Total pages in book: 98
Estimated words: 94921 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 475(@200wpm)___ 380(@250wpm)___ 316(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 94921 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 475(@200wpm)___ 380(@250wpm)___ 316(@300wpm)
“What?” Hailey asked.
“I … remember the whole choking thing. I thought you were with him.”
“I saw him, Harlow. I would never do that to you, and I certainly wouldn’t put you at risk.” Hailey frowned.
Harlow glanced toward Kinky. “How did this start?”
“Not that it’s any of your business, but we kind of hit it off.” Hailey pressed her lips together a if she was struggling to contain her secret and at no point did she notice the looks Hunter and Kinky were sharing.
“Is that what happened?” Harlow asked, looking from Hunter to Kinky.
Kinky didn’t say a word.
Hunter wouldn’t look at her.
“What’s going on?” Hailey asked.
And Harlow knew. “Oh my God, this was your way of trying to find out more about her, wasn’t it? You didn’t trust who she was or the fact she had employed me.”
“Harlow, you’re … difficult to handle.”
“It was all a setup?” Hailey asked.
She didn’t want to hurt her friend but she heard the pain in Hailey’s voice. This wasn’t fair, nor was it good. Tears filled her eyes, as she hated to be the bearer of bad news.
She didn’t want to look at Kinky or Hunter. “Did you do it?”
Hunter didn’t say anything.
“My brother?”
Again, there was silence. No one was going to admit the truth. This was part of the club. She didn’t know if Smokey had asked for this, or if this was a favor between the club.
“You used me?” Hailey asked. “It was all a lie to find out more about me.”
There was a tense moment of silence and then Hailey rushed around the hotel room. She didn’t say anything, but she scrambled into the bathroom and slammed the door.
Harlow looked at Hunter. “Did George put you up to this?”
Hunter didn’t say a word.
“Did you have any feelings for her at all?” Harlow asked.
Kinky didn’t say anything.
She shook her head. “Bastards. Both of you.”
Harlow moved toward the door, but Hailey had already stepped out of it. She hadn’t done her hair, and she had pulled a dress on. She walked to the corner, grabbed her bag, and then without another word, she left.
She didn’t like this. “Hailey, please wait.”
“Don’t, Harlow. Don’t.”
“I don’t know what’s going on. Please don’t walk away like this.”
Hailey got to her car and turned around. The other woman wasn’t even crying. “You don’t know what’s going on? I find that hard to believe. It’s quite simple. Your brother or your Lover Boy didn’t trust me, and so they used someone in the club to get close to me, and I fell for it.” She hit her forehead. “I fell for the sweet words and niceties, and do you know what’s worse?”
Harlow shook her head.
“I fell for it even though I knew it was all a lie but I tried to pretend I knew what was going on.” Hailey shook her head and pressed her lips together. “But I should have known the truth because no man is ever interested in me. No one ever wants to get to know me. No one even has faith in me. It was all a lie.”
“Hailey, please.”
“No, Harlow. No. I need to be alone right now.”
“But—”
“No. I know you didn’t have anything to do with this, but you’re the whole reason it happened, and I just need some time.”
Harlow stood there and watched as Hailey got into her car and drove away. She had no idea where she was going or what she was doing.
Seconds later, she was still standing in the same place. How had the day gotten so fucked up?
She spun around as she heard the sound of running feet, she was about to yell and scream, but Hunter spoke first.
“Ava’s gone into labor.”
****
Sitting in the waiting room of the hospital with a quiet Harlow was not exactly comforting. Hunter had a feeling that if she didn’t share her feelings soon, she was going to explode. He sat and waited.
And continued to wait some more.
Hunter had already gotten her a black coffee as the hospital’s café was already closed, and they only had vending machines. He knew from previous experience, Harlow hated them as they dispensed full-fat milk as well as plant milk. She didn’t want any of the full-fat kind.
Kinky was across from them, legs pushed out, head in his hand. To any onlooker, he looked tired, and nothing else. Hunter didn’t know if he was upset with what happened. Kinky had never given an inclination to care what a woman felt.
He was the epitome of a selfish bastard as were all of them in their own way. Big Dick hadn’t arrived yet. He had gotten some new leads that had taken him a couple of hours out of Fort Clover. Big Dick wouldn’t stop until he had found the Twisted Bastards MC base.
Hunter knew he should care about the club and the threat, but he wasn’t afraid of the Twisted Bastards MC. He wasn’t afraid of anything.