Total pages in book: 77
Estimated words: 76022 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 380(@200wpm)___ 304(@250wpm)___ 253(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 76022 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 380(@200wpm)___ 304(@250wpm)___ 253(@300wpm)
“The peace in this town is… delicate,” Konstantin told me. “No one wants war.”
“So you want me to lie to Saul about this?”
“Lie is a strong word. Omit.”
I mean, there was already a lot I was omitting when it came to Saul. Since we weren’t actually dating. Not in any serious kind of way.
That said, if claiming so was going to save my life—and get me home to Trix—I guess I could also omit the lack of commitment between Saul and me.
“Everything has a price,” Konstantin said, watching me.
“I guess that’s true,” I agreed.
“Two hundred?” Mikhail piped in.
Two hundred? They wanted to buy my silence for a measly two hundred bucks?
“Two hundred?” I asked, eyes narrowing.
“Three,” Konstantin countered.
In what world was three hundred even enough?
At my silence, Konstantin exhaled.
“Four hundred thousand. Cash. Untraceable.”
Wait.
What?
Four hundred thousand?
That was… life-changing money.
That was the safety net my life had been missing for the past decade, ever since…
I shook that thought away.
It wasn’t the time.
One terrifying situation at a time.
“Four hundred thousand dollars to not talk about this.”
“Yes,” Konstantin said.
I pressed my lips together. “Four hundred thousand. And health insurance,” I added. I hadn’t been able to get regular healthcare in years. “And dental. I think that ball gag gave me TMJ.” My jaw was still throbbing.
“Done,” Konstantin said.
“Why do you even have that?” I asked, looking at the ball gag on the floor.
Konstantin’s gaze slid to his brother, but neither said anything.
“We will drop you at home,” Konstantin said. “And the money will be at work tomorrow. Drive instead of walking.”
Not quite believing this was real life, I slowly got to my feet. “Okay.”
“Okay,” Konstantin agreed.
And they, I kid you not, all walked to the stairs together.
Mikhail hung back, turning off the lights, then following us back across the field toward the car.
Konstantin opened my door for me, waited for me to slide into the backseat, then closed it gently before he and his brother got in the front, turned over the car, and drove back to Shady Valley.
It was the most surreal moment of my life.
The car pulled up outside the duplex, and I had to actually tamp down the knee-jerk urge to thank them for driving me home.
“Nice fence,” Mikhail commented, seemingly just as uncomfortable with the change of events. Konstantin, on the other hand, was as stalwart and unreadable as ever.
“Thanks. Saul built it.”
It was partly true.
The brothers shared another look.
“Sounds like that dog of yours knows you’re home,” Konstantin said as Trix started to bark at the front window.
“Yep. Alright. Well… yeah,” I said, not sure what the hell else to say as I opened my door and climbed out.
Some part of me was paranoid they might just shoot me on my own front porch after all.
But before I even got to the steps, they peeled off.
My hands shook as I unlocked the door, the adrenaline spent, leaving just the shock and fear behind.
“Girl, you are not going to believe what just happened,” I told Trix as she bounded up to me, completely oblivious to everything that happened but happy to see me. “Without realizing it, you kind of saved my life tonight,” I told her. “You and Saul.”
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Coach
“Enjoy Texas, man,” Colter said, shaking Rafe’s hand.
All three of the clubs had debated taking on Rafe. His experience and connections—along with a carefully orchestrated escape and survival afterward—made him a desirable prospect.
In the end, though, the Texas chapter was the one that made the most sense. It was a small town, kind of removed from the rest of the world. No one would have ever heard about the prison escape, let alone think to look twice at Rafe.
Plus, Rafe liked the idea of all the room for Steve to run around on the ranch where the clubhouse was located.
“Been a bit like prison here,” Rafe said, but he was smiling. “But thanks for putting me up. And springing my dog from dog jail,” he added, shaking my hand.
“Ready?” Raff, used to the road life, asked, standing there with a giant coffee and a cooler full of sandwiches from Detroit.
“Yep,” Rafe said, slinging a bag over his shoulder and picking up two others that were full of Steve’s chews, toys, and food.
“Yeah,” Syn said, sounding a lot less enthused about another road trip. But he had to wrap up the loose ends of his previous life before he could fully settle in Shady Valley.
“Keep an eye on my brother,” Saint demanded, giving Raff a hard look.
To that, Syn rolled his eyes. “Did fine on my own for years.”
“In a fucking storage unit,” Saint shot back. “Just be careful.”
It was clear Saint wanted to go. But there wasn’t enough room. And he had to worry about his check-ins with his parole officer.
“Yeah, boss man,” Raff said, putting his phone to his ear. “We’re hitting it now.”