Total pages in book: 61
Estimated words: 56628 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 283(@200wpm)___ 227(@250wpm)___ 189(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 56628 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 283(@200wpm)___ 227(@250wpm)___ 189(@300wpm)
“I can’t lose you,” I pleaded, my voice breaking.
He shook his head at me and cupped my face in his large, calloused hands. My chin wobbled. “I’m forever with you as long as you’ll keep me,” he promised. “But you need to move forward with him.”
A tear ran down my cheek. “Promise?” I asked, hating how wobbly my voice was.
He nodded. Then, he tightened his hands on my face and took my lips in a savage kiss. I burst into tears as I kissed him back, my tears tasting salty on my lips. I sobbed as I gripped his cut in my fists, so much pain spearing through my chest I could barely fucking breathe.
“Keep me with you,” he whispered against my lips. “But be with him, pretty girl. Let him love you.”
“The fuck is she doing here, River?” Tristan angrily demanded as I strode into the clubhouse with Joey.
“Couldn’t leave her at the clubhouse when I’m instructed to be by her side every damn second,” River retorted. “You want me here? She comes, too.”
Joey snorted. “So much for telling Tristan that she was outside with me,” Joey retorted.
River only smirked at him. Joey rolled his eyes, but River’s carefree attitude brought a small smile to my face. River’s eyes caught mine, and his smile widened the slightest bit.
Tristan strode over to me, and my smile dropped. I glared up at him, my hand tightening in Joey’s. Joey drew me a bit closer to him, his body tensing. “Drop the fucking attitude, Addy,” Tristan snapped.
My upper lip curled at him. “Go fuck yourself.”
His eyes flashed with anger. My heart knocked hard in my chest, fear pulsing through my body for a moment. I instinctively stepped closer to Joey. “You’re pushing your fucking luck, Addy baby,” Tristan swore quietly.
He reached out to grab me, but I flinched back, fear spiking in my blood. Joey stepped in front of me at the same time River stepped forward, clearly ready to knock Tristan on his ass. Jesup grabbed River’s shoulder to keep him in place. I stepped back a pace, swallowing hard. “Don’t fucking touch me,” I snarled at Tristan as I fought down the flashback that was threatening to bring me to my knees.
“Fuck off, Joey. This is between me and Adelaide,” Tristan warned him.
“Back the fuck up, Tristan,” Joey growled, his voice cold and threatening. “Pretty girl, go on outside.” His voice was more soothing as he spoke to me, but he didn’t turn to face me, instead keeping his eyes locked on Tristan, the two men staring each other down.
My eyes caught River’s, where he was standing beside the table that the bars of coke were sitting on, rage flashing in his eyes on my behalf. “Leave her be, Grim,” River spoke up.
My eyes snapped back to Tristan’s as he stared at me with hurt eyes before he quickly smothered it and shook his head, turning away from me and striding toward the table.
Did he know?
Joey turned to me and met my eyes. A sad smile appeared on his lips, breaking my heart because I didn’t want to taint him. But one look in his eyes, and I knew he could see I’d been ruined. Destroyed. “You alright, pretty girl?” he asked softly.
“I’m just going to get some air,” I muttered, turning on my heel to stride out of the warehouse. I could feel someone’s gaze on my back, and when I looked over my shoulder, River’s comforting eyes met mine. Those blue eyes warmed me, giving me strength. I tilted my chin up slightly, and a small smile played on his lips before he turned his eyes away from me.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
River
Ikept my eyes on Adelaide’s back until she strode out of the warehouse and from my sight. Gritting my teeth, I focused back on the task at hand. “Someone fucked her up bad,” Joey stated, shaking his head as he ripped his eyes from her as well.
I didn’t know what had happened between them outside, but her eyes had been red and puffy when she’d come in with him. Judging by the way they’d been holding hands though, it wasn’t horrible. But it was probably heartbreaking.
“She won’t fucking talk to me,” Tristan grumbled. “I can’t do anything if I don’t know what happened.”
I arched an eyebrow at my president, someone I was quickly losing all fucking respect for after the way he’d treated Adelaide. “Have you tried being nice to her instead of threatening her all of the time?” I asked him, most definitely overstepping my boundaries as a patched member but not really giving much of a fuck.
I never really gave much of a fuck about anything until Adelaide popped back up a little over a year ago. And the way he’d been treating her since he’d found her again? I’d lost count of the number of times I’d almost overstepped my boundaries and punched him in the fucking face, especially recently.