Total pages in book: 30
Estimated words: 27304 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 137(@200wpm)___ 109(@250wpm)___ 91(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 27304 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 137(@200wpm)___ 109(@250wpm)___ 91(@300wpm)
Scout was already holding the phone out when I snatched it from his hand. “What’s the update on Harlowe’s situation?”
There was silence for a beat, then he growled, “Who the fuck are you? Where’s Kyle?”
“I’m Harlowe’s man,” I snarled. “From now on, you got information involving her, it comes straight to me. Scout will make sure you have my number.”
Again, a tiny stretch of silence. “We don’t have time to deal with who you are and what you think you are to my sister”—I growled, wanting to correct him, but he was right on one point. We could deal with that shit later—“An undercover contact of mine just surfaced to let me know there’s been a hit put out on Harlowe.”
“Son of a bitch,” I grunted. This was a whole new problem to deal with. I needed to get Harlowe back to the clubhouse and under lock and key so that me and my boys could get to the bottom of this shit. “We’ll take care of it.”
“Scout assured me that your club has the resources to find out who took the contract and track him down.” It was a statement, but we both knew what he was asking.
“We do. I’ll keep her safe,” I vowed. We were talking about his little sister, and I knew he had to be fucking terrified for her, so I gave him something more. “She means everything to me. I’d give my life to protect her.”
9
Harlowe
Butterflies swirled in my belly at hearing Link tell my brother how much I meant to him, but that didn’t stop me from snapping at him as soon as he hung up. “Why did Huntley call? What’s going on? What are you going to take care of to keep me safe?”
Link laced his fingers through mine and started to tug me in the direction of the clubhouse. “Your brother got word that there’s a contract out on you.”
“A contract?” My brow wrinkled in confusion, and then my lips formed a perfect O as I gasped in shock when I realized what he meant. “Holy crap! There’s a hitman after me?”
“Yeah, that’s why we need to get you back to the safety of the clubhouse. You’re too exposed out here,” he growled as his gaze scanned our surroundings.
We were moving quickly, my shorter legs moving double-time to keep up with Link’s longer stride. Scout was a little behind us and to my left with his gun still clenched in his fist. Link had his too, and I wanted to kick myself for not grabbing the pistol I’d been showing off with before we’d left the shooting range. I would’ve felt a little less vulnerable if I had a gun of my own. Not that I had any doubts about Link’s ability to protect me—something he demonstrated when there was the unmistakable cracking sound of a rifle shot off in the distance a split-second before pieces of bark from the tree next to me went flying. Link tackled me to the ground and covered me with his body, rolling us into the tree line for better coverage. Several more shots were fired before everything went silent.
Link cradled my head in his palms and rasped, “Please, fuck. Tell me you weren’t hit, angel.”
“No bullet holes here,” I weakly joked.
“You good, Scout?” he asked, turning his head to look to the left.
“Yeah, man. Get her back to the clubhouse,” Scout suggested. “Just sent our emergency code text out so the rest of the guys know shit went sideways. I’d already fired off a quick message to Dax to let him know what Huntley said about the hit out on pinkie. It should’ve been enough of a heads-up that they’ll be ready to meet me.”
“Meet you? Where are you going?” I hissed.
“I’m gonna start to track the shooter down. We can’t let him get too much of a head start or else we’ll never find him until he tries again,” Scout explained.
I thought about how devastated Cat would be if anything happened to him and felt tears well up in my eyes. “Please be careful.”
“Don’t worry about me, pinkie. The motherfucker who thought he could take out Link’s old lady is the only one in danger today. He can’t be too smart or else he would’ve known that fucking with the Silver Saints would earn him a death sentence,” Scout reassured me with a grin.
Link slowly helped me to my feet but urged me to stay in a crouch. When additional bullets didn’t fly our way, I heaved a deep sigh of relief. The lack of additional shots fired must’ve been enough for Scout because he gave us a little wave and slowly moved in the direction where I assumed the shooter had been. “C’mon,” Link urged, keeping his arm around my shoulders and his body mostly covering mine while we did an awkward shuffle through the woods. I almost tripped a few times, but Link helped me regain my balance before I hit the ground. It would’ve been a lot easier for me to move without him crowding me so much, but I didn’t complain. I knew he was doing it to protect me, so I wasn’t going to be a brat about it. Not when he’d literally put his body between mine and a hired killer’s bullets.