Total pages in book: 79
Estimated words: 75152 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 376(@200wpm)___ 301(@250wpm)___ 251(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 75152 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 376(@200wpm)___ 301(@250wpm)___ 251(@300wpm)
I was thinking about my next move when Cotton pulled over a chair and sat down next to me. He gave me one of his knowing looks as he asked, “It just me, or is something on your mind?”
“You could say that.”
“It got anything to do with the girl you were just talkin’ to?”
Even after all these years, I still had no idea how my president did it. Maybe it was just good, old intuition, but it was like the man could sense when something was up with one of his brothers—and clearly, tonight was no different. “As a matter of fact...”
“You wanna tell me about it?”
“She’s a tough nut to crack.”
“You think there’s something there?”
“Hard to tell.” I took a quick pull from my beer, then added, “Just gettin’ to know her, but she’s had a rough go of it, Pres. She has all these walls up, and I’m not sure she’s gonna ever let them down.”
“You can push people away all you want. In the end, you only end up hurting yourself more. She’ll see that soon enough.”
“I don’t know. She seems pretty hell-bent on keeping me and everyone else at arm’s length.”
“The trust will come. It’s just going to take some time. The question is, are you gonna be willing to give it to her?”
I motioned my hand to the empty chair next to me. “Doesn’t look like I have a choice in the matter.”
“I see that.” Cotton cocked his brow. “Maybe it’s better to just walk away.”
“You’re probably right,” I scoffed with a shake of my head. “I just don’t know if I can.”
“That’s something you’ll...”
“Cotton,” Stitch cut in. “We got a problem.”
“What’s going on?”
“It’s Mia,” Bones replied, sounding panicked. “Her alarm was just triggered.”
Stitch tossed his phone to Cotton, then started towards the parking lot. Cotton held the screen up where I could read along with him.
Stitch:
Hey, Kiddo. You okay?
Mia:
No! Someone’s trying to get in.
I need you, Dad.
Please hurry.
Stitch:
Get in the closet.
We’re on our way.
I didn’t have to ask. I knew exactly what he’d meant by ‘we’re on the way’, and he was right. Mia was our brother’s daughter. She was one of our own—she was family, and no one fucks with Fury family.
As soon as Cotton read the message, he stood and whistled loudly, drawing the attention of the other brothers. It was a sound that was familiar to us all, so it wasn’t surprising when every brother within earshot came rushing over to the bonfire. Clutch was the first to ask, “What’s going on?”
“It’s Mia,” Cotton answered as he started towards the parking lot. “She’s in trouble.”
“What the fuck?”
“No time to explain. We’ve gotta move,” Stitch roared as he and Bones rushed towards their bikes.
When we started to follow, Cotton turned to us and said, "I know you all wanna go take care of our girl, but you boys have been drinking. Some of you have had too many to drive. If that's the case, you can either stay back or ride with me.”
Without a moment’s hesitation, we loaded up on our bikes, then followed Stitch through the front gate. He was driving like a madman as he sped towards Mia’s place. His urgency came as no surprise. Stitch was very protective of his daughter. We all were and for a good reason.
Mia was beautiful and smart like her mother, and fearless and determined like her father. It could be a dangerous combination, especially when she had trouble knocking at her front door. She was liable to go out there and try to handle them on her own, which was something none of us wanted to happen.
One by one, my brothers and I whipped into Mia’s apartment complex, and I could only imagine what Mia's neighbors thought when they heard our roaring motorcycles and saw angry faces. Not that it mattered. None of us gave a fuck what any of them thought. Nothing was going to keep us from our girl.
As soon as we were all parked, Stitch got off his bike and started racing toward Mia’s front door. We were all about to follow when Cotton ordered, “Keep your cool, boys. We don’t want this thing getting out of hand.”
We all nodded, then continued after Stitch. While he pounded on her door, several of the others surrounded the apartment, searching for any sign of a break-in. When Mia didn’t immediately answer, Stitch took out his key and opened the door himself. As he stepped inside, he called out, “Mia? It’s me.”
No answer.
Maverick and I followed Stitch and Bones into the kitchen. That’s when I noticed the broken window in the living room. There was glass everywhere, but there was no sign of Mia. I motioned my hand toward the window as I whispered, “We’ve got company.”
The vein in Stitch’s neck pulsed with rage as he reached for his weapon and charged into the living room. Stitch might’ve been older with a few gray hairs and wrinkles, but the man was just as intimidating as the first day we’d met. If someone had been dumb enough to come into his daughter’s home, there would be hell to pay.