Total pages in book: 95
Estimated words: 90433 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 452(@200wpm)___ 362(@250wpm)___ 301(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 90433 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 452(@200wpm)___ 362(@250wpm)___ 301(@300wpm)
“Smart.” Curly rapped his knuckles on the table. “Spec? Ideas?”
“We need to neutralize the father and Lorenzo. This is the kind of trouble that doesn’t just disappear. We block them from taking Ty’s business, and they’ll move on to the next target. They’ll turn to Lock’s business, get the health and safety board to investigate Tracker’s tattoo shop, fuck with the opening of the women’s shelter, and the list will go on.”
“They can fucking try,” Lock muttered as he sipped his whiskey. Smart man bringing a damn drink.
“There’s no legal route to get them to back off, is there?” Tracker asked.
Shaking his head, Spec said, “Doubt it. They’ve proven countless times that they’re too slippery to face any real consequences.”
“So, we gotta play dirty,” Jinx said, cracking his knuckles.
“We hit them where it hurts the most.”
Ty raised an eyebrow. “And that would be?”
“Money and connections,” Pulse said. He wasn’t as rowdy as the others but possibly the smartest in the club. He tended to think before he spoke, whereas impulsiveness ran rampant with the rest of these guys.
“Bingo.” Spec pointed to Pulse. “We need to find a way to drain their wallets and turn everyone against them. Without funding and minions to do their dirty work, they’re nothing.”
“They’ve already survived a million scandals,” Tracker said, narrowing his eyes. “How the fuck do we get at them?”
Spec’s maniacal grin sent a shard of ice through Ty’s chest. “By doing the one thing they’d never expect.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
TY SAT BESIDE her, rigid as a statue, staring at Spec with an ice-cold, nearly murderous glare.
The guys had come out of church, as they called their meetings, about five minutes ago. Ty was the first to exit. He stomped to the bar and poured himself a very generous shot of tequila, which he downed in two swallows. Curly had asked them all to gather at the tables for a discussion. None of the other men seemed angry, but Ty was as pissed as she’d ever seen him.
His mood immediately set her on edge.
After pouring his second tequila, he approached her and sat down. Given his tension, she’d not expected him to engage with her, but as soon as his ass hit the seat, he’d cupped the back of her head and drew her in for a neuron-frying kiss that left her trembling with desire.
“Are you okay?” she whispered once she could speak again.
He pressed his forehead to hers. “Promise me when we’re done here, you’ll come back to my house,” he whispered so only she could hear. “I need to spend the entire night inside you, making you come until you pass out.”
God, if the impending discussion weren’t so important, she’d drag him out of the clubhouse right then and there. She shivered. “I promise.”
He closed his eyes and blew out a breath before kissing her again.
Part of her wanted to run. It seemed whatever the guys had to say, it wouldn’t be good. Had something happened with her family? Oh, God, had they already made a move against Ty’s business?
Or worse?
Her stomach roiled.
“Ty—”
“All right, let’s get started.” Curly’s request had her springing back from Ty. She spun to face the commanding man as did everyone in the room. They all had immense respect for their president and fell quiet to listen. Kelsie admired the man as well, even if she hadn’t built the courage to be alone with him. Who wouldn’t hold the man who’d directed his club to rescue them in high regard? Still, she had a feeling whatever was about to come out of his mouth wasn’t something she wanted to hear.
“What’s going on?” Brooke asked, peering up at her old man, who was the only one still standing.
Curly wasted no time catching everyone up on the drama she’d brought into their lives. Even though she didn’t sense a hint of judgment or condemnation in his tone, she wanted to crawl under her chair and curl into the fetal position.
How humiliating. These people had already seen her at the lowest moment of her life. She’d been barely lucid and clinging to sanity by her fingertips when they rescued her. Was it too much to ask that she not be the cause of an enormous problem for their club?
The universe sure thought so.
“Holy shit, this is nuts.” Liv was the first to speak, following Curly’s explanation of the situation. “Babe, are you okay? I’d be a mess if I were you.”
Ty grabbed her hand, brought it to his lips, and pressed a lingering kiss to her knuckles. She could feel the strength flowing from him into her.
After a dopey smile of gratitude, she turned back to Liv. “I’m not sure what I am right now. Mostly embarrassed that you all have to deal with more of my issues.”
Jo snorted. “Trust me when I say we’re used to it. We all came here with a mountain of issues, didn’t we, ladies?”