Total pages in book: 71
Estimated words: 67757 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 339(@200wpm)___ 271(@250wpm)___ 226(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 67757 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 339(@200wpm)___ 271(@250wpm)___ 226(@300wpm)
“Yeah, thanks.” I sit up and look around the room, searching for my clothes, but if all else fails, I guess I can walk across the hall in nothing at all or in the bed sheet. Since Frannie is still here, I figure the best course of action is to show a little modesty in front of Aria’s friend.
“Where in the hell are my clothes?”
“In the laundry room,” Frannie answers easily.
“Oh.” I reach for the coffee and gulp it down, ignoring the hot, burning sensation deep in my throat. I smack my lips and kick my legs over the side of the bed and stand. Fuck modesty. If Frannie doesn’t want to see me in the buff, she shouldn’t have stolen my clothes.
“Sweet fucking Jesus,” she grumbles when I push to my feet and walk across the room and out the door until I’m inside the guest suite. “Put some damn clothes on. This isn’t a peep show.”
I laugh at her shock and close the door behind me as last night comes back to me in vibrant living color. Aria arching her back to me, digging her nails deep into my flesh as she shouts her pleasure into the air.
“Fuck,” I growl and grab a fresh set of clothes. Aria is hiding from me, and for now, I’ll allow it since I have more important shit to deal with at the moment.
Calling Ace, for one.
“What’s up, Lucky?” Ace growls into the phone, typical for him, but I don’t let it bother me.
“Ace,” I sigh. “I got more dirt on Geoffrey Morgan.”
“The same crap you shared with Wild Man?”
I nod even though he can’t see me. “Yeah. And there’s more. You get a chance to sift through it yet?”
“Nah, but Wild Man says the guy’s got his grubby fingers in a hell of a lot more than we first thought.”
“Well, there’s more. Not a convo we should have over the phone.” I rake a hand through my hair and release a sigh. “But it’s crucial, man.”
“Does it put the club in danger?”
Shit. “Possibly, and if not now, then it could happen in the future, and it ain’t gonna be pretty.”
“I’ll send Gia and Wild Man over today to gather more intel. Has anything you’ve dug up indicate that Aria might be a problem?”
“No.” It’s not the entire truth, but I couldn’t deny that it was a distinct possibility down the line. “She’s coping, but she’s fine.” For now. I hope.
“Good. Keep it that way. Until we figure this shit out, we need to keep her safe.”
“Consider it done.” Aria’s safety is my top priority, and it has very little to do with the MC. She’s in a fragile fucking place right now, feeling low and at risk of doing something stupid as fuck. “I’m by her side for as long as it takes.”
Silence stretches across the call before Ace speaks. “Something going on with you two?”
“No,” I lie. “But soon enough you’ll know what’s up, and it’ll all make sense, or at least as much sense as it can.”
“All right, brother. I’ll send Wild Man over ASAP. Keep your head on a swivel.”
“Always,” I grin. It’s the same damn thing my commanding officer used to say to us to remind us to stay alert and keep an eye out for the enemy.
Ace ends the call, and I shove my phone in my back pocket before I search for Aria. I’m not sure if she left early to hide from me and that hellacious ass-fucking last night or if she’s still coping with the new information about Geoffrey.
I walk over to the oversized library that doubles as Geoffrey Morgan’s office, and that’s where I find Aria, hunched over a laptop with tears streaking down her cheeks. “Aria?”
She’s too deep into what she’s working on to hear me, never mind acknowledge me.
“What the actual fuck?” She bangs on the keyboard with her fists, crying and on the verge of a mini breakdown.
“Need some help?”
She freezes and looks up at me. “Maybe. Are you some kind of whiz at figuring out passwords?”
I shrug and push off the doorway. “No, but I do know one or two people who are. “I step slowly inside until only the big ass desk stands between us. “What are you doing?”
“Trying to get into Daddy’s laptop, but my birthday isn’t the password. Go fucking figure.” She smacks the keyboard again and pushes back with a grunt.
“If you try too many times, you might lock it,” I tell her and remove the laptop from the desk. “Are you looking for something specific?”
“Yes,” she pouts. “No. Hell, I don’t fucking know.” She lets out a frustrated sigh as her gaze wanders to the laptop that now sits on the chair behind me. “Do you think the feds orchestrated the arrest so they could talk to Daddy in private?”