Total pages in book: 70
Estimated words: 69759 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 349(@200wpm)___ 279(@250wpm)___ 233(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 69759 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 349(@200wpm)___ 279(@250wpm)___ 233(@300wpm)
I don’t care.
“Riggs,” I whimper, searching for his mouth.
“Fuck. I need you.”
He kisses me again, hard and rough, as he finds his release. We both tremble, probably from a combination of pleasure and cold. When we finally come down from the most incredible high, he releases me and we adjust our clothes. I look up at him, the shadow of his face only visible just slightly under the streetlight. I reach up and cup the side of his cheek. “I want you.”
He makes a throaty sound and growls, “Yeah, I want you, too.”
“Don’t hurt my brother.”
He studies my face. “Fine, but he owes me, and I know exactly how he can do that.”
I nod. “Whatever you want.”
“Let’s get out of this fuckin’ rain.”
He takes my hand and leads me out of the rain and back into the clubhouse. After getting an oversized tee to wear and a towel to dry off, I meet him back in his office. He’s wearing a pair of jeans and nothing else. The gold chain around his neck glimmers against his bronze skin and I want him again. I need him right fucking now, but I have to deal with this first.
I’m obsessed, and I don’t care.
“What’s the plan?” Beckett asks when we’re all back in the room.
“He joins the club.”
I blink. Stefano’s head whips around. We all stare at Riggs in shock.
“What?” I gasp.
“You either pay for your actions in the way everyone else does, or you swear your loyalty to me and my brothers by joining the club as a prospect. Which means you’re our little bitch until we say otherwise. The choice is yours.”
I swallow, clamping my mouth shut because I know if I argue right now, I could end up getting Stefano the wrong side of the deal and being in the club is better than being out there selling drugs and doing things that’ll get him killed. If he’s going down that road, then maybe having the club to guide him won’t be such a bad thing.
I meet my brother’s eyes and give a little nod.
“Okay,” he agrees.
Riggs nods once. “Beckett, he’s all yours. Get him up to speed.”
Beckett unties Stefano, and I rush over, throwing my arms around him.
“Tell me I made the right choice?” he whispers near my ear.
“You made the right choice.”
God, I hope I’m right.
16
“YOU LOOK EXHAUSTED,” Carmen says when she comes in for a coffee first thing the next morning, looking as glamorous as ever.
“I am exhausted. Last night was ... interesting.”
She grins. “Spill!”
I tell her mostly everything that happened and how Riggs took me in the parking lot and I think we’re an item now. As she listens, her face flashes with something unfamiliar. I could almost swear it’s rage.
“You think I’m crazy for taking him back?” I ask. “Because right now you look like you’re about to stand up and put my head through the window.”
Her face softens and she laughs, but it sounds forced. “Sorry, I was a bit distracted. I do think you should be careful, he doesn’t sound like a nice guy.”
I mean, that’s a bit of an assumption considering she’s never met him.
“I know it probably seems like that, but god, he drives me crazy.”
She stands, clutching her stomach. “Sorry, I’m actually feeling really off. Can we catch up later to talk?”
“Yeah, of course.”
She rushes out, and I watch her go, confused. I hope she’s okay. She really seemed to get upset over my story.
I get back to work and the police call mid-way through the day, telling me to come into the station. I agree to go in on my lunch break and, with a belly full of nerves, I do just that.
I’m certain Riggs has told them he was wrong, and maybe they’re going to tell me I’m all clear, but I’m worried about it now.
When I get to the station, Riggs and Beckett are both there waiting. When they see me, Riggs nods as if to let me know everything will be fine. Before I get the chance to speak to them, we’re all called into a large room with glass windows surrounding it. Billy, the officer I spoke to before, takes a seat in front of us.
“We managed to find some security footage on the night of the fire and can confirm that Evelina wasn’t the one to light it.”
Oh. Thank god.
“Then who the fuck did it?” Riggs asks.
“Cash, we’d appreciate if you keep the swearing to a minimum,” Billy scolds.
Cash.
Riggs glares at him, and he quickly goes on. “We’re not sure who the woman is, but we have snapped the clearest shot we can get from the footage. We’re hoping one of you might know her.”
A woman?
What?
He slides a picture toward us. It’s a side profile of a woman, and even though it’s pixilated and blurry, I know her right away.