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)
He’s gotta either be in a club, or associated somehow. One more reason to keep family out of club business if you ask me. Sure it’s tempting when I see the guys making it work. I’d lay down my life to protect what they have, but isn’t it better if they never get mixed up with us in the first place?
“Melody?” I keep my voice low. She’s been quiet long enough that I’m not sure if she’s still awake and I don’t want to wake her up if she’s able to sleep.
The blankets move. “Yeah?”
“I know you have no reason to believe me right now, but we’ll get you out of this.”
She scooches to the end of the cot and rests her hand on the bars. I move my chair closer and put my fingers on top of hers. It’s not a lot, but for the moment, it’s enough.
14
MAD DOG
There’s a gun sitting in the middle of the table. An ugly slab of cheap metal with the numbers filed off, if they were ever really there in the first place. We pulled it out of Melody’s bag last night.
Quickshot, our resident firearms guy, picks up the gun, examining it closely. “Look, this isn’t fucking CSI or whatever. I can tell you that it’s been fired recently and there’s three rounds missing. From what Doc found in the medical notes, the bullets match the one they pulled out of Lightning. Kind of an unusual off-brand ammo, but not unique enough to give us a clear answer on its own.”
“She was at the rally. Is there any chance she carries for self-defense?” I have to ask.
Shadow snorts. “Really? I get why you want to defend her, but she’s up to her eyeballs in this shit.”
As if on cue, Rebel opens the door and guides Melody in. She’s wearing the same clothes she’s been using since we met, and there’s dark circles under her eyes to match her bruises. Rebel doesn’t look much better.
Shadow takes it all in, watching her with thinly veiled anger.
“Uh… hi.” She shrinks under Shadow’s glower, and when her eyes land on the gun, she looks more resigned than surprised.
“Hey.” I pull out a chair. “You want coffee?”
She nods. “Yes, please.”
“I got it.” Rebel grabs a couple mugs and pours from the carafe on the table.
“Melody, this is Shadow. He’s one of Harper’s old men, and he’s an officer, so he can make calls we can’t,” I explain.
“You’re fucking lucky it’s me in here and not Thunder,” he says under his breath.
“How many old men…”
“Four. It’s not important right now.”
She nods, gathering herself a little. “I’ll tell you everything you want to know, but on one condition.”
“You’re not the one calling the shots here,” Shadow snarls. “My old lady slept in a fucking chair last night while one of us has a breathing tube down his throat.”
She flinches. “I know, okay? I know. But it’s not that simple.”
“Then make it simple,” Shadow snaps. He’s normally very level-headed, but today he’s on his last nerve and the scar on his jaw stands out starkly against his overgrown stubble.
I get it. Hell, if Melody was our old lady, we’d be acting the same. “We can’t promise anything until we know more. What’s your condition, Melody?”
“I need your word that you won’t hurt my father.”
Shadow, Rebel and I exchange a loaded glance.
Rebel leans forward over the table. “Is he involved?”
“I don’t know.” Her back is straight and her head is high, but her knuckles are white around the mug. “I know—there are things I know that I probably should’ve told you, but I really don’t know what happened. I want to help, but I don’t want to be the reason he gets hurt.”
Shadow takes a deep breath. “I appreciate your loyalty, but if your father shot Lightning, we will kill him. What I will swear to is that if you hold up your end of the bargain and tell us everything, and he isn’t the shooter, then we’ll keep you safe from whatever fallout comes from helping us, and the Eagles won’t make a move on him unless he forces our hand. Agreed?”
She must feel so fucking alone, trapped here with us after spending last night locked up. And Shadow isn’t pulling any punches.
“Melody? Look at me. Do you trust me?” It’s a risk, but there’s an edge of desperation in her eyes. She needs someone on her side.
It takes longer than I like before she answers. “Yeah, I do.”
“Take the deal.”
“Okay.”
Shadow puts his phone on the table where we can all see it, and hits record. “Tell us the full story, Melody. Start from the beginning.”
She does.
Most of it we already know. That the guy who took her to the rally was the same one who turned up dead next to Lightning is nearly as new to her as it is to us. After the attack at her house and knowing about the gun, it feels much less likely that she was targeted because she was seen with us.