Total pages in book: 69
Estimated words: 63842 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 319(@200wpm)___ 255(@250wpm)___ 213(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 63842 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 319(@200wpm)___ 255(@250wpm)___ 213(@300wpm)
For a disorienting moment, we were plunged into total darkness. Then the emergency lights kicked in, bathing the room in an eerie red glow. Rip’s arms tightened around me, protective rather than passionate now. The shift in his posture was immediate, from lover to guardian in less than a heartbeat. His pulse raced, and his breathing seemed to saw in and out of his lungs.
“Shit,” he muttered, his body suddenly tense beneath mine.
I lifted myself off him, my legs unsteady. He steadied me with firm hands as he pulled the condom off and quickly tucked himself back into his jeans.
“Here,” he said, picking up my discarded panties. I put them on while he found my shirt and helped me into it. I didn’t bother with my bra.
Rip’s phone rang. He answered immediately. “Yeah.”
Knight’s voice came through, tinny but clear enough for me to hear. “Power’s out across the compound. Probably nothing, but I’m not taking chances. Sending more men your way. Move the women and children to the panic room, just in case.”
“On it,” Rip said tersely. “You think this is him?”
A pause. “Too convenient to be coincidence. Could be nothing. Could be a distraction. Just get everyone secured.”
The call ended. Rip looked at me, his expression grim in the red emergency lighting. “Knight wants everyone in the panic room.”
I headed for the door. The fear was still there, humming beneath my skin, but something else burned alongside it now. Determination. Anger. A fierce protectiveness toward everyone sheltering in Haven and the women of Kiss of Death. Somehow, over the time I’d been here, the people in this place had all become my family. I genuinely liked every single person I’d met. Everyone had their quirks, but the men and women alike were all good people.
I wanted more with Rip. I could admit to being half in love with him already. Given my past, I knew he’d never ask for more. Not because he didn’t want a relationship with me, but because he’d be afraid of pushing me too far too fast.
Well. I had begun reclaiming myself piece by piece. And once everyone was safe, I intended to let Rip know exactly what I wanted from him.
Chapter Seventeen
Rip
I guided Jade through the darkened hallway with my hand pressed firmly against the small of her back. The emergency lights cast everything in a bloodred glow that made the familiar corridors of Haven feel alien and threatening. Her breathing came fast and shallow against my side as we moved toward the community room.
“Shouldn’t we go to the panic room like Knight said?” Jade whispered, her fingers gripping the edge of my cut as she clung to me. I’d be lying if I said her trust in me didn’t make my chest swell in pride.
“Change of plans,” I said quietly. “Knuckles texted while we were getting dressed. He’s got something else going on behind the scenes. They’re expecting Eric here soon.”
Her steps faltered for a second. “Eric is actually inside Haven?”
“Yes. But we got him exactly where we want him.” I tightened my arm around her waist. “Trust me. Nothing is going to happen to you or anyone else.”
We rounded the corner to the community room where Knuckles stood in the doorway waiting. His massive frame blocked most of the entrance. He nodded once as we approached, then stepped aside to let us pass.
Inside, the community room looked nothing like its usual welcoming self. The couches and comfortable chairs had been pushed against the walls. The coffee tables were moved out completely. The space suddenly looked twice its normal size with the furniture cleared from the center. Red emergency lighting left pools of shadow in the corners where I knew brothers waited just out of sight.
The community room had been designed with specific considerations from the beginning. Only two doors leading in and the emergency exits, which could be opened easily from the inside, but only from outside with a key card. The two main doors had been built extra wide for furniture moving and with industrial strength locks and reinforced frames. Most importantly, both had thumb latches on the inside only. Easy to exit but impossible to enter if locked from within unless you had an access key. A perfect trap if you knew how to use it.
“Center of the room,” Knuckles directed with a jerk of his chin. “We want him focused on you two completely.”
I nodded and moved into position with Jade. I kept her close against my side so I could keep my body between her and Eric once he entered. Six brothers lined the walls. Diesel and Gunnar stood flanking the main entrance. Inferno positioned himself by the secondary door. Knight was somewhere in the back shadows. Two prospects also waited silently near what would have been the TV area, well away from the main group.