Total pages in book: 66
Estimated words: 66859 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 334(@200wpm)___ 267(@250wpm)___ 223(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 66859 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 334(@200wpm)___ 267(@250wpm)___ 223(@300wpm)
22
I am taken into a back room of the clubhouse where I’m tied to a chair and left alone for hours, bound and gagged, until I cry myself to sleep. I vaguely hear their conversations, all of them talking on and off, outside the door, arguing, making plans. There is nothing I can do to stop whatever they’re planning, and whatever it is, it’s going to get Becky killed. Possibly even them. If they’d listen, they’d know what we had planned.
I knew Beckett would run off the rails when he heard what I had done, but I never in my wildest imagination expected him to react the way he did. He lost his shit, completely and utterly. Because of that, I’m helpless. I have no way of proving to him that I’m telling the truth, especially when he won’t listen.
The door opens just after I’ve let my eyes close once more. I blink slowly to see Eve coming into the room, she has a plate of food and water in her hands. One look at me, and her eyes soften and she closes them for a second, taking a deep breath. I’m surprised they let her in here, no doubt it is with strict instruction. She walks over and places the food on the ground, staring at me with pained eyes. “What did you do, honey?”
I try to speak to her, but it’s no use. All she can hear are muffled pleas. She shakes her head. “Riggs will be in soon to untie you so you can eat.”
She turns to walk away, and I yell, “Please, please, please,” as loudly and clearly as possible. I yell it so frantically that even though she might not be able to hear clearly what I’m saying, she would recognize the sounds. The sounds of my begging. She pauses and I keep pleading, over and over, until she exhales and turns. “I’m going to hell, I’m certain of it. But damned if I don’t want to hear what you have to say.”
She rushes toward me and carefully pulls the tape off my mouth. I clench my eyes shut as it rips the hair from my face, stinging like a god damned motherfucker. Once the tape has gone, I exhale, take a deep breath and then say immediately, “You need to listen to me, Eve. They’re going to get hurt if someone doesn’t listen.”
She studies my face. “Riggs told me you betrayed them. Is that true?”
“No, it’s not true. That isn’t what happened. Please, you need to listen.”
I rush through everything that happened, and when I’m done, I meet her eyes.
She stares at me and then blinks slowly. “How do I know this isn’t a trick?”
“I’m not a monster, Eve. You know that. You know me. Go with your gut, but please, the only way we can get Becky back is if the club hears what I have to say. If they don’t listen, they’ll go in there guns blazing and they’ll have her killed. I don’t want that, I swear to god I don’t want that. I thought I could trade her, but I couldn’t. She trusts me to fix this.”
Eve rubs her face, and then curses. “Okay, I’m going to talk to Riggs. Don’t say another word to anyone until we come back.”
I nod. “Eve?”
She looks to me.
“Tell them to get Mateo.”
She turns and rushes out, locking the door behind her. I sit in the chair, not interested in the food on the ground, even though I can’t touch it anyway. My heart is racing, my palms are sweating and everything inside me feels like it’s going to explode. If I don’t do something so, I may very well just lose it.
An hour or so later, the door opens and Riggs walks in followed by Beckett, Remy, Hugh, Hank, Adan, and Mateo. I’m surprised to see Mateo with them, I was certain they would argue against it and wouldn’t listen, but they did and he’s here. The minute he sees me, his eyes flash and he looks to Riggs. “She’s not a fuckin’ prisoner. Let her go.”
“She’s dangerous. You want to be here, you deal with how we’re keepin’ her,” Riggs growls.
Mateo clenches his jaw, and his wild eyes settle back on me. “You good, sweetheart?”
“No,” I say, my voice croaky. “Because they’re not listening to me.”
“I am,” he assures me. “Tell me what’s goin’ on.”
“She’s a fuckin’ liar is what’s goin’ on,” Beckett growls. “You’re all nuts for trustin’ her.”
“Shut your damned mouth, Beckett,” I snap. “You have no idea. None whatsoever. You’re going to eat your words when we’re done with this.”
“Enough,” Riggs barks. “Speak, Poppy.”
I tell them everything from the minute Rocco met with me to the moment I spoke with Becky in the large building. I tell them every single thing I know, and I don’t until every detail is out. When the room falls silent, Riggs looks to Beckett, who is standing, fists clenched, as if struggling to believe what is coming out of my mouth.