Total pages in book: 30
Estimated words: 27958 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 140(@200wpm)___ 112(@250wpm)___ 93(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 27958 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 140(@200wpm)___ 112(@250wpm)___ 93(@300wpm)
When we were safely in the back seat, he crouched low to stare into my eyes. “You’re not gonna be able to talk to Izzy again anytime soon, but I’ll let her know you’re safe. You can trust the guys I’m sending you to. They’ll look out for you and your mom.”
“Thank you.”
He dipped his chin to acknowledge my gratitude before slamming the door shut and pounding his fist against the roof of the car.
The driver peeled away, and Mom reached over to pat my thigh. “I’m so sorry I got you into this mess, sweetie.”
Staring out the passenger window into the darkness, I whispered, “It’s okay.”
It really wasn’t, but with one of her eyes almost swollen shut and the other bruises I’d caught a glimpse of when she’d been changing, I couldn’t bring myself to yell at her. She knew as well as I did that her choices had put us in danger. Pitching a fit, no matter how well deserved, wouldn’t do any good.
“It’s not.” She cast a furtive glance at the guy driving us away from the town I’d grown up in. “But I swear to you that I’ll do whatever it takes to make sure you’re safe.”
The eight-hour drive to the tiny town of Old Bridge, Tennessee, wasn’t how I’d expected to spend my birthday, but I had nothing to complain about. After that long ride, I got the best birthday gifts I could’ve hoped for—freedom from Tommaso and meeting the man of my dreams.
Several members of the Iron Rogues chapter Izzy’s dad had sent us to were waiting up for us, but I only had eyes for one of them. Stone was tall and muscular, with dark brown hair and bright blue eyes. He was closer in age to my mom than me, but that didn’t stop me from falling for him at first sight. Or knowing that I was going to miss him so much when the president of his chapter decided we would be safer somewhere else. Even though he kept his distance from me during the few days we were in Tennessee, I could see the same spark in his eyes when he looked at me. Deep down in my soul, I knew this was more than a schoolgirl crush. We were meant to be together. I just hoped he felt the same way.
1
STONE
Iwasn’t asleep when my alarm went off, but seeing as I was already in a shit mood, I grabbed it and threw it at the wall, smashing it to pieces.
I’d been thinking about this day for two fucking years and had done everything I could to prepare for it. But nothing had worked out the way I’d planned.
It was her birthday.
She was eighteen.
Finally, I could make her mine.
Except the shit that took her away from me hadn’t been resolved.
Britta Hughes had been barely sixteen when she and her mother came to the Iron Rogues for help.
Motorcycle Clubs were secretive by nature, but there were a few things the public knew. No one could say that we lived on the right side of the law…we had blood on our hands, dealt in shady shit, and had our own brand of justice. But we also had honor, loyalty, and limits. We even worked with the local law enforcement from time to time—outside of Old Bridge, because we basically owned the small town and our own laws were the only ones enforced there.
When it came to certain things, we were the judge, jury, and even executioner. We didn’t tolerate drugs anywhere near our territory, and human traffickers had a habit of disappearing when brought to our attention.
But in the right circles, people also knew we would protect those who needed it. They knew they could come to us for help, even in the event that they needed to disappear. Unlike the government who tossed people into WITSEC—and attempted to handle the problem legally—we simply eliminated the fucking threat.
Britta’s mother, Marylin, had been unknowingly working as a bartender for one of the biggest crime bosses in Chicago, and she also happened to be in a relationship with one of his enforcers. She confronted him when she overheard him talking to an associate about a shipment of girls.
He beat the shit out of her and told her to keep her mouth shut. Then he threatened Britta to keep Marylin in the relationship.
He’d never touched her in anger before that incident, but he must have gotten a taste for it because the beatings continued, the frequency and intensity increasing.
We had an Iron Rogues chapter just north of the city. One of the officers had a daughter who went to school with Britta. They had become good friends, and the next time Marylin ended up in the hospital, the girl went to her dad.
He contacted Fox, who agreed to help the mother and daughter hide until we could handle the issue and allow them to come out of hiding.