Total pages in book: 48
Estimated words: 44774 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 224(@200wpm)___ 179(@250wpm)___ 149(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 44774 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 224(@200wpm)___ 179(@250wpm)___ 149(@300wpm)
“You harborin’ that bitch, Jolene?” Alex, my eldest brother, asked. “’Cause, let me tell you, whatever you gave her for the Maybach? She stole it. Now, we’ll sell it to you, but only if’n you give us Jolene.”
Cain just crossed his arms over his chest, saying nothing.
“That’s my daughter,” Poppy snapped. “You get her on out here now!”
“You just shot up our home,” Bohannon said calmly. “And you’re demandin’ shit from us now? You do realize shit don’t work that way here. Right?”
“Works same in Kentucky as it does in West Virginia, son,” Poppy sneered, spitting on the ground. “Which means if you don’t get Jolene out here, we’re gonna fuck this place up.”
Bohannon glanced at Sword with a raised eyebrow. “Told you it’d be the hard way.”
“Thinkin’ you men better rethink this whole situation you’ve found yourself in,” Sword said, flashing Bohannon an irritated look. “You ain’t got the men or the guns to win here.”
Without warning, Alex drew his gun. I braced for the report of the gunshot, and I wasn’t disappointed. Only it wasn’t Alex who fired. It was someone from the Bones compound. Alex went down hard, a hole in his chest and an even bigger one out his back. The rest of the McCoys took that as permission to open fire. Poppy ducked behind the open door to his truck and climbed inside.
Every single McCoy who’d pulled a gun dropped seconds later. Poppy was the only one left alive, and he was trying to leave. Bohannon calmly took out a pistol and shot his tires, then put one in the front of the truck, hitting the radiator, for good measure.
“That should hold him,” Bohannon said. Then he turned to Sword. “You owe me a hundred bucks, brother.” A wide grin split his face.
“Fucker,” Sword said, as he dug into his pocket and pulled out a hundred-dollar bill and shoved it at Bohannon. “Happy now?”
“Happier. Won’t be happy till the last of these fuckers is bear bait.”
“This all of ’em?” Cain asked.
“Data and Zora say yes. Their communication indicated they didn’t consider us much of a threat. Seems we’re too citified for ’em.”
Cain’s head snapped to look at Bohannon. “What the fuck is citified?”
Bohannon shrugged. “Beats me. Guessin’ they thought they were more badass than us. Probably thought we were squeamish or somethin’.”
“Nah,” I said, coming forward slightly. Styx had his hand on my shoulder, trying to keep me from the doorway and any line of sight from my pap. “They just didn’t think you would possibly shoot ’em. City folk are usually all talk and no action.” I tried my best to explain, but that didn’t really do it justice. “Poppy always thought of city folk as wantin’ their guns but not really being willing to use them. I’m sure he thought a few shots at you and you’d all just lay down your arms and hand over anything they wanted.”
Cain looked back to the truck where several armed club members had pulled Poppy out and were zip-tying his hands behind his back. Poppy was mouthing loudly all the way, especially when he caught sight of me.
“You bitch! Always knew you was a traitor! Ever since you’s a kid when you tried to take up with that Hatfield boy.”
“You mean me, old man?” Styx stepped out of the clubhouse. He tried to slip past me, but I wasn’t letting him face my father alone. I snagged his hand and clung tightly. Surprisingly, Styx gripped my hand as well. “Am I the Hatfield she tried to take up with?” Styx sounded cold and deadly. What I could see of his face wasn’t the man I’d fallen hard for. He was as big a killer as my pap. Looking from Styx to Poppy, I could see the similarity. It was frightening at first, but then Styx turned to me, his features softening before he whispered to me. “Go back inside. I’ll take care of this.”
“I’m not leavin’ you, Styx. Poppy’s --”
“Bein’ an ass. You don’t need to hear this shit.”
“You fuckin’ whore! Who is this bastard? He a Hatfield?” Poppy looked Styx up and down, narrowing his eyes. “You look familiar, boy.”
“Should. I’m Ruben Hatfield. Your pa killt my pa.”
“Then you killt my pa for his trouble.”
I sucked in a breath, but kept my hold on Styx. “I remember that,” I whispered. Styx squeezed my hand, a silent command to keep quiet.
“I did. Came close to killin’ you, too, when you came after my ma.”
Poppy snickered, then spit. “Bitch always wanted McCoy dick.” He shrugged. “Just figured since she was widowed, I’d give the whore what she wanted.”
Styx exploded off the porch, grabbing Poppy by the throat and slamming him back against the truck. For long moments he held Poppy like that. Poppy’s face turned red, and he tried to struggle, but Styx was enormously strong, not to mention Poppy’s hands were tied behind his back. Styx gave him a smile filled with hate. I could sympathize. After all, it had been done to me.