Total pages in book: 49
Estimated words: 44899 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 224(@200wpm)___ 180(@250wpm)___ 150(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 44899 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 224(@200wpm)___ 180(@250wpm)___ 150(@300wpm)
“Capable of anything,” I answered, unable to keep the admiration from my voice. “Absolutely anything she sets her mind to.”
Chapter Eight
Darby
I picked my way through the clutter of empty bottles and sprawled bodies of club girls who’d tried to drink me under the table. How the fuck did chicks who hang out in a biker compound not know how to party all night? I’d used the oldest trick in the book to manipulate them. They’d not only fallen for it, they’d crashed and burned.
At the far corner of the room, Tonio and Sully sat hunched in conversation, two predators who’d apparently decided not to tear each other’s throats out. For now, anyway. They also were watching me far too closely.
Kat lay slumped in a chair, her head lolling to one side, mascara smeared beneath her eyes like war paint gone wrong. She’d been the ringleader of this little ambush, thinking she could put me in my place with a few shots of Jack since apparently violence hadn’t been an option. Now poor Kat was snoring softly, defeated by her weapon of choice. I couldn’t help the small smile that tugged at my lips. There was something deeply satisfying about winning a game your opponent thought they’d invented.
As I approached the corner table, both men watched me intently. Tonio’s expression remained carefully neutral, though his eyes tracked my movement with the same intensity he’d been watching me all night. Sully’s face, however, broke into that slow smile that did stupid things to my insides. He immediately shifted in his seat, making room for me beside him.
“Since neither of you are dead, I’m assuming you’re at least trying to get along.” I sat in the chair next to Sully. The warmth of his thigh pressed against mine was a solid reminder that this man was sexy as fuck. And I thought I would always want to fuck him.
Tonio’s mouth twitched. “We’ve reached an… understanding.”
“Oh? And what understanding is that?” I smiled at Sully as I gave Tonio the side-eye.
Sully’s arm settled around my shoulders, his touch light but unmistakably possessive. “That we both want what’s best for you,” he said simply.
I snorted. “And you two get to decide what that is?”
“No,” Tonio answered, surprising me with his directness. “You decide. We just make sure you stay alive long enough to enjoy it.”
“How generous.” I couldn’t keep the sarcasm from my voice.
“Nice trick with the beer bottle,” Sully murmured, changing the subject. “Oldest hustle in the book, but executed flawlessly.”
I shrugged but couldn’t help the small surge of pleasure at his approval. “Sometimes the classics are classics for a reason.” My gaze drifted back to the fallen club girls. “They’ll have the hangovers from hell tomorrow, but a valuable lesson learned.”
“And what lesson is that?” Tonio asked, his voice carrying genuine curiosity.
“Don’t fuck with someone unless you know what game they’re playing.” I looked directly at him as I said it, the double meaning clear.
Instead of bristling, Tonio nodded slowly, a grin tugging at his lips. “Fair enough.” He leaned forward, resting his forearms on the table. “I looked into you. When I found out about you. I looked into the foster homes you were in, the schools you went to, the jobs you’ve had. I put together pieces of the life you led without me being part of it.”
My stomach tightened. I’d known this was coming, but that didn’t make it any easier. “Figured as much. A man like you probably has investigators on speed dial.”
“I do,” he acknowledged without apology. “But I’d rather hear it all from your perspective.”
Sully’s thumb stroked a gentle pattern against my shoulder, a silent reminder of his support. I inhaled slowly, buying myself time.
“Not much to tell, really,” I finally said. “My mom was an alcoholic with a taste for whatever pills she could get her hands on. Some days she remembered to feed me. Most days she didn’t.” I shrugged. “I learned to take care of myself pretty young. Got good at forging her signature, making excuses to teachers, hiding the empty bottles before social services came around because my mother had been arrested. I was good at talking her out of trouble most of the time.”
Tonio’s expression darkened, but he remained silent, waiting for me to continue. “She OD’d when I was seven. Found her on the bathroom floor.” The memory flashed through my head, and I could almost see the blue tinge to her lips, the needle still in her arm. And the strange stillness of someone who’d always been in restless motion. “After that, it was foster homes. Some better than others, none worth staying in once I turned sixteen.”
“That’s when you ran,” Sully said softly. Not a question.
“Yep.” I grinned, trying to play it off, but honestly, sometimes the past just fucking hurt. “Figured if I was going to be on my own anyway, might as well do it on my terms. Been pretty good at taking care of myself ever since.”