Total pages in book: 43
Estimated words: 40524 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 203(@200wpm)___ 162(@250wpm)___ 135(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 40524 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 203(@200wpm)___ 162(@250wpm)___ 135(@300wpm)
“Really?” Wylde gave Sting a wide-eyed look of innocence. Like the man hadn’t realized what he’d just done when everyone in the area knew he’d done it on purpose. I knew Lemon realized what he did and took it for what it was. A token gesture that, hey, he’d “tried to contain the damage, but the girl just goes her own way.” Yeah. No one was buying that.
More than once, I saw Rocket looking over his shoulder as he tried to clean up his bleeding nose. His gaze always narrowed on Lemon.
“You may have bitten off more than you can chew this time, Lemon.” I kept my voice low, but my gaze was firmly on the president of Grim Road.
She merely shrugged. “He’s an asshole who deserved what I dished out.”
“He’s the president of Grim Road. You don’t want his attention on you and you’ve snagged it in spades.”
“Good. Maybe he’ll realize I mean business. No one messes with my family, Scarlet. No one. He should have had your back with Hammer and your father. Where was your mother when Claw gave you to that bastard?”
“My mother’s dead. She was killed by one of Grim’s enemies when I was ten. Her death’s the reason they moved everyone to a separate compound within the main compound. Everyone not a patched member who is a part of Grim Road stays inside those walls.”
“Then why didn’t he protect you?”
“He thought he was, Lemon.”
“Yeah? How many times did you talk to him after you left Riviera Beach?”
She had me there. “None, once Hammer took my phone. But I did talk to him before that.”
“So what happened after?”
I didn’t have an answer. Before this was over, though, I’d get one.
We entered the barn behind all the men. Iris, Serelda, and Bellarose were all with us. Lemon led the way, but the older women all surrounded me. I’d never felt such a show of support in my life. I loved my father and the idea of the protection of Grim Road, but I’d never experienced it like this. The women had my back. The men had the women’s back. And I had no doubt we all had the men’s back. I know I certainly had Mars’s.
“All right,” Rocket said, crossing his arms over his chest. “What the fuck’s goin’ on?”
“I’ll tell you what’s goin’ on,” Hammer said, speaking up for the first time. “That bastard is holding Scarlet here. He’s probably brainwashed her. Or groomed her or some shit.”
“She’s only been here a week, you motherfucker,” Mars snapped, taking a step toward Hammer before Brick put a hand out to stay him.
“How about we hear from sourpuss over there,” Rocket said, nodding to Lemon.
“You really are looking to get your balls handed to you, aren’t you?” Lemon shook her head, chuckling. “Sourpuss?”
Rocket shrugged. “If it fits…”
“Fine. I’ll tell you what happened. Your boy Hammer there beat the shit outta Scarlet. More than once.”
“Again, that’s a serious allegation. You got proof?” Though Rocket seemed belligerent toward Lemon, I could see he was deadly serious and taking in everything she said with an open mind. His entire being was focused on my friend and I wasn’t sure I liked it.
“You mean besides Scarlet’s word?”
Rocket narrowed his eyes at Lemon. “Scarlet is one of us. If she says that’s what happened, I’ll believe her.”
“I told you, Rocket,” Hammer jumped in, looking furious. “They’ve brainwashed her. You know I’d never hurt Scarlet. It’s why Claw gave her to me. Because he knew I’d protect her with my life.”
“You’re such a Goddamned liar,” Lemon muttered, raising an eyebrow to look straight at Hammer. “I saw it. Me. I saw you kicking her while she was on the floor. I saw you backhand her, though you mostly kicked and punched her torso. Probably to keep the obvious evidence of the abuse to a minimum. The only reason I didn’t intervene is because Breaker over there” -- she hiked a thumb at the big biker in question --”thought he’d get his ass handed to him by Sting if we busted in, we couldn’t stop you, and I got hurt. He opted to bring back backup and get me to safety.” Lemon gave Breaker an annoyed look. “Which, I get it, Breaker. I really do. Under normal circumstances I’d have been mostly OK with it, but it nearly cost Scarlet her life.”
“You sayin’ I nearly beat her to death?” Hammer snorted out a laugh. “That’s an outright lie.”
Lemon shook her head and immediately continued. “Didn’t say that, you bastard. What happened next isn’t something I can tell. Ain’t my story. But suffice it to say, Scarlet would do anything -- anything -- to keep her sisters safe.”
That got Claw’s attention good and proper. “What do her sisters got to do with this?”
“Everything,” I said before I could stop myself. This was my moment. I’d always been in the background because I understood what Grim Road did. What it stood for. That meant they had to have all their concentration focused in the right area. But it was my sisters who were in danger. Lemon was right. I’d do what it took to make sure they never went through what I had. I pointed an accusing finger at Hammer. “If anyone manipulated anyone, it was Hammer. He threatened to hurt Sunshine and Rainbow if I didn’t do what he said.”