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)
When we made it back to the clubhouse, my heart felt as though it was going to burst through my chest. It wasn’t the exertion that had my pulse through the roof, though. It was fear of what could’ve happened if Link’s reflexes hadn’t been so fast. “The next time someone calls you an old man, I’m going to make them eat their words,” I grumbled as he practically dragged me toward a door that I’d never seen open since I’d gotten here.
After punching in a code on the keypad on the wall next to it, the lock disengaged, and he flung the extra-thick door open. Then he led me down a flight of stairs into the basement I hadn’t known existed beneath the clubhouse until this moment. “Is there anything you need from upstairs before I go?”
I shook my head before I realized exactly what he’d said. “Where are you going, and why does it sound like I won’t be with you?”
“I’m meeting up with the guys. They’re hot on the trail of the shooter, and I need to be there when they hunt the asshole down,” he explained.
“You want me to hide in the basement while you go out there and risk your life for me again?” The fear I’d felt when his body had covered mine was still riding me hard. The possibility of Link getting shot horrified me because he’d quickly come to mean everything to me.
“You bet your sweet ass I do,” he answered unapologetically, determination and fury shining in his blue eyes.
“I’m as good a shot as you are,” I pointed out.
“I know.” He strode across the room, flung open the gun safe, and yanked a nine millimeter out. After slamming a magazine into it, he grabbed an extra one and a box of ammunition. Then he crossed back to me and handed everything over. “I know you can protect yourself, angel, which will help me from worrying about what could happen to you if this guy manages to get past us and into the clubhouse. I fucking hate the idea of letting you out of my sight, but I need you to stay safe for me here so I can concentrate on getting this guy and coming back to you in one piece.”
I couldn’t argue anymore, not if my staying behind was what he needed to stay focused. The last thing I wanted was for him to be distracted when someone was out there firing off shots his way. “Okay. I’ll be the last line of defense. If it comes down to it, nobody will get past me without earning themselves a bullet between their eyes.”
My cocky reminder of how well I’d shot to win our bet was exactly what we both needed to lighten the mood a bit. “That’s right, angel. Go for the kill shot each time and don’t for a second feel guilty if you have to kill any motherfucker who dares to threaten your safety.”
His mouth crashed down over mine, and he kissed me senseless before stalking away. I waited until he made it up the stairs—keeping my gaze on the awesomeness that was his fine ass—and slammed the door shut before I finally scanned the room and really took in what the Silver Saints had done down here. The space was huge, and painting the cinder block walls white made it seem bigger. It was a smart choice, though, since there were no windows. The wall farthest from the stairs was lined with shelves stocked with a crap ton of food and water, and a small kitchen was set up kitty-corner to the left. Next to that, a door led to a bathroom with five stalls and two showers. There was a stack of cots lined against the other wall directly opposite of the cooking space. There were couches and comfortable chairs spread out across the rest of the room, with a big screen television in one area and a smaller one with a couple of game consoles in another. If push came to shove, a bunch of people could be pretty comfortable down here for a long time.
Cat came out of the bathroom, and her eyes softened when she spotted me standing in the middle of the room in a daze. Coming close, she wrapped her arms around my body and gave me a tight squeeze. “Try not to worry too much. Nobody is going to get to us down here. This place is better than any safe room out there.”
“It’s not me that I’m worried about right now,” I admitted softly as I looked up at the door at the top of the stairs.
Cat nodded. “Just keep in mind that the guys know what they’re doing. Facing off against one hired killer is nothing compared to some of the shit they’ve had to deal with. It’ll be okay.”