Total pages in book: 135
Estimated words: 123672 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 618(@200wpm)___ 495(@250wpm)___ 412(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 123672 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 618(@200wpm)___ 495(@250wpm)___ 412(@300wpm)
“Sure thing,” I say, glancing back toward the alley one more time before looking over the club members, hating how a few of them look at me with a deep suspicion in their eyes.
Estée doesn’t hang around, walking straight into her old man’s arms, the two of them speaking quietly between themselves, and as his terrifying gaze lifts to mine, I whirl on my heel and get my ass back up to my apartment.
By the time I’m pushing through the door, my face is streaked with tears. Alex immediately pulls me into his arms. “I’m sorry, Mace. I didn’t realize how close you and Viper were.”
“We weren’t. Not really,” I tell him. “He always had this fantasy that I would be his old lady one day, and every time he’d say it, I’d subtly shut him down. But to be fair, I was barely seventeen when he first started asking me about it, and at first, I thought he was just kidding, you know, trying to be flirty. But as it went on, I realized he was serious. That life though, always being on the run from the cops and dealing with the kind of secrets and lies that could get you killed isn’t for me. I never would have cut it, and on some level, I think Viper knew that, but he wasn’t ready to give up the dream just yet.”
“What do you mean just yet?”
“He was just getting a little more persistent is all,” I say, shrugging my shoulders as I pull out of his arms, mulling over everything that’s just happened. I drop onto the couch, pulling one of the cushions into my chest, when a thought occurs to me, sending me into a wicked spiral. “What if this is my fault?”
“The fuck?” Alex says, walking over and crouching down in front of me, holding my chin as our gazes collide. “How the hell could this be your fault? You were asleep.”
“Yeah, but . . . what if it was the guy who’s been sneaking into my room?” I say, my hands shaking with the thought, terrified that if the Grim Reapers were to come to the same conclusion, my life would be in imminent danger. “Every night those bikers sit in front of my building. They never get off their bikes, just sit there smoking their shitty cigarettes. But Viper changed the rules. He got off his bike, and the only reason he would have done that is if he saw something, right? And when I was woken by the sirens, my window was open again, meaning my stalker had been here again.”
“Mace,” Alex says, his tone shifting with concern.
“What if my stalker did this, Alex?” I ask, the tears now streaming down my face. “Viper was here to protect me, and my stalker was here because I’ve failed to do anything about it. What if Viper saw him leaving my apartment and confronted him? What if Viper’s throat was slit because of me?”
“Fuck, Mace,” Alex breathes, grabbing my hips and yanking me off the couch and into his arms. I drop down, my knees falling on either side of his strong thighs as he wraps his warm arms around me. “It’s going to be okay, Kyah. This isn’t your fault.”
“The Grim Reapers might not see it that way,” I tell him. “What am I supposed to do? If I keep this from them, I look guilty, but if I tell them, I could be leading myself into an early grave.”
“I’m sorry, Mace. I really don’t know what to tell you, nor is it a decision I can make on your behalf,” he tells me. “But if I were you, I would use today to grieve. Cry all your tears, get fucking wasted if you have to. Then come tomorrow, we can work out a plan.”
I lift my teary gaze, my heart racing so fast it hurts. “We?” I ask, sniffling.
“Yeah, Mace. We,” he tells me, pressing a gentle kiss to my temple before pulling back, the sweetest boyish grin gracing his face. “You didn’t think I was about to leave you to face a mob of angry bikers, did you?”
A small smile pulls at the corners of my lips, and as his eyes sparkle like the night stars, I take his hand and lift it to my lips, pressing a soft kiss to his knuckles. “Careful now,” I whisper. “You’re gonna make me fall in love with you.”
“Good,” he murmurs, reaching up and brushing the tears from my face. “Because I think I’m already there.”
32
KYAH
It’s been one hell of a long day, and a terrifying one at that.
Today, I was a special guest at a biker burial, and if it weren’t for the fact that I was allowed to have Big Jim accompany me, I don’t know if I would have been able to make it. Alex was a firm no to the point I didn’t even bother asking if he could come with me, and I sure as hell wasn’t about to put Nat in that position. Hell, knowing her, she probably would have tried to jump in one of their beds and accidentally pick one who was already attached. Though to be honest, I think she might still be getting her rocks off with Sullivan.