Total pages in book: 75
Estimated words: 72126 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 361(@200wpm)___ 289(@250wpm)___ 240(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 72126 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 361(@200wpm)___ 289(@250wpm)___ 240(@300wpm)
“Nope. Far from it.” He took a long drag, then said, “I’m stuck between a rock and a hard place.”
“Maybe this whole house burning thing was just a coincidence or...”
“It was a threat. You know it, and I know it,” he cut me off. “I don’t want to wait around for them to make another move. We need to end this before it starts.”
I understood where Memphis was coming from, but knowing the risks, I pushed, “But do you really think giving them Carmine will make this go away?”
“He’s the one who started all this, not Mom. She had nothing to do with him taking that money. And neither did Antonia or anyone else in the club. The cartel’s not gonna stop until they get what they want.”
“And what they want is blood. You gotta know that Carmine’s only part of it, brother. They’ll take him and then come for the rest of us. You know how they work.”
“They might not even know we’re involved.”
“Maybe not, but it won’t take long for guys like these to piece it all together, and when they do...”
“I don’t know.” He shook his head. “There’s gotta be a way to end this.”
“I know you’re worried, but if we hand Carmine over, we’re sending a message that we’ll fold under pressure. If we come off looking weak, they’re liable to come after us even harder?”
“We’ve gotta do something.”
“And we will.” I let my words hang in the air for a moment before speaking, my voice softer this time. “But I’m telling ya, giving Carmine to the cartel won’t stop them from showing up at our door.”
Memphis nodded, his mind already turning over the next steps. “I’m gonna call Zeke and check-in, then go home to my woman.”
I gave him a nod, then turned and headed back inside the clubhouse. My mind should’ve been on the club and the possibility of war with the cartel, but as I started down the hall, there was only one thing on my mind.
Whitney.
I went down to her room, and being as quiet as possible, I eased the door open. The light from the hallway was enough for me to see that she and Toby were both sound asleep in their beds. Neither of them had a clue whether I was there or not, but I didn’t care. I’d promised her I’d stay, and that was exactly what I was going to do.
Besides, Seven had already proven that the guys knew where to find me if they needed me, so I quietly made my way back over to my spot on the floor. I leaned back against the wall and grabbed the blanket from the floor, quickly tossing it over me. While I wasn’t exactly comfortable, it felt right to be there—even more so than I expected.
I didn’t know what it was about these two, but they brought out something in me that I hadn’t felt in a very long time. I wasn’t sure if I liked it or not, but it didn’t matter. I wasn’t going anywhere now.
Whitney
“Hey.” I gave Ghost a nudge. “Ghost... Ghost, wake up.”
“Hmmm,” he groaned with a stretch.
I knelt beside him as I whispered, “Toby and I are going to grab some breakfast. I thought you might want to get up on my bed.”
“Nah.” He sat up with another stretch. “I’m good.”
I’d fallen asleep with him on the floor, but I never dreamed that he would stay there the entire night. But low and behold, I woke up this morning to find him sound asleep on the floor next to me. His arm was tucked under his head, and his usual hardened expression was gone, leaving him looking almost boyish. My heart stirred at the sight. He’d stayed with me all night, watching over me and making sure I didn’t have another bad dream.
It was such a sweet gesture—one I hadn’t expected from a man like him, and I liked it more than I cared to admit. I gave him a warm smile as I said, “You stayed.”
“I stepped out for a minute, but yeah.” He sat up and got to his feet. “I stayed.”
“You didn’t have to do that.”
“I know.” He gave me a slight smile. “But I wanted to.”
“Well, thanks. I really appreciate it.”
“No problem.” He reached for the door as he said, “I’m gonna stop by my room and take a quick shower. I’ll meet you down in the kitchen.”
“Okay.”
Without saying anything more, Ghost slipped past me and disappeared down the hall. Once he was gone, I turned to Toby and asked, “You ready?”
“Do I really have to see the tutor today?”
“Yeah, you really do. Preacher has gone to a lot of trouble to find this lady, and you are going to listen to her and do the lessons she assigns—just like you would do if you were in school.”