Total pages in book: 96
Estimated words: 94313 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 472(@200wpm)___ 377(@250wpm)___ 314(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 94313 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 472(@200wpm)___ 377(@250wpm)___ 314(@300wpm)
Straightening fully, I strode toward the door and made eye contact with her in the side mirror.
The Mustang fired up, and I bent down and threw the sliding door open.
I didn’t watch as she flew out of the garage, just stepped outside, my pistol up. Someone was standing close to the front door of the house and I fired at him, moving forward.
Gravel sprayed and I barely glanced toward the Mustang as it skidded backward. Esther hadn’t been lying when she said she could drive a stick. She was in first before I could blink and was flying down the driveway.
The man by the house finally went down, and I spun, looking for the other one. He was running toward the Mustang. It clipped him as Esther flew right past.
Good girl.
I ran toward him, and I was almost there when the roar of Harley pipes filled the air.
Chapter 17
Esther
I tried really hard to follow Otto’s directions, even though everything inside me told me to wait for him, but as I turned out onto the road going way too fast, I saw the motorcycles coming toward me. They weren’t in their lane.
Panicking, I swerved hard. Straight into the ditch.
I came to a jarring stop, biting my tongue in the process.
The motorcycles passed, turning into our driveway, and I let out a small sob of relief. They’d help Otto.
I nearly peed my pants when a gloved fist started pounding on my window.
“Hey, you okay?” the man yelled, yanking at the door.
He was wearing the same kind of vest that Otto wore. Friend.
“I’m okay,” I called back, fumbling with my seat belt and reaching for the lock at the same time.
“You sure?” he asked, throwing open the door. The car was sitting at a weird angle, and he had to stand against the door to keep it from closing again. “You’re bleedin’.”
“I’m okay,” I repeated, scrambling out of the car. I wiped at my forehead and cheeks, assuming I must’ve smacked my face and hadn’t realized it. “You have to help Otto. He’s at the house—” I stopped, my eyes widening in horror as I realized I’d sprayed the front of his vest and flannel with blood.
“Whoa,” he murmured as I stumbled. “You’re alright. Let me see your mouth.”
“Otto,” I repeated, pulling away. “You need to help Otto.”
“He’s got all the help he needs, sweetheart,” the man replied. “Trust me on that. Now I need to know why you’re bleeding.”
I stared over his shoulder at our driveway as I opened my mouth wide so he could look inside.
“Damn,” he said, pulling a black bandana out of his pocket. “You cut the hell outta your tongue and lip. Here, put some pressure on it.”
I nodded and pressed the bandana against my mouth as I pushed past him. He stayed close to my side as we crossed the road and held me back until he was sure that it was safe for me to go closer. When the house came into sight, my breath caught in my throat. You could see the flames coming through the living room window.
“Shit,” the man muttered as we got closer.
A few of the men were dealing with the guys who’d attacked us, but the rest of them were running in and out of the house. Otto turned away from his uncle Will as I reached them, and cursed.
“What the hell are you doin’ here?” he asked gruffly. “Fuck, you’re bleedin’!”
“I bit my tongue,” I replied, hysterical laughter bubbling out of my mouth. “I wrecked your car.” My voice broke on the last word.
“And we’re glad you did,” Will said dryly. “Rather than plow into us like a bowling ball.”
“Shit, Esther,” Otto murmured, pulling me into his arms. “Is that it? Are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” I sniffled. “I wasn’t going that fast.”
“You sure as shit were,” the man who’d helped me argued.
“You stopped for her?” Otto asked.
“Of course.”
“Thanks, Hulk.”
“No way his parents named him that,” I whispered to myself, making the men chuckle.
“It’s Cameron,” the man clarified. “Nice to meet you, Esther.”
I jerked as something crashed behind me and spun to face the house.
“We have to call the fire department,” I gasped, watching as Otto’s brother Micky used the garden hose to spray water through the window.
“Can’t,” Will said simply, glancing toward the attackers’ car.
Bile rose in my throat as I realized that a couple of the Aces were putting bodies into the trunk.
“We—I—” I stuttered to a stop.
“They were tryin’ to burn down our house while we were inside,” Otto reminded me, pulling me back against him. “Forget them.”
“I knew him,” I replied faintly, remembering the look on Japeth’s face as I’d raced past him. “He went to my church.”
“We know,” Will replied.
I didn’t turn around when someone drove the car off our property, just watched as Micky tried to fight what looked like a losing battle. It wasn’t until Rumi came stumbling around the side of the house that I realized he’d been fighting the fire from inside the house.