Total pages in book: 63
Estimated words: 60676 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 303(@200wpm)___ 243(@250wpm)___ 202(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 60676 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 303(@200wpm)___ 243(@250wpm)___ 202(@300wpm)
My throat burns and my nostrils sting as the reality of what he’s saying washes over me.
“I’m so sorry, baby,” I whisper, reaching up to cup his jaw.
“Someone has to pay for what happened to him.”
Swallowing, I glance at Jackson whose jaw tightens.
“Let’s get you showered, yeah?” I say, tugging on Spike’s hand.
Cade glances at me as Spike pushes to his feet, and he gives me a weary expression. There is something else going on between these guys, something they’re not telling me. Whatever happened last night, it was bad, and the unspoken tension between them could be cut with a knife.
What the fuck went down?
I follow Spike to the shower and stand silently as he strips his clothes off. I do the same, stepping in behind him once he has the water right. The water is quickly tainted with red as the blood washes from his body. There is more than I thought, and it makes my stomach turn with both fear and concern. I have no doubt in my mind he killed that man he dragged in, but the question is, why?
I take the soap in my hands and foam them up before running them over his muscled back, washing away any traces of the previous evening. When he turns toward me, I can see a deep sadness in his eyes, but mostly, I see a coldness that frightens me. Spike is no stranger to revenge, and if he thinks it’s deserved, he will dish it out and ensure it’s painful.
“You did right by him,” I whisper, running my hands down his chest and foaming up his skin.
“If we did right by him, he’d still be fuckin’ alive.”
His voice is low and gravelly.
“Sometimes bad shit happens, Danny. You know that. It’s the world you live in. You can’t prevent every single death.”
“No, but I can fuckin’ avenge it.”
“Spike ...”
He knows where I’m going with this, and he cuts me off before I can say anything more. His eyes are sharp, his tone clipped, leaving me no room for arguments as the words pour from his lips. “Don’t. You know the way I feel about this shit, and I’m done sittin’ around and fuckin’ waiting for the other shoe to drop.”
With that, he turns and gets out of the shower.
Exhaling, I finish up and follow him.
By the time I get out there, he’s already left the room.
Right now isn’t a good time to lecture him, they just lost a friend.
Thinking of Bear has my heart sinking.
What did they do to him?
Walking back out the garage, I can’t see Spike anywhere, but I do catch Jackson’s gaze as he stares over at me. I can see concern etched into his features, and I know he’s thinking exactly what I am. Serenity sits beside him, her hand curled in his, her face streaked with tears. Walking over, I stop in front of them and reach out a hand, squeezing her shoulder.
“He was just telling me yesterday he was going to visit his grandkids,” Serenity whispers. “The world is cruel.”
“I’m sorry about Bear,” I say, mostly to Jackson, but Serenity, too. “I know he has been with you a long time.”
“Appreciate it,” Jackson murmurs. “Where’s Spike?”
I shrug. “I don’t know, he took off when I tried to bring up the glaringly obvious situation at hand.”
Jackson’s jaw tightens. “He’s gettin’ out of control; we need to pull him up before somethin’ bad happens.”
“You mean like losing a club member?” I mutter.
Jackson’s eyes flash. “Yeah.”
“I’ll try and talk to him again, but I can’t promise he’ll listen.”
“Worth a shot.”
“Who ... who did that to Bear?” I ask, shifting from one foot to the other, the uncomfortable feeling of grief gripping my chest as I think about the fact that he had no fingers.
Tears sting my eyes.
“A local drug gang. They had stabbed him and cut off his fingers. Bled out before we could get him to the hospital.”
My heart plummets.
I feel sick to my stomach as a tear rolls down my cheek. “I’m ... so sorry.”
Jackson simply nods.
I turn, needing some fresh air as a wave of new tears roll down my cheeks.
Maybe I shouldn’t be going to school right now. Maybe they need me here.
Dammit.
I don’t know what to do.
6 – Spike
“You’re goin’ back to school,” I growl, watching her face tense with emotion. “You need this, and what’s happenin’ with the club ain’t your concern.”
I know Ciara, and I know she’ll do anything to stop the path I’m on. She’s concerned and wants to get involved. The last time someone I love got involved, she had a hole blown into her head. I’m not going to let that happen here, not this time. Ciara is staying away from all of this, and her going to school is exactly how I’ll make sure that happens.