Total pages in book: 106
Estimated words: 104329 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 522(@200wpm)___ 417(@250wpm)___ 348(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 104329 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 522(@200wpm)___ 417(@250wpm)___ 348(@300wpm)
Releasing him, she grabbed him by his hair, walked to the shop door, and threw him out, kicking his ass as she did.
Harlow whooped. “Fuck yeah, that was so good.” Her hands were up in the air, and Raven stared at her. “Bitch, high-five. Come on, we totally gave him what for.”
She didn’t see a reason to leave the woman hanging, so she slapped her hands against Harlow’s.
“Why did you put the call through to the club?” Raven asked. “You seemed to have a handle on it.”
“Ah, big brother stuff. My brother told me that if I ever needed him for anything, I was to call. He said nothing is too big or too small, and well, he can be overprotective. I’m just goofing around with him. I could have handled that guy. Had no idea they were going to send you.”
Instantly, Raven felt the sting of those words.
Years of practice stopped her from reacting. Pulling out her cell phone, she pointed at the mess. “I’ll call someone to clean up this mess and get out of your way.”
“You’re not in my way,” Harlow said. The younger woman stared at her and then winced. “Shit, that sounded … yeah, I know what went down, or something that went down between all of you, but honestly, I meant that you have more important things to do than deal with sibling bull.”
Raven smiled. “It’s fine.”
“I can clean up this mess. I’ve got to explain the damaged fridge to Ava.”
“I’ll handle that. I’ll let Smokey know. He’ll have one ordered before you know it.” She bent down and started to pick up some of the napkins.
“You don’t have to do that.”
“I’m fine.” Raven helped to clean everything up. Harlow went to grab a dustpan and bucket, and within the hour, they had the place cleaned up.
While Harlow dealt with customers, Raven called Smokey.
“What the fuck happened?”
Raven gave him a rundown, to which Smokey cursed and then promised to have a new fridge. “Where are you now?” Smokey asked.
“At the bakery, but I’m leaving. I won’t be sticking around. What do you need?”
“I think we should have a talk,” Smokey said.
“Right, a talk. Yeah, totally,” Raven said. “Tonight?”
“Not tonight, let’s make it tomorrow morning.”
“Yeah, sure, no problem.” Raven ended the call and stared at her cell phone. They were going to have a talk. This wasn’t good.
Sickness swirled in Raven’s gut.
“Hey, are you okay?” Harlow asked.
“Huh?”
“You look pale. Are you going to cry? I don’t know if I have enough practice dealing with emotional outbursts. Crap, I just sold the last chocolate chip cookie as well.” Harlow frowned.
“I’m fine. Honestly, I’m fine. I’ll head out. Sibling rivalry crap aside, you call no matter what whenever you feel threatened, or if someone is being suspicious. One of us will be here.”
Harlow nodded.
Raven glanced around again. Old memories surfaced, and with them, her heart raced.
Pressing her lips together, she made her escape, rushing to her bike. Her hands shook as she tried to get the key back in the ignition.
Forcing herself to focus, she revved the engine and took off, not caring where she was going. She just had to get out of town. She wasn’t going fast enough to stop the voices. They were chasing her. Hot on her heels.
“Since your judgment call got my woman hurt. Think hard, Raven. If you hadn’t sent her off with a prospect that wasn’t even one of ours, my wife wouldn’t have lost our first child. She wouldn’t have had a concussion, and she wouldn’t wake up screaming some nights, terrified.”
“One mistake that anyone could have made.”
“Yeah, but it was you who made it. No one else.”
“And you still bought a house near a town with one? Are you fucking stupid?”
“Then why are you still here? You’re a club brother as far as I’m concerned, and that means I can beat the shit out of your ass.”
“You’ll do what you can, won’t you? To save her. Be good to him. Do whatever he wants…”
She had already cleared the town border and saw a small parking lot for drivers to make random stops.
She brought her bike to a stop and pressed her hand on her chest, taking deep breaths. Tears filled her eyes as she tried to bring it into focus.
“You’re not good for anything. The only use you have is your pussy, and once they’d used that, you’ll be nothing.”
Raven fell off her bike, collapsing to her knees as the voices from her past threatened to take over and swallow her whole.
Her chest was caving in, and the pain throughout her body was on another wavelength. She couldn’t think or focus.
One hit after another.
One loss after another.
The lies that had built up over the years.
The new life she paved for herself. The one where she was Raven, the hard-ass biker bitch with no real history. The person she had built herself up to be out of the dying embers of her past.