Total pages in book: 83
Estimated words: 81285 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 406(@200wpm)___ 325(@250wpm)___ 271(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 81285 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 406(@200wpm)___ 325(@250wpm)___ 271(@300wpm)
“That was only a few days ago.”
“It was a week ago, and he’s not even mentioned us getting together again. I think he’s pulling away.”
“That can’t be right. I saw the way he looked at you. That man’s crazy over you.”
“If that was true, he would want to see me again.”
“Okay, instead of wondering and jumping to conclusions, why don’t you just ask the guy. I mean, you’re both adults here. There’s no reason to drive yourself crazy. Just talk to him.”
“Okay, how do I do that? Do I call him or text him or…”
“You could do that, but if it were me, I’d go have a face-to-face with the guy. Don’t take any lame excuses. Tell him you want to know what’s what and you aren’t leaving until he lays it all out on the table.”
“You make it sound so easy.”
“Because it is.” Her tone softened as she said, “Come on, Pres. This is Goose we’re talking about. Not Gary or even some asshole you met at a bar. He’ll talk to you.”
“And you don’t think I’m crazy for even considering this?”
“Oh, you’re definitely crazy. Certifiable even, but that shouldn’t stop you from going to talk to him.”
“Thanks… I think.”
“Just stop overthinking it and go talk to him.”
“Do I call to tell him I’m coming?”
“Nope.” She sounded almost excited as she said, “That will take away from the thrill of discovery.”
“And what if I discover something bad?”
“Then, you drive straight over to the bar, and I’ll drown your sorrows.”
“I’m already dreading this.”
“Stop thinking and move your ass,” she pushed. “El’ pronto!”
“You’re a bit much.”
“And you’re still procrastinating.”
“Fine! I’m going.”
With that, I ended the call and made my way back out front. As I grabbed my purse and keys, I told Christina, “I’m heading out.”
“I thought you had a client coming in.”
“I’ll reschedule.”
“Are you sure?” she asked. “I don’t mind covering.”
“That would be amazing.” I paused for a moment, giving her a smile. “You’re the best. Thank you.”
“You’d do the same for me. Now, go do what you gotta do. I’ve got things covered here.”
I gave her a quick wave, then darted out the door. When I got to my car, it was after four. I wasn’t sure where Luke would be, so I started with the Vault. I didn’t see his bike or truck there, so I drove over to the casino. It was too crowded to search for his vehicle, so I parked and headed inside.
It was the weekend, so it wasn’t surprising that the place was busy. It was always busy, but something underneath all the music and flashing lights felt off, including the three guards that were stationed up front. I’d only been there a couple of times, but I’d never seen them before.
I walked up to the shorter one and asked, “Is Luke working tonight?”
“Don’t know any Luke.”
“He’s tall with shaggy hair. He’s with Fury… they call him Goose.”
That got a reaction. Not surprise exactly. More like amusement. He cocked a brow as he announced, “He doesn’t work here anymore.”
“Oh? Did something happen? Was he fired?”
The man laughed. “No, ma’am. Not a chance. You don’t tell anyone from Satan’s Fury what to do, and you sure as hell don’t fire ‘em.”
“Got it. Thanks.”
Heat crept up my neck as I turned and headed out the front door. By the time I reached the parking lot, my stomach was completely in knots. Something was going on. Something big, and I was more determined than ever to figure out what it was.
21
GOOSE
“You look like shit.”
“Right back at ya, brother.”
“Yeah, well, at least, I’m up and moving. Still hurts like hell, but I’m moving.” Memphis motioned his head toward my hand. “Looks like it’s swelling again.”
He was right. It was twice the size it was earlier. I tightened the strap on the brace and flexed my fingers like I wasn’t pissed that I had to wear the damn thing in the first place. “It’s fine.”
“You sure about that?” Memphis leaned against the table with a smirk. “It’s looking a little angry, like maybe you missed a dude’s face and hit a brick wall.”
“He was a slimy fucker who moved faster than I expected him to, but I got him in the end.”
“You can say that again,” Ghost scoffed as he lifted his arm, rolling his shoulder with a grimace. “Dude’s balls had to be the size of his head by the time you were done.”
We’d gone to the bar to make those assholes pay for what they did to Smitty, Rusty, and Skid, and we did just that. But they didn’t go down without a fight. Hell, every one of us had our battle wounds. Some were worse than others.
Ghost was doing his best to hide it, but we all knew taking a hit to the side with a tabletop hurt like a bitch. And both Memphis and Grim took a few hard punches with brass knuckles, and that’s just what I happened to witness between throws.