Total pages in book: 95
Estimated words: 92519 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 463(@200wpm)___ 370(@250wpm)___ 308(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 92519 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 463(@200wpm)___ 370(@250wpm)___ 308(@300wpm)
“Rosalie, you had a concussion.”
She waved her hand in the air.
“Don’t do this.” Colt waved his hand and Rosalie couldn’t help but laugh.
“This is good news, but wait, we’re not ready with a ‘get well soon’ banner, or any of that,” Petal said.
“Then go,” Colt said. “Go to the store, and I’ll bring Rosalie along.”
“I’m not riding on the bike,” she said. She was able to handle the pain of the broken rib, but not while they were riding his bike.
“I’ve brought my car.”
Petal climbed off the bed. “Give me a thirty-minute head start.”
“Ten,” Rosalie said. “I don’t need a coming-home party.”
Petal shushed her, kissed her head, and then squeezed Colt on her way past. Rosalie shook her head.
“She’s, er, energetic, isn’t she?” Colt asked.
The door had closed and Rosalie looked at him. “What did you do to Al?”
Colt walked toward the bed. “Finish your burger.”
“The diner isn’t open, and Petal has her theories, I want to know what you did to Al.”
She stared at him and picked up the burger, then took a bite.
“Are you sure you want to hear this?” Colt asked. “Once I tell you, you’re bound to me and the club.”
“Aren’t I bound to you anyway?”
“You can’t go to the cops, you can’t tell another person. What is club business, stays as club business. There’s no way out, because if you say a single thing, that makes you a rat, it makes you a liability, and the club won’t allow you to live.”
Rosalie nibbled her lip. “Um, I, um, yes, I want to know.” If she did this, there was no turning back. No more hiding.
“Al took a deal with Daemon,” Colt said. “You were supposed to take the trash out and a guy was waiting for you. I’ve got men on the diner, so once he finished, I have a feeling he went into the diner as a customer. The guy snuck in and I let him go. Al took that deal. He was afraid of Daemon and he allowed you to pay the price.”
“And what did you do?” Rosalie asked.
“I reacted,” Colt said. “He put your life in danger, Rosalie. He didn’t know if they were just going to beat you up or kill you. I didn’t accept that.”
“Colt?”
“So, I took matters into my own hands. That’s all I did.”
“But what happens to the diner?” she asked. “What happens to Petal and me? Al … made a mistake.”
Colt cupped her face and shook his head. “No. I know you worry about that shit but you don’t need to. The diner now belongs to the club. It’s in our hands. You don’t need to worry about shit like that, I promise you.” He surprised her by pressing his lips to hers. “And you and Petal, you can run it, work it, I don’t give a shit. We’ll figure something out but there was no way I was going to allow him to live.”
She wanted to ask him why. Her heart raced and she felt a little panicked. They didn’t love each other. They didn’t do love. They didn’t mean anything to each other.
Colt pressed his lips against hers, and she released a moan, completely consumed by him. She couldn’t contain her wince and he growled.
“Fuck,” he said, breaking the kiss. “Shit, I’m sorry.”
“It’s fine.”
“No, it’s not fine.” He looked down at her lip. “I should have been there.”
“You didn’t know.”
“I did. I know what kind of an asshole your father is. I know what I’m up against. I should have known and I didn’t. This is on me.”
She stroked his face and smiled at him. “No, it’s not.”
He sighed.
“Can we get out of here?” she asked.
“Yeah, of course.” He winked at her.
She was excited as she’d already packed her belongings that had been brought to her. Two days in the hospital had been more than enough time.
Chapter Nineteen
“I’ve got to pee,” Rosalie said.
Colt glanced over at her and saw how uncomfortable she was.
“There’s a gas station up ahead. Are you sure you want to pee there? Don’t you want to hold it until we get home or to the clubhouse?”
“No, I’ve got to go.”
Glancing down at the gauge, he saw that he could use some gas. He pulled into the gas station, found a pump, and parked. The moment he put the handbrake on, Rosalie was already out of the car, walking fast toward the toilet sign.
Colt climbed out of the car, rung up his card, grabbed the nozzle, and filled his car with gas. He much preferred taking his bike out for a ride, but this was the next best thing, and his mom advised him to take the car.
He looked around the gas station. There were a couple of people milling around, but not much else in the way of activity. Colt thought back to the truck the guys had stolen from the Evil Fuckers MC. They had all gone through the explosives, the guns, and the ammo. There was a lot of firepower there, and Colt didn’t like that twisted feeling in his gut.