Total pages in book: 135
Estimated words: 131916 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 660(@200wpm)___ 528(@250wpm)___ 440(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 131916 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 660(@200wpm)___ 528(@250wpm)___ 440(@300wpm)
“We appreciate that more than you both will ever know,” I said, “but we’ll do our damned best to make sure we don’t come dragging you two into any of our bullshit.”
Jud shook his head with a massive grin. “Nah, no hesitation on our part. You need us, we’re there.”
“Yup. Just say the word,” Trent added.
“Thanks,” I said, and I could feel the intensity of my crew’s eyes shifting to me. Jud and Trent must have picked up on it because they both slid out of the booth. “Think we’re going to get a closer view of our women.”
Kane gave them a nod, and in an instant, the mood changed. Each of my brothers stared me down like they might not recognize me any longer.
Got it because I barely recognized myself.
“Think we should take this downstairs,” Kane said, and everyone nodded, slipping out of the booth and snagging our drinks. We followed Kane through the door that read employees only and down the hall to his office. He shut and locked the door behind us then moved to the secret panel.
When he opened the passageway, we all wound down to the room below.
Normally, I was the one in charge. The one calling meetings to order. But I had a hunch tonight that was getting flipped on me.
We all sat around the round table, and I fuckin’ itched while they stared at me like I might be on trial. Finally, it was Kane cutting me what appeared an accusatory smile that broke into the dense quiet. “She seems to be something more than a fuck, yeah?”
There wasn’t a whole lot of anger behind it, just steely speculation.
My chest tightened, an arrow of protectiveness spearing through the middle. “Guess so.”
Issuing the response that way felt like some kind of betrayal. But I still didn’t know how to handle this. What the fuck to say.
I knew I was in the wrong. Knew I was in over my head. I just didn’t know how to stop it.
I pressed my fingers to the achy spot in the middle of my chest, a reminder that I didn’t want to.
That I wanted to keep this feeling forever.
Possess it.
“Guess so?” Otto asked with a tilt of his head. “She’s staying at your place. Pretty sure that warrants a whole lot more than a guess so.”
A ripple of unease rolled around the table.
Theo chuckled a low sound like the fucker he was, and Cash rocked back in his chair, frustration billowing off him in waves.
Kane sipped at his whiskey as he studied me for the longest time before he said, “Going solo is one of our number one rules. She sticks around long enough, she’s bound to know there’s something up with you.”
My nod was affirming. I wasn’t going to deny what was plain obvious. “Yeah, reason I made that rule in the first place.”
“And what do you think she’ll do if she finds out?” Theo asked, head cocked as he scratched at the side of his cheek.
Air huffed from my nose. “Don’t know. Hasn’t gotten that far.”
“Are you going to let it?” Kane’s brow rose.
Agitation shook my head, and I slanted a hand through the short pieces of my hair. “Don’t know that, either. Only thing I do know is I can’t let her walk away. Not like this. Especially when I think she might be in trouble.”
I looked at Cash then, hoping he had news for me after I’d called him two days ago. It seemed like so much had happened between then and now. Charleigh going from this woman who’d captured my attention, twisted me up and made me chase after a girl for the first time in my life, to someone I wasn’t sure I could live without.
“What kind of trouble?” Kane asked.
“She’s been hurt in the past, by her ex. That’s about as much as she’ll give me, other than knowing she’s been running from him for years and is afraid someday he’ll catch up to her.”
“So what? We take her under the protection of Sovereign Sanctum?” That was from Theo.
“No.” It shot out of me like a bullet. That would mean her starting a new life. Not here, and sure as hell not with me. We never left a trace.
Couldn’t fucking stomach the idea.
Aggravation rolled out of Otto as he scrubbed a giant, tattooed hand over his face. When he dropped it, his gaze ping-ponged around all of us. “Think we all know what this is, yeah? And I think we all should have been smart enough to know it eventually would come to this.”
“To what?” Theo asked.
“To a change. How long are we supposed to go on living this way? In fuckin’ secret?”
“Only way we can do it,” Kane said. “The more people we trust, the more people we put in danger. Including ourselves. We can’t take that risk.”