Total pages in book: 74
Estimated words: 74022 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 370(@200wpm)___ 296(@250wpm)___ 247(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 74022 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 370(@200wpm)___ 296(@250wpm)___ 247(@300wpm)
“Slater arrived, boss?” Mason asks.
“Not yet, brother. Anyone got any ideas on where to start with this shit with Ellie?” Malakai asks.
“Start at the beginning, yeah?” Maverick shrugs. “Gather everything we can and go from there.”
“Could be like tryin’ to find a needle in a haystack,” Koda grunts. “She could be fuckin’ anywhere.”
“Or she could be choosin’ to stay away,” I add in.
Maverick looks at me, and even now, I can see an emptiness in his eyes when they come my way. He’s completely shut down against me, not a single thing left when it comes to the relationship we once had. He hates me. With good reason. But hate is fucking draining—every day it takes more and more out of me.
“You think she’s choosin’ not to let Slater find her?”
I shrug, crossing my arms. “I’m just sayin’ if we’re lookin’ into everythin’, we need to look into literally fuckin’ everythin’. Every scenario, not just the ones that make sense.”
“He’s got a point.” Malakai nods. “We’d like to think she got taken against her will, but there is no sayin’ she continued to stay gone because of danger. She might very well be choosin’ to stay hidden. That’s why we need the whole story. We need to know everythin’ we can about their relationship and the lead up to her goin’ missin’. Every fight, every detail. So, if you’ve got questions, ask them.”
“Sounds good to me,” Mason adds.
“How’s Saskia going back at work?” Malakai asks him.
“She’s doin’ okay. Still sore, still recoverin’, but stubborn as fuck and wantin’ to keep doin’ what I hired her for. I limit it, but she sneaks a few extra things in here and there.”
“No word from that fuck of an ex?” I ask.
“None, but she did mention Chantelle had a few concerns. Not sure what. But she did betray him, there’s a chance he’s goin’ to be pissed at her.”
Fuck.
Don’t like that.
Not at fucking all.
“She say what?” I ask.
“Nah, she didn’t. I told her to tell Chantelle to let us know if anything happens, we’ll deal with that fucker.”
Problem with that is, I don’t think Chantelle would come to us, even if she was in danger.
She’s hurt.
She’s pissed.
And I think I’m the last person she wants anything to do with.
I make a note to find out what I can.
Might not be in her life right now, but doesn’t mean I won’t make sure she’s okay.
I will.
I owe her that.
~*~*~*~
BOSTON
Slater arrives on time, as he promised.
What shocks everyone in the club is when he arrives with three other men in tow.
Slater is a big man, bigger than most of the men I’ve dealt with. Hell, the club members hold their size, but Slater is bigger than any one of us. And the three men with him are all equal in size and weight. Solid muscle. Same facial features. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out they’re his brothers, or, at the very least, related in some way.
“Slater,” Malakai says when we all step out front to greet him.
He’s still just a prospect, which means at this stage, he’s still earning our trust and proving his loyalty. I have no doubt he has it, but we’d be pure idiots to just believe it’s there without first testing him. We promised to help him, and he’s been patched into the club. But trust, that shit is earned. And it takes time.
“Good to see you, Malakai.”
Malakai looks to the three men behind him. “Didn’t know you were bringing company.”
“Mind if we come in, sit and talk? These are my brothers, they’re not going to cause problems.”
Malakai studies the three men, then nods and we all retreat to the round table, as we call it. Once we’ve all taken a seat, Slater speaks. He’s a man of very fucking few words, and when he does speak, his voice is devoid of any sort of emotion. He says what he has to say, in a tone that remains the same, and then he stops talking. Simple as that.
“Malakai, brothers,” Slater says, looking to all of us. “These are my brothers, Lincoln, Damon, and Finn. They’re not associated with Shanks, or anything to do with him, but they do work an underground fight club, and have dealings in the darkest parts of the world. They’re of no threat to the club, but they can help us in my quest to find Ellie. They also can help with anything the club needs.”
Malakai stares at the three men, who all nod at him, showing their respect. “Didn’t know you had brothers, good to meet you.”
The three men nod again. Also, clearly, men of very few words.
“If their presence here makes you uncomfortable, they’ll leave. But I believe they’ll be an asset to the club.”
“Understandably,” Koda pipes up, staring at the three men. “We can’t just open our arms to people we don’t know. In case you haven’t noticed, we’ve been fucked over in a big way in the last few months. Don’t need any more shit.”