Total pages in book: 79
Estimated words: 78487 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 392(@200wpm)___ 314(@250wpm)___ 262(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 78487 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 392(@200wpm)___ 314(@250wpm)___ 262(@300wpm)
“I have a pretty good feeling about her too.”
Neither Jack nor I are into talking about our feelings.
But part of Jack’s role as president is to check in with his men.
Make sure they’ve got their heads on right.
It’s why he’s keeping a strong eye on Gabe.
“You think she’s someone who might hang around?”
“I hope so.”
He smiles. “Sounds like it might be a good thing. She’s made friends quickly. Cinnamon was around to babysit Rhett and wouldn’t stop talking about how much she likes her. And Dolly thinks she’s sweeter than… what did she fucking say… stolen honey or some shit like that.” He shakes his head. Dolly’s never short of a metaphor. “Sounds like she’s a good fit.”
“I was thinking the same thing.”
Jack pauses. His grin fades. Something has triggered his sixth sense. He looks around.
“Do you hear that?”
“I don’t hear anything.”
“Exactly. It’s too quiet outside.”
He’s right, there is an eerie silence. There are no voices. No movement.
Jack looks at me, and my hand slides to my gun.
Just as his slides to his.
We turn around to leave the barn but come face to face with three men in suits wearing Halloween masks.
And one of them is holding a motherfucking flamethrower.
RORY
“Well, here’s a sight for sore eyes,” Dolly says as I walk into the clubhouse bar. She gives me a friendly wink and leans against the polished counter.
I slide onto one of the bar stools, my stomach in knots because of what I’m about to do.
I’ve come to tell Ares everything.
And I mean everything.
Planned assassination and all.
I mean, after last night, how can I not?
This morning, I woke up alone, but Ares’ warmth still lingered in the sheets, and in that moment, I realized I couldn’t continue with the lie.
Not after last night.
Not after those words.
I’m fucking falling for you.
Killing a man for being evil is one thing. Stringing along a man with a good heart is another.
Ares isn’t the monster I thought he was, and somehow, I’ve become the villain in this story. Now I’m here, ready to tell him everything, despite knowing I’ll probably lose the best thing that’s ever happened to me, and at the same time, break his heart in the process.
But it’s the right thing to do.
I’m nervous, and Dolly can tell. “Everything okay, honey?”
No, everything sucks.
“Of course, I’m just a little tired.” I force a smile. Dolly is the mom I never had, and it kills me to know I’ll be letting her down too.
I’m going to lose the family I’ve always wanted.
“You here to see that gorgeous man of yours?”
Yep, but I’m about to destroy him.
I press two fingers into my temples. “Is he here?”
“He and Jack rode out to the grow shed, but they’ll be back soon. Can I get you a drink while you wait?”
Yes, a tall glass of cyanide because I’m a terrible person.
I lean my elbows on the bar and push my hands through my hair. “Is it too soon for tequila?”
“I’m sure it’s five o’clock somewhere.” She grabs a bottle and two shot glasses, lining them up in front of me. “Everything okay with you and Ares?”
You mean, besides me being here to kill him?
“Yeah, of course,” I say, but my face says otherwise.
“You know, it’s been a long while since I’ve seen that boy smile, and now, he’s smiling every day. Come to think of it, I don’t think I’ve ever seen him so happy. Didn’t used to be the word I’d use to describe him, but since you’ve come along, he’s happier than a pig in mud.”
I feel the heat of her gaze on me.
Oh boy, she’s going to hate me when she finds out the reason I walked into all their lives.
The weight of it settles on my chest.
And Dolly can tell.
She leans against the countertop. “You know that boy has a sad past. He doesn’t talk about it, not to me, not to Jack, not to anyone but Paw, and that was only because a night of heavy drinking loosened his lips. But I know his past haunts him. He has a deep wound in that big heart of his, a wound that keeps bleeding with every day that passes.” She tilts her head. “You look like you’re here to add to that bloodletting. But I hope I’m wrong.”
I buckle under the weight of her knowing look, and my hands go to my face. “Oh, Dolly, I’ve fucked up. I’ve fucked up real bad.”
“So bad that you have to hurt him?”
I drop my hands so I can make eye contact. “I don’t want to hurt him.”
“Then don’t.”
“I have a secret,” I whisper, tears welling in my eyes. “A terrible secret.”
She pours another shot and hands it to me. “Oh, baby girl, we all have our secrets. There ain’t no crime in that.”
“But what if that secret can hurt the one you love?”