Total pages in book: 159
Estimated words: 149148 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 746(@200wpm)___ 597(@250wpm)___ 497(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 149148 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 746(@200wpm)___ 597(@250wpm)___ 497(@300wpm)
The look on MJ’s face was that of a terrified child. Couldn’t Helios see this? When had he gone so fucking blind?
Yuri turned to the club’s president. “Why are you making her do this?”
Why do you fucking care?
Helios wanted to snarl the question out, but to do so would be to admit that he knew the two of them had been fooling him, and that he still cared for...her. Pain made Helios unable to see the deep-etched fear in MJ’s eyes. All he saw was a woman who had betrayed him. Just like Odessa.
“It’s up to you.” His words were dispassionate. “If you want to prove that you want me, then ride a bike. You should be thankful to Astrid for being so generous.”
Helios’ words were like nails being driven into her own coffin, and that coffin was but a cage...of her own love.
Suddenly, everything became so clear.
She used to think that fear was the only reason she did things for James, but it wasn’t. It wasn’t just fear. Not at all. What drove her to lie on the ground, to risk doing everything James did was because...
She loved James.
And she had wished, by doing what he told her to do, there would come a day he would love her back.
Her gaze turned to Helios, but she didn’t really see him. She saw James. She saw a man she loved. Right now, they were one and the same. And they wanted the same thing, too. Her heart on a platter. Just because.
The tears on MJ’s face made Helios inhale sharply. He wanted to roar. Stop. He didn’t want her looking like that, dammit.
But the words remained unspoken when he watched Yuri grabbing his girl’s wrist, Yuri trying to comfort his girl, and saying words that Helios knew deep inside he should be the one saying.
Yuri turned to him. “Don’t make her do this—”
Helios cut Yuri off, saying in a coldly pleasant voice, “It’s her choice.”
MJ was already walking towards one of the practice bikes the club lent to rookies. It was obvious to everyone she was shaking.
Something about it triggered alarms inside him, but Helios deliberately ignored it. If she wanted to fucking prove she wanted him, even if she wanted Yuri, then he hoped to God she suffered. He damn hoped she would suffer the way she so easily shredded him into pieces with her betrayal.
MJ looked down at the bike.
James’ taunting voice echoed inside her head. Ready, MJ?
She slowly swung her leg over the seat.
I’m gonna do this fast.
She started the engine without any difficulties. It was ridiculous, the way she had been able to memorize everything she had to do to ride a bike just by watching what James did.
Here I come...
She let the motorcycle fly.
Helios’ blood turned cold when he saw MJ’s bike blast off. She was going too fast for a beginner, dammit. Too fucking fast.
“STOP!” He couldn’t believe she was heading for the ramp. “STOP, DAMN YOU, STOP!”
And then she was soaring.
His heart stopped as she soared.
But everything went wrong after that.
There wasn’t enough momentum, and the bike went down fast, his heart crashing with it.
The motorcycle hit the ground with a loud smash, and Helios broke into a run as he saw MJ let it go with a scream and go flying like an unwanted doll hurled in the air. “MJ!” He ran as fast as he could, but he knew even before he reached her he would be too late.
MJ’s head hit the edge of the ramp first, and her body laid twisted on the ground, a doll broken by his cruelty.
“NO!” His chest was heaving and he could feel the blood leaving his face as he skidded to his knees next to her. “MJ?” he asked hoarsely, turning her around carefully.
Blood.
It ran down the side of her head, and the sight of it turned his stomach upside down.
Yuri was the first to reach them. “Fuck,” he whispered, seeing the gash on MJ’s head. Behind them, Kellion was already calling 911 and Hallie was crying.
“Don’t touch her!” The words were torn out of Helios when Yuri tried to reach for MJ’s hand. Her head was cradled on his lap, but she still hadn’t stirred and her breathing was too shallow.
He lifted his gaze to Yuri. “She’s not yours—”
“She never was,” Yuri snapped. “It’s always been you.”
Yuri’s words ripped through the haze of jealousy in Helios’ gaze, and when he looked down at MJ, shame burned inside him. What had he done? What had he fucking done?
Chapter Sixteen
“SHE SAW YOU ON THE day we saved Rick.”
The quiet words Yuri spoke was the only thing that made Helios move his gaze away from MJ. She laid on the hospital bed, unconscious, her head bandaged. She looked so small and pale on the bed. It killed him inside, knowing that he was the reason she was there.