Total pages in book: 90
Estimated words: 83970 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 420(@200wpm)___ 336(@250wpm)___ 280(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 83970 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 420(@200wpm)___ 336(@250wpm)___ 280(@300wpm)
I slide my phone back in my pocket, never taking my eyes off of Emmalyn as she moves chips around her plate without bothering to eat any of them.
“You have to leave again.” It’s not a question; she could tell by the limited conversation the gist of the situation. I nod and take her hand again.
“I need you to stay at the clubhouse while I’m gone.”
“It’s so lonely there with you gone,” she whispers.
I hate that she’s lonely, and I wonder if leaving her alone all the time is best. I know it’s not what either one of us needs, but I have to work, and there’s no other alternative right now.
“Stay with me tonight?” She raises her eyes to mine. The sadness in them makes me want to call Blade back and tell him to pass the job to another team, but at the same time, I know after we get this job over with we’ll be in a better position to turn the next one down.
“Please? I want to hold you.”
“Okay,” she says with a weak smile.
I spend the next thirty minutes trying to raise her spirits, talking about anything and everything other than the fact that in twenty-four hours I’ll be leaving her again.
I’m very good at my job. My team is one of the best-trained group of men in the country, hence the reason we get called out so often. Even knowing that, I’m also well aware just how dangerous each one of these missions are. One slip, one piece of the puzzle we didn’t account for, could easily mean one of us doesn’t make it home.
I don’t want her to worry. I know eventually I’ll have to share more of what I do with her, but it’s the last thing I want to think about right now. Her knowing how dangerous our missions are, is not something I want in her head when I have to kiss her goodbye tomorrow, not knowing if I’ll see her amazing blue eyes ever again.
Chapter 25
Emmalyn
The ride to the clubhouse is a somber one for me. I’m excited with wonder about what may happen this evening, but it is overshadowed by the fact that by this time tomorrow Diego will be gone again. A sense of unease washes over me as we pull into the very crowded parking lot. There are more cars and motorcycles here than I’ve ever seen before.
I can’t help but wonder if this is what it is normally like, but things were dialed down while I was here. I remain on the bike and look toward the door where a small group of people has congregated to smoke.
“Itchy’s birthday party,” Diego explains over his shoulder as he pulls his helmet off.
I nod my understanding and climb off the bike, knowing I can’t sit on it all night. I take a deep breath and remove my helmet, handing it over to Diego.
“We can join the party, have a drink, or we can head to a quieter spot inside.” He takes my hand and guides me up the stairs and through the front door.
I was not prepared for the scene before my eyes when I crossed over into the dimly lit clubhouse. Throngs of people, mostly scantily clad or half naked women were everywhere. Dozens of bikers mingling, drinking, and various stages of sexual activity fill the large front room.
I swallow roughly and cut my eyes to Diego, certain he’s taking in his fair share of the show in front of him. I find him looking at me instead, gauging my reaction to the chaos.
“Maybe I should take my clothes off,” I say sarcastically to him.
I see his lip twitch in a partial smile at the bitterness I clearly didn’t hide in my voice. “Not exactly how I’d planned on spending my evening, and I actually like a few of the guys here; I’d hate to hurt them.”
I raise an eyebrow at him. “I’d have to whip every man’s ass in here that looked at you.” He steps in closer to me and wraps his arms around my waist, leaning down close to my ear. “If you want to take your clothes off, you should do it in my room. It would save me a lot of grief.”
My eyes widen when a topless woman walks past us. Diego doesn’t seem to notice her, and I realize he’s so used to this that naked women don’t even faze him. For some reason I feel territorial and want to get him away from the several women I saw begin to preen immediately the second he walked into the room. The knowledge that all he had to do was snap his fingers and they would line up to service him sits like a vile poison in my gut.
“Come on,” Diego says and tugs my hand toward the back hallway. The sounds of the party grow lighter the further we make our way toward his room. “One of the visiting Presidents will be in the room you were using. You can stay in mine. I’ll sleep on the chair if you want, but I’m hoping you’ll want to sleep in my arms.”