Total pages in book: 52
Estimated words: 47615 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 238(@200wpm)___ 190(@250wpm)___ 159(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 47615 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 238(@200wpm)___ 190(@250wpm)___ 159(@300wpm)
I crossed to her, cupping her face in my hands. “Stay close to me today. Please?”
She covered my hands with hers, her eyes steady on mine. “I will.”
“Let’s go then.”
As we headed out, my mind kept returning to the footage of Rat Man skulking through the shadows. I’d escaped his orbit once, through bars and barbed wire. I wouldn’t let him pull me back in. And I would kill the miserable son of a bitch. This time, only one of us was walking away. And it sure as hell wasn’t going to be him.
Chapter Eleven
Jag
Haven looked different in the morning light -- less like a fortress and more like what it was supposed to be. A temporary sanctuary for women who’d been beaten, traumatized, and needed protection. I scanned the area as Ada and I approached, noting two prospects and Tiny stationed by the entrance. Though the club had stepped up security around Haven, they’d done so in a very non-threatening way so the few residents of Haven wouldn’t be terrified. Tiny nodded as we approached then passed through the gate.
Inside the building, most of the furnishings had already been cleared out, leaving only stacks of labeled boxes awaiting transport. I spotted Knight examining the security panel near the rear exit.
Ada squeezed my hand once before releasing it, immediately moving to where Hannah was sealing a box with packing tape. The two women worked together organizing the rest of the boxes needing to go to the new building.
“They’ve got a rhythm going,” a deep voice observed from beside me.
I glanced up -- way up -- at Tiny, who towered over me like some modern-day giant. Despite his size, there was something oddly gentle about the way he handled the stacks of children’s books he was transferring to a crate.
“Been at it since dawn,” he continued, nodding toward the other women. “Hannah’s got a system. God help anyone who messes it up.” The affection in his voice took any sting out of the words.
I helped the men move the last of the heavy shit from the back, mostly beds and mattresses. Though most things had already been transferred to the temporary facility along with the residents, it still took us a couple of hours to finish up.
“Almost done,” Ada called over to me, wiping sweat from her forehead with the back of her arm. “Just waiting on Tiny’s truck to move the last load.”
“Already backed it up to the loading dock,” Tiny replied, lifting a crate that would have taken two normal men. His muscles bulged beneath his cut as he carried it toward the rear exit. I moved to help Hannah with a particularly unwieldy box, steadying it as she secured the contents with bubble wrap.
“Thanks,” she murmured, her quiet voice barely audible over the ambient noise. “This is the last of the breakable stuff.”
I nodded, carefully maneuvering the box onto a dolly. Hannah gave me a grateful look before moving on to the next task, her movements economical and focused.
I looked around until I caught sight of Ada. I couldn’t seem to keep my attention on anything else. She helped load smaller boxes into a larger crate, chatting lightly with Hannah and a woman I’d only met when we got here named Darby. She was Sully’s old lady and a very big handful. She also seemed to get along with everyone. Well, everyone she wanted to get along with anyway.
Ada put the last box in the crate when she froze mid-movement. Her expression shifted from concentration to dismay. “Shit!” she exclaimed, loud enough to make Hannah look up in surprise. “The cookies!”
“Cookies?” Hannah echoed, confused.
Ada set down the box she was holding, already moving toward the door. “I made chocolate chip cookies for the kids last night. To help them settle in at the new place.” Her face was a picture of genuine distress. “I left them cooling at the clubhouse and completely forgot to pack them.”
The thought of Ada fixating on something so normal, so goddamn maternal, in the midst of all this chaos made my chest tighten and made me want to smile. She cared about making these displaced kids feel welcome while the rest of us were focused on security stuff. She and all the other old ladies. Kiss of Death now was a world away from the Kiss of Death I’d known in the past.
“I need to run back and get them,” she said, already heading toward the door.
I was at her side in three strides. “I’ll come with you,” I offered, the words automatic. The idea of her moving around the compound alone with Rat Man in the vicinity threatened to give me a panic attack.
Ada paused, turning to face me with a soft smile that didn’t quite mask her determination. “It’s right around the corner, Jag. I’ll be ten minutes, tops.” She gestured at the remaining boxes. “They need your help here more than I need an escort for a two-minute walk.”