Total pages in book: 88
Estimated words: 86230 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 431(@200wpm)___ 345(@250wpm)___ 287(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 86230 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 431(@200wpm)___ 345(@250wpm)___ 287(@300wpm)
He pauses before answering.
“Because I know I’d wade through shit for my queen.” He looks toward the horizon, and his jaw tightens as he thinks. “Listen, I’m going to tell you something, but if you mention it to anyone, I’ll fucking deny it.” His unholy eyes shift from the view to me. “Truth is, I’ve been where you are, so I get it. And if I’m real honest, it’s the one thing stopping me from sending both your asses away until we get that psychotic fuck under control.” He exhales roughly—it’s the kind of coarse breath a man takes when he’s remembering his past. “A few summers back, I spent a few days on the road to clear my head. I came out here and spent time riding through these mountains.”
“I remember you stayed a couple of nights at the clubhouse. At the time, there was no reason for your visit, and Jack never offered an explanation.”
“I had just found out the woman I was in love with was the goddaughter of my biggest rival and wasn’t in my life for the reasons I thought she was. When I found out, it was too late. I was already balls deep in, heart and all. But the lie shook me. Wormed its venom in my head. Confused the fuck out of me. So I came here.” He shakes his head as if he still can’t believe it. “After two decades of avoiding any commitment following my wife’s death, it turns out the first woman to turn my head was the one goddamn woman I should run from. It weighed fucking heavy on me. I had the club to think about, and I had my responsibilities as president to consider. But I couldn’t let her go. I didn’t want to let her go. Hell, I would’ve walked through hell and back again just to be with her. But the club is my life, my family. One had to come before the other.”
“So, what did you do?”
“Figured I could trust my gut or listen to my head.”
“And what were they telling you?”
“My gut said to get my ass back to Destiny before I lost her.”
“And your head?”
“It told me to fucking run.” The fierceness in his face softens for the briefest moment. “Truth is, I chose her because I trusted her as well as loved her.” His brow furrows again. “What are your instincts telling you?”
“They tell me to run as fucking fast as I can toward this woman.”
His brows lift mildly in a tiny display of surprise, then resume their poker-face position.
“So you trust her?”
“I do.”
“Then you’ll find a way to make it work.” He puts his shades back on. “Just try not to die in the process, or take the club down with you.”
The ride back to the Flintlock seems to pass in hazy sunlight as the sun moves lower in the sky, dappling the landscape in dreamy shades of golden light.
It’s been an amazing day. Everyone has had a good time, but the earlier excitement has died down to a relaxing ride home.
Back at the church parking lot, Dolly and TJ have set up a cookout for all the riders, and there’s plenty of beer and other refreshments for people to enjoy while we celebrate another successful ride.
Today, we raised more than twenty thousand dollars for the family, and by the time Bull presents the family with the check, the ride is all over the television. Sofie and Bobbi-Lynn are once again seen in thousands of households across the state.
One day, their murders will be solved, and justice will be served. Their family will be able to rest easier knowing they weren’t forgotten. We all believe it, and we’re all committed to making sure the family has the means to pursue their ending.
Lily and I don’t stay at the cookout long. She’s tired, and by the time the sky begins to streak with colors of the dying sun, I notice how pale she looks.
“You feeling okay?”
“I’m fine. It’s just been a long day.”
Again, I get that strange sense she’s holding something back. But I don’t push her. Instead, I press a kiss into her hair and take her hand in mine. “Come on, let’s say goodbye to everyone.”
After we bid the Mississippi Kings goodbye—with Sybil making us promise to visit, and after we pay our respects to the Gannaway family—I help my girl back onto my bike again, and we start our ride back to the clubhouse as twilight settles across the quiet small town. Streetlights come on and illuminate the way home as we both take the time to enjoy the peaceful night after a long day’s ride.
By the time we make it back to the clubhouse, it’s late, and the moon is high in the cloudless summer night.
Exhausted, we fall into bed, and with a soft murmur, Lily curls her body into mine. We don’t make love. We simply hold each other and let our fatigue consume us.