Total pages in book: 75
Estimated words: 74655 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 373(@200wpm)___ 299(@250wpm)___ 249(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 74655 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 373(@200wpm)___ 299(@250wpm)___ 249(@300wpm)
Slater grunts. “You lost your mind, kid? You know how powerful Shanks is. He ain’t gettin’ taken down anytime soon.”
“Yes, but we have a plan ...,” I protest.
“Like the last fuckin’ plan you had?” he growls.
I shrink into my seat. Because my last plan got my father locked away, but not forever. Now we’re back to square one.
“I was afraid, I had no other way. It’s different now. I’m never going to live in peace until he’s taken down and his operation with him.”
“And how,” Slater growls, “the fuck, do you think you’re goin’ to do that?”
“You’re goin’ to,” Malakai says. “You agree to help us, we’ll give you whatever the fuck you want. The plan is simple; we start a war with someone bigger by double crossing Shanks. Cartel, Mafia, I don’t fuckin’ care. We make it look like he’s fucked them over. They’ll do the dirty work for us.”
Slater glares at Malakai.
The room becomes tense.
“You want your freedom,” Koda finally speaks. “Can see it in your eyes. Whatever the fuck that piece of shit had, or has, over you, it’s eaten you alive and taken every piece of you with it. You want freedom, we give you freedom.”
“How the fuck you think you can give me freedom?” Slater growls.
Koda grins, but it’s cold, and so damned certain.
“We patch you in.”
For a moment, everyone in the room goes silent. I’m quite shocked, because I didn’t expect those words to come out of Koda’s mouth. Patch him in. That’s a big deal—huge, even. Getting patched into the club, that’s everything. It isn’t something they take lightly.
I glance at Malakai who is staring at Koda, the look on his face furious. He’s the president, and Koda just stepped over the line in a big way.
“Yeah?” Slater says, his voice gruff.
Everyone turns and looks to him.
“Not sure it’s up to him,” Malakai grinds out. “Don’t know you. Don’t trust you yet. What makes you think I’d want to patch you in to my club?”
Slater looks to me, then crosses his arms. “Obviously, her life matters to you or you wouldn’t be here. Which means you’re negotiable. You knew I wouldn’t do it for nothin’, you’re not that fuckin’ stupid. Been tied into Shanks’ world for far too fuckin’ long, and I have my reasons for it. What I do not have is a way out. I do what you ask, I earn your trust, I want in to your club. I want freedom. And I want your help.”
Malakai stares at the big man. “My club is my family, my fuckin’ life. You understand I can’t just patch anyone in without first knowin’ they’re trustworthy. and there for life. You tellin’ me you’d be there for life, loyal, have our backs? Because right fuckin’ now, you’re not showin’ a great deal of loyalty to Shanks.”
Ouch.
I even flinch at that one, because we want Slater’s help, we don’t want to push him further away. Koda glares at Malakai, but Malakai holds Slater’s eyes. Watching. Studying. No doubt learning.
“You ever loved somethin’ so fuckin’ hard your soul belongs to it?”
Slater’s words shock me. One, because he rarely says anything outside of whatever subject he’s on, and two, because he has never spoken about anything that matters to him. I figured my father had something on him, obviously. Because he wouldn’t be sticking around if he didn’t, but what that is, I’m not entirely sure.
Malakai nods, because of course he has. He loves Amalie and would lay down his life for her.
“Then imagine losing it, but it not being fully gone, fuckin’ imagine, for one second, livin’ over a fuckin’ decade wonderin’ where the fuck that person is, if they’re alive, and what kind of hell they’ve been livin’ in, because some filthy motherfucker took them from you.”
My heart breaks. I knew whatever Slater was working with my father for was deep, I just didn’t realize it went that deep.
“So, I’m not fuckin’ free. I’m with him because he’s the only fuckin’ person who has information. He knows it. I know it. And he knows I’ll never fuckin’ step away until he gives me what I need. Only he’s not fuckin’ givin’ it to me, knowin’ full well I’ll never stop until I find her. But I’m tired, I’m a fuckin’ slave and I’m tired. I want out. I’ll find her on my own. Can’t just get out, as you fuckin’ know. Need protection. Need someone to have my back. Your club, you can give me that. But don’t, fuckin’ don’t, ever question my fuckin’ loyalty again.”
Oh, god.
Malakai steps forward, getting closer to Slater. “You do what we need and pull it off, showin’ us your loyalty by riddin’ the world of that scumbag, and I’ll patch you in. You’ll have my clubs protection. We’ll have your back. You fuck me over, I will come after you, and I will make you wish you were never fuckin’ born.”