Total pages in book: 135
Estimated words: 127390 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 637(@200wpm)___ 510(@250wpm)___ 425(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 127390 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 637(@200wpm)___ 510(@250wpm)___ 425(@300wpm)
“Towed your car, took it to the garage,” Cade continued. “Something felt off, especially considering the crash. Brakes were cut. Clean. Definitely not an accident.”
Though Cade spoke in his even, cold tone, I knew he was angry. Knew he somehow blamed himself. That’s what these men did. They blamed themselves when something happened to people they were supposed to protect. The club was supposed to protect.
I was blindsided by this news. Although I had known something was wrong when I was driving. When nothing happened no matter how hard I stepped on the brakes. Ranger was religious about the upkeep of our vehicles. They were serviced every twelve months at the Sons of Templar garage. No way would someone have missed something like my brakes not working.
“Who would want to cut my brakes?” I wondered, more to myself than anyone else.
Cade’s lips were a thin line. “That’s what we’re tryin’ to figure out. Club doesn’t have beef with anyone right now. And anyone who would be holding a grudge against us sure as shit wouldn’t be targeting you.”
Yes, it made no sense that I’d be a target even to the most ruthless of gangs. They’d want to go for maximum hurt, inflicting the deepest wounds. Sure, if I’d died, it would be a hit to the club. A small cut. But there was no one wearing a Sons cut who loved me to their core. Not anymore. No one who would use their pain and grief over losing me to make rash decisions and start a war, which was usually the goal when targeting Old Ladies.
It made no sense for the club to be connected with this. Someone was more focused on me, not the club.
“You have any kind of altercation with anyone? Anyone holding a grudge against you?” Cade questioned, obviously thinking the same thing.
I furrowed my brows, the expression painful. The most exciting and dangerous part of my life was my connection to the Sons of Templar. To be fair, the Sons pervaded most areas of my life. Or they had for over fifteen years.
They were still my family. They always would be. But a huge connection to them had been severed.
The majority of my life revolved around my kids. School runs. Laundry. Groceries. Going to sports games that bored me silly. Parent-teacher conferences. Suffering through dinners with my mother. I didn’t have altercations with anyone. Mostly because even the mothers who disliked me did it privately because of my connection to the club. And almost all of my personal connections were within the club.
When it came down to it, I was a widowed mother who didn’t do anything to require someone hating her enough to cut the brakes on her car.
“No,” I told Cade. “Other than one mother at a bake sale who was pissed I didn’t bake gluten free muffins, there’s no one who would be willing to cut my brakes in order to get me out of the picture.”
Cade nodded. There was guilt there. He felt responsibility for this. He already carried the responsibility for Ranger’s death, wore it on his shoulders as a president did.
“That’s not true.”
Both Cade and I looked sideways to the person who spoke.
Kace wasn’t looking at me. “A lawyer in town. Doesn’t take rejection well.”
I glared at him, anger bubbling up my throat. “Edmond is a toxic male who will do his best to cut with his words, but nothing else. He definitely wouldn’t be someone who would cut my brakes just because I wouldn’t go on a second date with him.”
Kace acted like I hadn’t spoken. “His interest in Lizzie is unhealthy. She backed him off in a way that made it clear he was never getting in.”
Cade nodded. “We’ll look into it.”
“You will do no such thing,” I snapped. “He didn’t do this.”
Cade’s gaze was gentle, for him at least. “Regardless of whether he did or didn’t, we’re going to explore all avenues. We’re not going to take any risks with you or the kids. Best case scenario, we scare off some asshole who doesn’t understand the word no.”
My mouth twitched with a sudden need to smile, envisioning Edmond flinching back while being confronted by someone like Cade and the rest of the Sons.
Despite my need to argue, I didn’t. Not just because my head was pounding and my bed was beckoning. Because Cade was right. It would be reckless of me to think that there weren’t people in this world who were capable of things like this. Everyone was capable of anything. It was stupid and deadly to think anything else. To have faith in humanity. To trust anyone who didn’t share blood or wear a cut.
Shit.
If there really was someone out to get me, I had to tell them everything. Ideally, I would’ve liked to tell Cade without Kace in attendance, but there was no way would Kace move an inch right then. Maybe it would be better to not tell them about the incident at the house. It could also be infinitely stupid to keep that to myself.