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)
Men slid out of their chairs and hit the floor, covering their heads with their arms and hands as they whispered pleading prayers. While some tried to put on a brave front, I could feel their fear radiating through the room.
The dancers clustered together near the corner of the stage. They’d abandoned their high heels and tassels, and they clung to each other as tears streamed down their faces.
I didn’t move.
None of the brothers did.
The asshole with the gun didn’t like that. He didn’t like it at all, so he aimed his gun at Memphis and shot three rounds at his feet. “I said on the fucking ground!”
Pissed, Memphis glanced over at me and Seven, and we gave him the nod, signaling to do what he said. It was degrading and angered me beyond anything I could imagine, but we had no choice.
So, we dropped to the floor with the others, kept our hands visible, and our mouths shut. Someone killed the music, and the silence that followed was deafening.
The Vault no longer felt like a strip club.
Instead, it was just a room full of people waiting to see who was going to survive the night. I wanted to believe that we’d all get through it, but I knew better.
This wasn’t the kind of attack where everyone left unscathed.
The lead gunman stepped forward, and his voice was muffled behind his mask as he said, “Now, everybody relax. Nobody’s gonna get hurt, unless someone tries to play hero and does something stupid.”
I glanced around the room, taking a moment to study each of the men. I searched for tattoos or any markings that might give some indication of who they might be. But they were too covered to pick up on anything.
They were literally doused in black, and I mean every inch of them.
Black shirts. Black pants. Black gloves. Black masks.
I started going through possible names in my head, starting with those who might have the balls to pull a stunt like this. There were countless gangs and MCs in the state. Some were rivals while others were considered allies. And out of all of them, there was one who stood out above all the others.
The Rebel Coyotes.
It made sense.
They were pissed at how we’d worked them over and left their bar in shambles. We’d gone there to send a message, and we sent it, loud and clear. We’d fucked them up pretty bad. Hell, it took them this long to get back on their feet, and now, they were out for revenge.
It would be just their style.
Hostile. Tactless. Public.
And this certainly checked all the marks.
One of the masked men hopped behind the bar. He handed Seven a bag and placed the barrel of his gun against his temple as he ordered, “Empty the registers.”
Every instinct I had screamed for me to move.
I wanted to jump these assholes and put an end to this bullshit before someone did something they couldn’t take back. But moving on impulse would get us all killed, so I stayed put, waiting for the right moment to make a move.
I wasn’t the only one watching and waiting. They were, too. They were watching us, waiting for one of us to try to stop them. We let them think they had all the control, but one of them would fuck up.
And when they did, we’d show them exactly who was in charge.
Seven opened the register and started shoving the cash into the bag. A second guy charged the second register, and he was shouting at Diamond to empty it as he waved his gun in her face. She was freaked out and crying, but she managed to comply.
One of the men in the back shouted, “Don’t forget the safe!”
The sound of his voice cut through the room like broken glass, and something about it sent a chill down my spine. It wasn’t what he said.
It was the tone
The cadence.
The familiarity of it settled heavy in my chest. I turned and watched him emerge from the hallway. A knot formed in my throat as I watched the sway of his shoulders and heard the thud of his heavy step.
And then, he stopped and scanned the crowd.
His stance. The way he held his head.
The twitch of his thumb against his index finger.
Motherfucker.
26
PRESLEY
Iwasn’t lying when I told Lila my house was a wreck.
It truly was a mess, but I’d been busy trying to get things back in order. I’d already done two loads of laundry. I’d swept, vacuumed, and dusted. I’d also put things back where they belonged, and it was actually starting to resemble a home again.
From time to time, I would check my phone, hoping to find a message from Luke. He usually messaged several times throughout his shift, but I hadn’t heard anything from him in hours. It gave me an uneasy feeling, but I tried not to think much of it and kept my focus on cleaning.