Total pages in book: 96
Estimated words: 90607 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 453(@200wpm)___ 362(@250wpm)___ 302(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 90607 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 453(@200wpm)___ 362(@250wpm)___ 302(@300wpm)
Pat sighed. “Yes, it is. It’s a dangerous time for the club.”
“You’re not safe?” Ava asked.
“I will never let anything happen to you.”
“I’m not talking about me, Pat. I’m talking about you. Your bike was targeted. Is this personal to you? Even this morning, you were a target. That guy, whoever he was, didn’t go after anyone else, unless one of you are injured that I don’t know about.” She hated this feeling.
“No, all the guys are safe and accounted for.”
Tears filled her eyes. “So, you’re a target.”
“We’re all targets, Babe. I can’t help that. I know I should let you go.”
“No,” Ava said.
“It’s going to get ugly.”
“Do you think I care about that?” Ava asked. “I don’t give a fuck how ugly this thing gets. You’re not going to let me go.”
“What you saw this morning—”
“I trust you,” Ava said. “Look, if you’re trying to break up with me and using this morning as an excuse, then tell me. But I’m not walking away. I’m not running away. I’m not afraid, Pat. I just don’t want anything to happen to you. I’m in this with you.” She was not going to back down.
Ava knew the stakes were high, that she had probably entered into something way above her head, but she didn’t care. All she knew was that she loved this man, and she was not walking away.
Chapter Seventeen
After dropping Ava at work, Pat arrived back at the basement. There was no sign of the club pussy, and none of the men looked in the mood to party. They all had glares and were pissed off. He got it.
There was no sign of Bull, but he spotted Rusty at the bar. He was not nursing a beer either, but what looked like a mug.
“Are you all right?” he asked, stopping by the other man.
“No, I’m not. I’m pissed off,” Rusty said.
He looked toward the basement.
Pat stayed silent as he saw the anger radiating off Rusty. “I should be fucking down there, but because of this, Bull wants me to just sit it out. Fuck!” Rusty slammed his fist down on the bar.
“You want me to grab a couple of the women for you?” Pat asked.
“Fuck, no. Fuck this shit.” Rusty pushed back his chair and stormed back toward the corridor that led to their rooms.
Even Rip and Bud looked miserable.
Pat didn’t stick around and made his way toward the basement, where Bull, Grant, and Sweets were. The scent of urine was strong in the air, and as he stepped onto the floor, he looked toward the man that had attempted to attack him. His face was dripping blood. The clothes had been removed from his body, and there were cuts and bruises all over.
Pat was not surprised by what he saw. His whole body was covered in ink. There were names on the man’s body as well.
“What did you find out?” he asked, moving close to Sweets.
“He’s not talking about the location of the cartel. The names on his body are the men and women he’s killed. There is also a little kid on there as well,” Sweets said.
Pat looked at the man. He was thin, yet muscular. From the heavy ink, he knew he had to be deep into the cartel. He was not a contract killer, though. The cartel was hiring both street thugs and contract killers.
Bull stepped away after landing a punch to the man’s gut.
Something told Pat they were running out of time for something. This was the feeling he got in the middle of the war zone. He had come to rely on his gut, and right now, it was screaming at him. Pat looked at the brothers around him, and he thought about the club, along with his woman.
Ava was his. After what she saw this morning, she was not backing down. The town of Carnage was in danger, and Pat was done talking about this.
He did no more than walk forward. The brothers had known what he was capable of at one point, but he had been a mellow man, the perfect gentleman, finding his feet within the club. Adapting to life that was more diplomatic. That shit was gone now, and as he pushed past Grant and Bull, he grabbed the man around the throat and looked him in the eye. He didn’t hold back.
Pat knew what his abilities were, and desperate times called for desperate measures. There were rules to be followed, when their opponents followed the same rules. Civilians were left out of the equation, and it was between the club and the cartel.
The cartel had changed the rules. They were the ones that used innocent people, then killed them. It was time to stop playing by the rules and start getting answers. He was done playing games.
“I want you to look into my eyes as I choke you to death,” Pat said. He felt absolutely nothing.