Total pages in book: 101
Estimated words: 98255 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 491(@200wpm)___ 393(@250wpm)___ 328(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 98255 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 491(@200wpm)___ 393(@250wpm)___ 328(@300wpm)
Was there a lot of shit that happened that he didn’t know about?
“I’ve got to protect Grant.”
“Putting him in a cell is not going to help.”
“I’m not going to receive him as body parts in the mail. That kind of shit I can’t do.” He ran a hand down his face.
There were times he hated Grant and he’d even thought about killing him once or twice, but he’d never actually do it. Last year, seeing William get parts of his dead brother had cut a little too close to home.
He figured the Vito Crew Cartel was the end of this shit. Yes, he still had business to deal with for the main Cartel, but in the past few months, they’d gone quiet. No gun runs. No drugs. No nothing. Bull wasn’t a fool. He knew shit was going down. What he needed to know was where, how, and when.
Maddie hated living at the club, but until he got rid of this new threat, there was nothing else he could do.
“Grant’s not a fool,” Pat said.
“But he’s hotheaded and I can’t risk him.” There was no way he’d be able to forgive himself. “What do we have on the ground?”
“According to our contacts, no movement. We’ve not had anything from Ranford either. He’d gone into hiding.”
Bull snorted. “And to think he thought he had the answers.” Ranford had once told him that the key to getting the Cartel out of his life was to be willing to sacrifice it all. That wasn’t how he worked. He had the club, Grant, now Maddie and his daughter. He couldn’t just go after the Cartel.
With Ranford now in hiding, it seemed neither could he. The truth was, Ranford’s brother brought the Cartel back into his world. It started in the dogfighting ring, but when they kidnapped Ranford Junior, they tortured him and he clearly ended up giving away too much information that came to bite William in the ass.
“I want the club on high alert. We’re going hunting. I want to check out all the areas around Carnage. I’m not going to give those bastards any chance to hide.”
He knew something was going on, and it was either in his town, or traveling through it. He’d need to talk to Dylan. Bull didn’t like how often he had to talk to Dylan in the past few months. He much preferred to keep a distance between him and law enforcement.
****
“I can’t believe your brother threw you in jail,” Aria said, as she poured the hot water out of the kettle. She had already put the food down for Wanda. After a short hesitation, the dog started to eat.
“Yeah, well, my brother is a real piece of work.” Grant was lying on the bed, looking annoyed.
She noticed his jaw kept clenching. Carrying the coffee over to him, she offered him the mug.
“Do you have anything to make this stronger?”
“A spoonful of espresso?” she asked.
He wrinkled his nose.
“Sorry, I don’t keep whiskey or anything in the house. I don’t drink.”
He chuckled. “I noticed.” He took a sip of the coffee.
Aria blew across the surface of hers. She’d been surprised to get the phone call from the sheriff, asking her to come and bail out Grant.
“How are you feeling?” she asked.
“Fine.”
“I got there as soon as I could.”
“What were you doing?” Grant asked.
“I was having lunch with Lidia.”
“Your friend?”
“Yeah.”
“I bet she hates my guts.”
Aria laughed. “Actually, I think you might be her favorite person right now. Probably her only favorite person.”
Grant smirked. He reached out and cupped her cheek. “I love it when you laugh.” He ran his thumb down and across her lip.
She couldn’t help but lick her lips, and he groaned.
“Aria, baby, I’m trying to be good here, to take it slow, but I really want to fucking kiss you right now. You’re making it hard for me to be good.”
She wanted him to kiss her. Biting her lip, she leaned close and slowly brushed her lips across his. It was quick and swift, and she pulled away fast.
“You think that was a kiss?” he asked.
“It was a start.”
He chuckled. The sound was deep, rough, and seemed to spark a response within her body. Grant leaned forward and put his coffee on the table. He took her drink from her, and then both of his hands were on her face.
“No, this is how I want to kiss you.” He took possession of her lips, and Aria couldn’t think.
She’d never been kissed like this before. In fact, if she was honest with herself, she’d never been kissed, period.
Unlike her friend Lidia, who’d constantly been surrounded by guys, Aria hadn’t. She didn’t mind, though. The last thing she wanted to do was date. Her parents were already humiliating enough when her sister brought boyfriends home. She had no doubt her mother wouldn’t have a problem bringing up her weight if she brought someone home with her. Even Lidia hadn’t been immune to hearing her mother moan about what she did or didn’t do. It was exhausting.