club and what I say goes. Get the fuck off my property before I call Dylan and have you thrown out. You’re trespassing.”
“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me right now,” Grant said.
“Bull, what the hell is going on?” Maddie asked.
It didn’t matter. Grant heard the unmistakable sound of the siren. Someone had called Dylan, the sheriff, and he was just pulling into the clubhouse parking lot.
“You piece of shit,” Grant said.
Bull had stabbed him in the back.
****
Aria had just finished for the day and was heading out of the veterinary clinic when she saw Lidia pulling up in her car. She hadn’t seen her friend since yesterday. Glancing around the parking lot, she had to wonder what brought Lidia here. They hadn’t exactly parted ways on good terms, but Lidia parked her car and climbed out.
It was already dark, and the only light came from the streetlights as well as the two on the sides of the building.
Lidia paused as she caught sight of her.
“What are you doing here?” Aria asked.
She stayed perfectly still as Lidia stepped toward her. “I dumped Sean.”
“What?”
“Yeah, I dumped his ass. He didn’t tell me what he said Halloween night but one of his friends was there. Told me exactly how it played out. How you arrived at the party but Sean was there, and he said those horrible things.”
“Oh,” Aria said.
“First of all, Sean was an asshole. I never actually liked him. I dated him to shut him up and he was pissed at me because I wouldn’t sleep with him,” Lidia said. “Second, he didn’t like the fact that you and I are besties. That I would always put us first. Not him. And third, seriously, we have known each other since kindergarten. We’ve been inseparable. I have never turned my back on you. I have never hated you. I love you, Aria Taylor, like my sister, okay? I don’t have a sister, but you are my sister as far as I’m concerned.”
“You don’t have to—”
“Am I finished? Do I even look finished?”
Aria smiled. There was no stopping Lidia once she was on a rant.
“Go on,” Aria said.
“I have put up with your mother treating you like shit. Telling you all the time about what you should eat and what you should be doing. I’ve had to watch you deal with all of that and still put a smile on your face, and help others. Trust me, Aria, I don’t find you fat or ugly, and in fact, Halloween fucking sucked because you weren’t there. We’ve hung out every single Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year, you name it, and I’m not going to be the one to screw this friendship. That will be you. Also, I’m hearing in the rumor mill that you’re dating a horndog, Grant Reynolds. I mean, seriously?”
Aria couldn’t control the tears, especially as Lidia finished off with throwing her arms around her, and holding her close.