Total pages in book: 71
Estimated words: 67757 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 339(@200wpm)___ 271(@250wpm)___ 226(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 67757 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 339(@200wpm)___ 271(@250wpm)___ 226(@300wpm)
“We’ve heard. The guys don’t keep much from us. We’re a family here. Coop knows I’ll worry if he’s too tight-lipped.”
I slump back in my chair, feeling like a fish out of water. “I’m no good at this. I hate my life,” I admit. I turn my attention back to this beautiful toddler in my lap.
“No shit,” McKenna snorts. “None of us are good at this.”
“You don’t have to be good at this,” Kelsey adds after shooting her sister a wicked glare. “Just listen to the guys and do what you’re told when it comes to your safety. Lucky’s a new patch, but he’s been around the club for a while, and he’s a certified badass. He was in the Army, so if anyone can keep you safe, it’s him.”
Lucky was in the Army? That’s news to me. “Yeah, well, we don’t get along.” Kelsey’s words almost make me feel guilty for giving Lucky such a hard time.
“You’re missing out.” Kelsey’s gaze turns serious, and she reaches across the table to gather my hands in hers, but it’s an awkward hold with the baby in my arms. “These men are important to me, Aria. They are loyal and protective as hell. As long as you have one of them taking care of you, you’re good. I promise.”
I sigh and let my gaze bounce between the Marin sisters. It’s easy for them to say that, to believe it, because if all this goes to hell, they still have one another. They have men who love them, even if they are bikers.
All I have is yours truly.
Daddy is locked up, and who knows when—or if—he’ll be back. Mom is dead. Coco is a dude, and I’m completely reliant on a man I barely know to keep me safe. Alive.
Fuck. My. Life.
“I’m skeptical,” I admit, my eyes fixated on baby Carmine, a picture of purity and innocence. “But as you pointed out, with Daddy in the clutches of the Feds, I’m stranded and at the mercy of the biker gang.”
“Motorcycle Club,” Kelsey and McKenna correct in perfect harmony. “Watch yourself, Aria.”
I sigh, a pang of disappointment washing over me. McKenna and I were never BFFs, more like frenemies. Just a couple of trust-fund kids navigating the shark-infested waters of an elite high school, each trying to be the queen bee. “I’m trying,” I snap. “This is all so new to me.”
Truth be told, I’ve been scared out of my wits since those gangsters busted in, roughed up Dix, and dragged me into this mess. I feel tears pooling in my eyes, and I look away, handing baby Carmine back to her mom.
“Aria, look at me.” Kelsey’s words are firm but gentle. “Life isn’t black and white. Whatever you think about these guys, especially Lucky, isn’t the whole story. You love your father, but clearly, he’s found himself in a fight with Lady Justice right now.”
I breathe in deeply, trying to digest her words. I know she’s right. “Make sure your preconceived notions don’t land you in a world of hurt,” Kelsey warns. “Like losing something you can’t replace—like, oh, I don’t know, your life.”
McKenna adds her two cents, “You know what they say about contempt prior to investigation.”
“No, enlighten me,” I say, feeling a smirk play on my lips.
“It’ll keep you in everlasting ignorance.”
And with that, I’m left to navigate the murky waters of my new reality. The only thing standing between me and a bullet in the brain is an outlaw biker gang.
Oops, club.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Lucky
With Aria settled in the clubhouse with the girls and a few prospects, I make my way to the sanctuary so we can talk business. I’m not an officer yet, but the officers voted to let me in at this meeting since I’m so close to Geoffrey and Aria Morgan.
Once we take our seats around the table, Ace nods. “This meeting will come to order,” he says, hitting the gavel on the block. The room goes silent.
“First order of business is that we’re making money hand over fist. The partnership with Rojas is more lucrative than we ever imagined, which is good news for us until we’re ready to pull the trigger on our final plan.”
A hint of a smile plays around his mouth, and I feel myself slowly relaxing into the leather seat.
“Fuck yeah,” Dix growls and keeps the applause and contentment going at the good news.
“But,” Ace says over our cheers, extending the word until we settle. “This can’t last forever, not if we still want to stay on track for revenge.”
“We do,” Dix growls, all trace of his earlier happiness gone. “There ain’t enough money in the world to let those motherfuckers get away with what they’ve done.”
His words mimic what most of us feel but hearing it from him when he’s married to Arturo’s daughter is strange.