Total pages in book: 47
Estimated words: 46143 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 231(@200wpm)___ 185(@250wpm)___ 154(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 46143 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 231(@200wpm)___ 185(@250wpm)___ 154(@300wpm)
Our club is throwing a party tonight to celebrate the alliance. I know Mara will be here and I’m dreading it. I’ve got a friend coming to act as my old lady. It’s stupid, I know, but I need a buffer between me and Mara—even though it has been a year since I’ve said one word to her.
“Are you ready for the meeting with the officers of the RDMC?” C asks.
I grunt. I’m a man of few words. It’s not that I have trouble talking, I just don’t feel the need. My brain works better with silence. “I’ll be here, but I’m not sure why Grift can’t handle it. I hate doing shit like this.”
“Griff is taking Nana and Brushes out of town for the weekend. Brushes had some paintings in a gallery showing in Atlanta. It couldn’t be rescheduled.
I exhale loudly but nod my head in agreement.
C slaps me on the shoulder. “I know you’re upset because Rogue is going to be on club property and bringing his old lady, but you need to hold your shit together, brother.”
I grunt, although even that sounds strained. “I’m fine. Mara made her choice, and it wasn’t me. Bitch doesn’t bother me any longer.”
“I’ll believe that when you stop living like a monk. Remember, the best way to get over a woman is to get another one under you.”
I practically roll my eyes. “If you think it’s that easy, then why don’t you go find another woman to fuck and get the Devil’s Blaze princess out of your head?
“No fucking way, but Isolde is choosing me. I just need to be patient.”
I shake my head. “I actually have a woman coming tonight. I’m thinking about claiming her.”
“Holy shit, really? I didn’t even know you were seeing someone.”
“It’s complicated. She, well, I met her when I started seeing Mara.”
“What does that mean? You dated both of them?”
“No. Clancy isn’t like that. She’s a good girl.”
“That doesn’t sound like your type, Savage.”
I scrub my face with my hand. It’s hard to lie to C. He’s right. I don’t go for the good girls. Clancy is the one person in my life that I’m close to—besides my brothers. It’s not a sexual attraction or relationship, but I can’t tell him that. He’s going to flip his shit though when I explain who Clancy is—something I’m not going to do just yet.
“She was there for me during the darkest part of my life,” I admit. “She’s special. I’m just asking you to be nice to her. She’s a little nervous about being here tonight.”
“Can’t wait to meet her, man. I mean that.”
I nod. “Got shit to do,” I mutter before walking off.
As I head outside for fresh air, I do my best to push thoughts of Mara and her long chestnut hair and sparkling green eyes from my mind. She’s my past. I loved her with everything I had, but she didn’t choose me and that’s all there is to it. There’s nothing else I can do, and I’ve come to terms with that. I’m not about to let her know that what we had still bothers me. That’s why Clancy is the perfect choice. Clancy hates Mara. The hate is so strong that it has caused issues in our friendship before. Still, our connection is so strong that nothing can shake it. I know I’m a dick for using Clancy. I should probably use one of the club girls, but I know that me having a relationship with Clancy will hurt Mara worse than anyone else. I want her to feel that pain. Yeah, I’m a bastard, but seeing Mara’s face when she truly believes that I’m claiming her little sister as my old lady is the only thing helping me get through this shit.
Once all this is done, I’ll make sure Clancy is okay, though. There is definitely no love lost between her and Mara. Plus, Mara can be a vindictive bitch. I’ll make sure she can’t touch Clancy. I may not truly be taking her as my old lady, but she will always have my protection.
Always.
20
BLOOD AND DESTRUCTION
IZZY
I pull up outside the Kings of Anarchy clubhouse. I can’t lie. I’m a nervous wreck. It’s Friday night and Caleb isn’t expecting me until Saturday. The entire trip here, I kept second-guessing whether I should have told Caleb that I was coming in earlier. I just wanted to surprise him, so I decided not to. I’m just praying that’s not a mistake. I know he had a meeting about an alliance tonight. Still, if nothing else, I can hang around in his room at the club until he’s free. I take a shaky breath and let it try to steady me. It doesn’t really work.
Tonight is the night that I’m going to tell Caleb that I love him. From there, I’m also going to confess that my hospital evaluation wasn’t just good. Nope, it was great. It was so much better than I expected that I felt comfortable letting Blake know I’m thinking of transferring to St. Lutheran Hospital in Tennessee. I was hoping he’d help me with the paperwork and a personal recommendation. My gamble paid off. When Blake heard the hospital name and knew he couldn’t talk me into staying at UK, he called the head of trauma surgery at St. Lutheran, who apparently, he was friends with through his own residency at Vanderbilt Hospital.