Total pages in book: 130
Estimated words: 118333 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 592(@200wpm)___ 473(@250wpm)___ 394(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 118333 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 592(@200wpm)___ 473(@250wpm)___ 394(@300wpm)
Too much could go wrong. I never wanted to ever go head to head with my baby brother. But there was no other way.
“One day, Tann,” Beau said. “One day we’ll stand together when the race war begins. Shoulder to shoulder, brother and brother. And we’ll fucking tear down anyone in our path.”
I remembered the elation I felt at that thought. Now, here I was, on the opposing side. I now was the path he intended to tear down. My fucking chest cracked at the thought.
Adelita put her hand on my shoulder like she’d sensed something was wrong. I lifted my head and let her spin me around in my chair. Never breaking eye contact, Adelita straddled my lap. Leaning in, she kissed my lips. My hands slid down her body, tracing over every curve. In the past three days I’d been inside her every chance I got. Our plan for today was good. We had men for when the battle broke out. Thanks to Wade, we had the knowledge of where their best snipers were positioned. But any little thing could send the exchange into a fucking nightmare. Any fuck-up could send any one of us to the boatman. Not all of us would come back to the compound tonight. That much we all knew.
I fucking counted on me and my bitch making it back alive.
“We have to go,” I said as Adelita laid her head on my chest. Her arms wrapped around me and held on tight. Adelita had been too quiet over the past few days. I didn’t like it. Didn’t like not knowing what she was thinking.
Lifting off the chair, Adelita slid down my body, and I kissed her lips. “You ready?”
Adelita nodded, but I could see she was scared by the worry in her eyes. It fucking killed me. I longed for the day when she was never scared again.
Taking her hand, I led her outside the club. The Hangmen were already waiting on their bikes. The truck I would drive was waiting at the back.
“You ready?” Ky asked. Styx and Ky were at the front of the pack. I nodded. Flame was here too, even though the guy was still injured. But nothing was keeping him from getting his brother back today. Viking was beside him. He was tasked with keeping Flame back from the cartel and Klan until it was time to fucking unleash hell.
We made our way to the truck. Adelita stopped when Beauty appeared from the clubhouse. Some men were staying behind in case there was an attack. The other bitches were in the clubhouse too, still on lockdown. Beauty threw her arms around Adelita’s neck and squeezed her tight. “You take care, all right?” Beauty said and kept hold of Adelita. “We wanna see you back here tonight.”
“Si,”Adelita replied and hugged Beauty. I looked to Tank, who was on his bike beside Bull. He nodded, as if assuring me that he had my back. That he would help make sure my woman did return home with us.
“Lita, we need to go,” I said. Adelita stepped away from Beauty. I could tell by her face that she hadn’t expected it. Hadn’t expected Beauty to be so concerned. My heart fucking broke for my bitch all over again. She hadn’t expected it because she’d never had many friends. Never been allowed to get too close to hardly anyone.
When we were in the truck, Adelita took a deep breath, and I saw a new kind of determination in her face. “You good?” I asked, as I pulled out onto the road. The truck was flanked by the Hangmen. Styx, Ky, and our chapter were up front; the other chapters took up the rear.
Adelita was staring out of the window. “I am.” She took hold of my hand. I knew she wanted to say something. I could tell by how she shifted on the seat. I waited her out. Eventually, after a few minutes, she said, “If something happens today . . .” She paused and seemed to think over her words. “If something happens today, I want you to know that I don’t regret a thing.” I gripped her hand tighter, keeping my eye on the road. I wasn’t sure I could look at her right now. I wasn’t sure I could keep my shit together. “Nothing, mi amor.” Adelita kissed my hand. “Meeting you, as hateful as it was in the beginning, has been the single biggest blessing I’ve had in my life.” Adelita stroked her fingers along the back of my hand. “Seeing you fight your demons, challenge the prejudices you were raised with and completely change, was the most amazing transformation to witness.”
“It was you,” I rasped. “It was all because of you.”
Adelita moved until she was right beside me on the seat. She laid her head on my shoulder. “Even though we’ve only had a short time together, Tanner, these past several days . . . they have meant more to me than anything else has in my entire life.” Adelita looked up at me, and this time I met her eyes. “I didn’t know it was possible to love anyone as much as I love you. My father never loved anyone after my mother, so I never had an example of how a couple in love could be.” I kept my eye on the road but found it hard to tear my attention away from Lita. “If anything happens today . . . if for whatever reason something goes wrong . . . at least I have known what it was like to love you. Entirely and with my whole heart.”