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)
“So where did the gun come from?” Shadow asks.
“I’m not sure.” Melody must see his suspicion. “It’s true! There’s a gun safe in the top of the linen closet at the house because Dad insisted we have it, but that’s not the one we have at home.” She points to the gun on the table. “Like I just told you, I ran into Dad after we split up. He told me to run, and to wait for him to contact me. He could’ve slipped it into my bag, but I was also knocked out right after. It just as easily could’ve been them.”
“You said your father’s name is Joker?”
She nods. “That’s what Mom and Uncle Clutch always called him.”
Shadow’s eye twitches. “Clutch is the Vice President of the Devil’s Brigade. Her father is their Sergeant at Arms. He’s got a bit of a reputation.”
Fuck. Coming from Shadow, that says a lot.
“What does that mean?” Melody looks at Shadow, confused. “He told me he was an enforcer.”
“He was probably downplaying it to keep you in the dark. Enforcer isn’t wrong exactly, but he’s a high-ranking member,” Rebel explains.
“What about Rocco? Ever heard of him?” Shadow asks.
Melody starts to shake her head, then stops. “Maybe? I don’t think I know him, but I’ve heard Dad mention his name when he was talking to Mom and Clutch sometimes. I’m starting to think that she was keeping a lot more from me than I thought.”
“When did you notice you had the gun?” I ask. In my head, I’m going over all the time we spent with her and wondering how much of it was right next to us, with the gun that likely put my brother in the hospital only an arm’s reach away.
“After I got to Emily’s that first night. I feel like an idiot, but I had a water bottle and a bunch of other stuff in there. The extra weight didn’t really register.” She takes a sip of coffee. Her nose wrinkles. I bet it’s cold by now. “It was right before I talked to Eagle-eye. I knew I should say something, but it was all happening so fast, and I thought…” She sighs. “I thought I’d be gone in the morning. I wanted to help you, I really did, but I promised I would keep my head down, and if I said something it could’ve gotten my father hurt. I told myself it wasn’t a big deal because I didn’t know the truth anyway.”
As much as I hate to admit it, I can understand her decision. “Do you have a way to contact your father?”
“He told me to wait for him to contact me, but that was before I was attacked and someone broke into the house. I have his private number, but I want to be there.” She looks down, speaking to her lap. “I want him to know I didn’t turn on him.”
Shadow speaks slowly, like he’s having to forcefully keep his anger in check. “You can be there when we call. I think that’s for the best anyway. If I were him, I’d want to know you were safe.” He stops the recording. “Okay. I’ll update Outlaw and then he and Riptide can chat with our new friend. I’ll let you know when we’re ready to try to make contact.”
“What’s going to happen to me? I turned on my own father. If I have to go back to the Pit, does that at least earn me a shower?” There’s more than a little snark in her voice. Even vulnerable, Melody’s got spirit.
“Put your claws in, girl,” Shadow snaps, unamused. “Mad Dog, Rebel? It’s up to you. If you boys are willing to take responsibility for her, she’s free to stay in the compound under supervision. We’ll be hanging onto her phone and wallet. Wild Child and the others don’t want her in their house, so either find her an open room, or keep her with one of you. Otherwise”—his grin is feral—“there’s plenty of room in the Pit.”
“We’ll watch her,” Rebel agrees quickly.
“Melody,” Shadow calls quietly. He rounds the table to stand by her chair. “I’m giving you a lot of fucking grace right now because you’re young and Joker kept you way too fucking ignorant. You might not be responsible for what happened to Lightning, but you keeping your secrets could’ve killed Rebel, Mad Dog or Riptide yesterday. Responsibility goes both ways.”
I put my hand on his shoulder. “Shadow, it’s fine.”
Melody’s lips are slightly parted. She looks shaken. Once he’s out of the room, the tension drains away, leaving a different sort of discomfort. The fucked-up thing is, even though he was right, there’s still a pull between us. At least for me, and I’m pretty fucking sure I’m not the only one.
“Well, that went well,” she says to no one in particular.