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)
Then chaos unfolds.
He didn’t come alone; I didn’t expect him to. Men pile out of the cars, weapons drawn. Fynn has his gun out, and without a single word, we shoot. We shoot to kill, and we don’t miss. I’ve spent a lot of years perfecting the art of hitting someone in the right spot and not missing, and that’s exactly what I do. A rage fills me, one unlike anything I’ve ever felt, and as I picture Bear’s face in my mind, I know I’m doing it for him.
A bullet tears through my arm, causing my gun to fall from my hand as an agonized bellow is ripped from my throat. Clutching the blood flowing through my jacket, I bare my teeth and growl, raw and feral, as Fynn steps in front of me. He shields me as he precisely and accurately takes out the man who shot me.
A man who was standing behind a car in the distance.
Back up, just in case.
Then, the world falls quiet.
The only sound in the stark daylight is my panting as pain radiates through my body. I’ve been shot before, but that deep burn is not something you ever get used to. It’ll hurt for days, but nothing will take away from the sheer pride I feel as I stare at the five dead bodies on the ground. I did it for Bear, for all of us.
Nobody will fucking touch us without feeling the wrath.
Turning toward Fynn, I nod in appreciation.
He saved my life.
He stepped in front of me without a second thought.
“Appreciate what you did.”
Another nod.
He’s a man of very few words, but I like that about him.
“Time to get out of here,” I say, shoving my gun back into my jeans and keeping my other hand clutched onto my arm.
“I’ll get that out for you,” Fynn nods at my arm. “Done plenty in my time.”
It’s not a wild guess to assume that Fynn has had a rough life.
Following him to his truck, we agree on a location to meet that is safe where he can deal with this fucking bullet.
Then, I will take him to the club.
Jackson be damned.
“WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU thinkin’?” Jackson roars, his fists clenched by his sides, his eyes wild with a rage I haven’t seen come from him in a long time.
It’s overdue, that’s for damn sure.
He needs to bring that side of him back out because the man I once knew, could run a club and nobody dared come knocking.
“He’s loyal. He proved his worth to me today.”
My voice is clipped and short, straight to the point.
“You don’t fuckin’ know him. He could be anyone. What the fuck is goin’ through your head, Spike? You know we screen everyone who comes into this club.”
I cross my arms, the burn radiating through my shoulder. “You screen them. When I ran a club, I fuckin’ did it the way I do now, by a show of loyalty. Never had a fuckin’ problem.”
Jackson’s eyes flare, and the rage in his face is enough to have my body tensing, but I don’t back down.
“Give me your jacket.”
I freeze.
Jackson’s eyes don’t waver.
“What did you say?”
“I said,” he growls, his voice a low whip, “give me your jacket. You have lost the right to represent my club with that patch on your jacket.”
Being that I was once the president of a club, Jackson allowed me to keep my patch. It was respect and honor, and him removing it is a fucking blow that I’m not sure I’ll ever recover from.
“If I don’t?” I grind out.
“If you don’t, Danny, then you will leave my club and never be allowed to return.”
He has never called me Danny, not in all the years I’ve known him.
A cold chill washes over my body.
Cade, who is standing behind him, looks like he’s concerned about what is about to break out right now. We always knew this day would come when I struggled to accept my part beneath him. I was born a leader.
“Remove the jacket, or I’ll have it removed for you.”
I hold Jackson’s eyes, neither of us wavering.
If I don’t do this, I lose my family.
If I do this, I lose my legacy.
Either way I lose.
“There are rules,” he goes on, his voice so cold I almost don’t recognize him. “If you don’t abide by them, you suffer the consequences. The patch will be removed, and that will be the least of your problems if you continue down this path you’re on.”
My heart is racing in my chest, and as I look to Cade, I know he’ll back Jackson all the way. Of course he will, he’s loyal to his club and I wouldn’t expect him not to be.
“People in this town are walkin’ all over this club,” I growl.
Jackson’s rage explodes and he bellows, “And I have a plan on dealin’ with that. It was never your place to make decisions on behalf of this fuckin’ club. We work together and if you can’t do that, you no longer have a place here.”