Total pages in book: 83
Estimated words: 76881 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 384(@200wpm)___ 308(@250wpm)___ 256(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 76881 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 384(@200wpm)___ 308(@250wpm)___ 256(@300wpm)
Savage is next to me, so close my arm is nestled against his side. He’s totally focused on the entrance, but just being near him is comforting.
It's dark in here. The front windows have been covered up, probably so just anyone can't look in and see all the sex toys. A few of the window coverings have started to peel off over the years though, so light is seeping in and making it more like dusk, instead of middle of the night.
I shift and my hand lands on something squishy. I fling it away, not wanting to see. “Why does every place we end up have to do with sex? One more and I swear I’m buying a lottery ticket.”
“Giving you ideas?” Crank asks, amused. “Your timing could be better, but I’ll take a raincheck.”
“No!” Well, a little actually, but I’m not telling him that.
Poe chuckles. “Liar.”
“Keep it down, kids,” Savage snaps.
“What are they waiting for?” My voice trembles hard, but I can't seem to bring it under control.
“Probably passing their last brain cell back and forth to decide who can use it best,” says Crank. “I can see them moving out there.”
Poe puts his hand comfortingly on my back. “It's all good. We're gonna take care of you. Nothing we can't handle.”
He says that, but confidence can’t stop a bullet.
Crank points. “Incoming. Get ready”
“You ever shot a gun?” Savage asks.
“What? No! Never even touched one.”
“Shit. Better not give you one then. Just keep as low as you can when the bullets start flying.”
Oh my God. Oh my God. Oh my God.
“Send the girl out, and we'll let you ride home with your tails between your legs,” someone yells from behind the wall of cars. I think it might be Eddy. I recognize his oily voice. “Otherwise she’s as fucking dead as the rest of you.”
Crank makes a jerking off motion with his hand.
“Gonna answer?” Poe whispers to Savage.
Savage shakes his head. “Nah. Better that they have to keep wondering if they've got us placed right. The less they know for sure, the more advantage we have.”
“Hey, fuckers! We're talking to you!”
A rock comes crashing through the window, and I have to cover my mouth with both hands to keep the scream in. It won't help for the guys to keep quiet if I give it all away.
Poe puts an arm around me and pulls me in against him. I prop my forehead against his side. “Easy, girl. We're not gonna let them take you. It’ll be a cold day in hell when a bunch of amateurs get the best of the Outlaw Sons. We got this.”
My brain's telling me that it's just bravado, that no matter what he says, we're just three—three and a half if you count me—against who knows how many, but the confidence in his tone is infectious. I breathe very deliberately, long ins and outs through my nose while I try to absorb a little bit of it. Some of the panic recedes. I'm still a wreck, but I'm not a wreck that's about to fall to the floor and start screaming.
Poe’s hand slips under my chin. Soft lips land over my own, hot and demanding, then gone. I look up at him in shock.
He winks. “For luck.”
“You’ve got to the count of three before our patience runs out. We outnumber you fuckers, so just remember, you brought this on yourselves. One!” Eddy shouts.
Okay, that tenseness is right back. I might start screaming now. “I don't want to die.”
“Everyone dies, kitten, but today’s not your day. You’ve still got at least a few more lives left,” Savage whispers.
“Two!”
A gun goes off behind us. I’m so focused on the countdown that I can’t help the scream that comes out. Terrified that I'm going to find Crank’s body on the ground behind me, I whirl in time to watch an unknown man collapse into a rack of blowup toys. He slumps into the dusty display and pulls down several hooks worth of merchandise before lying still on the ground. My mouth fills with bile, and my nostrils flare with the effort of holding it together.
Crank motions to the body with his gun. “They found a way in through the back. Stay sharp.”
Eddy had probably been trying to distract us with the counting to give his guy time to get closer, but when it doesn’t work, he finishes the countdown. “Three!”
Savage puts his hand on my arm. He’s crouched and ready to spring. “Paige, I need you to take a deep breath, reel it in and lock it down. We’re here to keep you safe, right? So if you want to make sure we can do our job, then listen to us. Stay low and trust us. Shit’s about to hit the fan and panic gets people killed. Do you understand?” His eyes, hard as emeralds, fix me to the spot.