Total pages in book: 174
Estimated words: 172061 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 860(@200wpm)___ 688(@250wpm)___ 574(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 172061 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 860(@200wpm)___ 688(@250wpm)___ 574(@300wpm)
“It’s me,” I grunted.
“Who’s me?” I could hear the laughter in his voice.
For fuck’s sake.
“It’s Cash, and if you don’t open the damned door, I’m going to put your head through it once I get in there.”
Metal creaked as the lock was disengaged, then Otto’s smug, grinning face was on the other side. “Sheesh, man. Why always so violent?”
I didn’t indulge him with a response.
Brute chuckled and clapped me on the back as I entered. “Hey, hey, no need to get surly. Just messin’ with you, brother.”
Never got how there could be any lightness on nights like these. This was business. Where our focus needed to remain.
I let my attention wander Kane’s office, taking in my crew.
Kane was behind the enormous mahogany desk, his boots propped on top. River leaned against the front of it with his ankles and arms crossed, and Theo lounged on the velvet sofa that sat on the wall closest to me.
They were all a smidgeon too casual for my taste, but I knew them finding joy and peace in their lives didn’t make them any less deadly. Everyone was still committed to this cause, even though I wasn’t sure how we were going to maintain it long-term.
Living on the edge of constant peril with their women and children in the mix.
Our intention had been that only Raven, River’s little sister, would ever be involved or know what we did since she was there from the beginning.
Now that circle had grown in a way I couldn’t fathom.
Terrified me, but how could I wish it to be anything else? Couldn’t imagine taking that joy away from my crew, but I guess them losing it was what scared me in the first place.
Concern flashed through River’s dark expression as he took me in. Like the guy could read my anxiety that was a hundred times thicker than it normally was.
I was always the fucking cloud that fogged over the room.
But tonight…
“Hey,” he said, his pitch-black eyes appraising. Dude was as intimidating as they came. Wide and thick, but pure fucking muscle. Black hair the same color as his daunting gaze. Every inch of him was covered in ink. Color swirled up from his shirt to surround his neck, touching the backs of his ears, plus he had a row of five small stars that dotted his hairline.
He was our artist, writing our flesh like a history book of our sins.
He never asked me what mine meant when he did them. He sat silent, respecting the fact that I rarely spoke.
“Hey,” I returned, itching as Otto closed the door and worked back through the locks.
Theo stood and raked a hand through his midnight hair, dude canting a sly grin in my direction. The guy was happier than he’d ever been, his world turned upside down when Piper showed up in town with her little boy and her grandmother six months ago. The last of my crew to hook up.
Leaving me the odd man out.
That was just fine.
I’d been a loner for a long fucking time.
Seemed fitting.
Theo’s head tipped to the side, no question he picked up on the agitation, too. “You okay?”
“Yup,” was all I gave him. I sure as hell wasn’t about to dish about Daisy. Not when I didn’t have the first clue how I was going to handle the situation.
He gave a slight shrug, clearly not expecting anything else.
I turned to Kane, who was rising from the desk. “Let’s get this over with, yeah?”
He scuffed a hand through his light brown hair, face full of an overbearing smile. “Someone’s in a hurry. What, is it too much to hang out with your brothers for a little bit?”
There was no anger to it. Just a razzing, which I got about every time I got in their space.
“He’s just saving me from having to look at your ugly mug for that long,” Otto cracked as he crossed the room.
“You wish, asshole,” Kane tossed back. “Only reason you don’t want to be staring at me is because you get sad when you have to look at yourself in the mirror. Because this right here is one handsome motherfucker. Just ask my Em-Girl.”
Kane roughed a hand over his jaw that showed a day’s worth of stubble.
“Keep dreaming, man, keep dreaming. It’s my Moonflower who gets the treat every time she looks at me. Of course, the real treat is when I’m touching her.” Otto widened his blue eyes, laying it on thick.
River sent a warning grunt at him. Otto never stopped rubbing it in that he’d hooked up with Raven, played it up every fucking chance he got.
Way I saw it was he just couldn’t help himself from talking about the woman. He’d been obsessed his entire damned life, and it was a wonder they hadn’t gotten together earlier than they had.