Total pages in book: 79
Estimated words: 74270 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 371(@200wpm)___ 297(@250wpm)___ 248(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 74270 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 371(@200wpm)___ 297(@250wpm)___ 248(@300wpm)
Dad’s words echo in my ears. Not even the club. Crap. I’m in way over my head.
Emily must sense my panic. “They’re not going to hear anything from us, I promise. Now, I know you were one of the people hurt at the rally tonight. Was it these men? Do you have somewhere safe to go? Someone to call?”
“I don’t know,” I whisper. “I don’t think… I don’t know.”
“Okay. You’re coming home with me.” She says it like it’s the most sensible thing in the world. “My shift just ended, and I guarantee there’s nowhere safer in the city. Plus, I can keep an eye on you in case there are any effects from the concussion.”
“Are you sure? I don’t want you to get in trouble for—”
She laughs, a bright tinkle. “Girl, you have no idea how much trouble I’ve been in. This is nothing.”
When she says it like that, I almost believe her.
7
RIPTIDE
“Church is in session. Sit the fuck down!” Eagle-eye’s distinctive gravel-filled voice silences the angry chatter the moment he speaks up.
Instantly, a room full of fully grown men capable of scaring the fuck out of most sensible people turns into an elementary school assembly, everyone finding a seat and playing nice. Eagle-eye glowers out at the common room from his perch on the bar, where he’s seated himself to have an overview of the crowd. His good eye is steely and sharp, while his pale white, blind one feels like it’s staring right into your fucking soul. Our president might be north of sixty now, but he’s not showing any signs of slowing down, and I can’t think of a better fucker to lead this club than him.
King, our VP, stands next to him, big arms crossed over his chest. He’s usually one of the steadiest guys I know, but right now he looks fucking furious. If you wanna piss him off, attacking the club is exactly the way to do it. He’s gonna have big shoes to fill the day Eagle-eye passes the torch, but when the day comes, he’ll be ready. We all know it. Few clubs can brag about the kind of loyalty and stability we’ve got.
“First off, I’m sure all you fuckers have already heard, but earlier tonight at the rally, Lightning took a bullet. I talked to Doc not long ago, and he let me know Lightning’s out of surgery, but he’s not out of the woods. They’re keeping him under for a few days to give him the best shot of coming home. I’m not a fucking doctor, so don’t ask me the specifics, but the hit was serious and it’s a good thing he got to the hospital when he did.”
“Do we know who the fuck’s going to pay?” Mad Dog asks, speaking for the whole fucking room.
Church is always serious fucking business, but tonight I can feel the demand for blood in the air. One of our own was hit in a place where we should’ve been safe. Violence is always a companion in this life, but there are times and places where even men like us agree to put down our weapons. Whichever club broke the peace is going to pay a heavy fine, and if Lightning doesn’t pull through… it’s going to get messy.
Every Eagle on premises, or close enough to call in quickly, is packed into the room. Easily a hundred brothers. The scent of beer, leather and smoke is heavy in the air. This isn’t a fucking tech conspiracy or political bullshit. If war is coming, we all wanna be here to make sure we’re part of it, one way or another.
“Not yet. Thunder and Mack got to him right after. They found him and another man down, someone from the Devil’s Brigade. Don’t know yet if he was responsible, or another victim. Lightning’s piece was still cold, so there was at least one other person involved. Five different clubs were there this weekend officially, and who knows how many random fuckers showed up.”
Angry grumbling is all over the room. We’re not all close in the day-to-day, but in this? We’re all brothers. It’s one of the reasons why I chose this life. Growing up on a boat with nothing but my asshole father for company most of the time gave me enough isolation for a lifetime. I don’t know another way of life that gives you this. Some of the brothers say the military comes close when it’s good, but when it’s bad? Fuck that.
I follow Eagle-eye because I respect him and know he has our backs. Tonight proves it.
“Thunder and Harper are in the hospital with him. Shadow and Outlaw will be part of the crew looking into what happened. I expect everyone here to keep their ears to the ground and do what they can to support them.” Eagle-eye swipes his hand, indicating everyone in the room. “And in the meantime, everyone who was at the rally tonight should start going over everything they remember. No matter how fucking pointless it might seem. We’re gonna put the fear of God into the fuckers that did this to him. And more importantly, the fear of us.”