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 you’re saying I should go for it?” The idea terrifies me and excites me.
“If you don’t, aren’t you going to regret it? You’re too young to be trapped in a house in the middle of nowhere. I bet you’d be thinking ‘what if’ for the rest of your life, married to a regular guy, living a regular life. You know. Boring.” She grins, obviously trying to rile me up.
And she’s right. If I don’t try, I’ll never know.
It settles something inside me I didn’t know was so wobbly. I want to try. Maybe it’ll work, maybe it won’t, but I need to find out. I’ve been nervous, but now I suddenly feel eager.
Turns out I don’t need to go looking for them. The crowd parts as Rebel, Mad Dog and Riptide push their way through. I grin when I spot them, but it falls off as they get closer. They don’t look happy. Even Sandra goes dead silent when she sees them.
They stop right in front of me, and I know it’s going to be trouble when Rebel says in a dark tone, “Melody, we need to talk.”
28
REBEL
“No. That can’t be right. He’s been helping us, and the club is everything to him. It was more important to him than me and Mom. Why would he risk it all like this? And he didn’t—I saw his face at the rally. He was surprised I was there. There’s no way that was an act.”
Melody looks so fucking confused and vulnerable. When we picked her up, she was a little unsteady, but hearing about the possible impending death of your father is sobering for anyone. She can’t seem to stay still. Sitting, standing, and now she’s pacing up and down the length of my quarters.
Fuck, I just wanna put my arms around her and tell her it’s all gonna be alright, but I can’t fucking promise that. And maybe that’s the worst part of it all. I can’t comfort her if I’m part of the thing that could hurt her.
Riptide runs his fingers through his hair, looking as frustrated as I feel. “I know it doesn’t add up. We’re not saying Eagle-eye doesn’t have his suspicions, but on the surface it’s a solid offer. Your father’s an important man and nobody would believe Rocco was offering him up lightly. And from what you’ve said, Joker and Clutch have been tight for a long time. Would he betray his brother like that?”
“Not Uncle Clutch.” She whirls on us, her face pale. “I’ve known him all my life. I mean, I think I have. He’d come by to visit or help me and Mom almost as often as Dad. Heck, while Dad was in prison, Clutch was the one to make sure we had everything we needed. I wouldn’t say he was a second father or anything like that, but there’s no world where he’d turn on Dad without a good reason.”
“So you trust him?” Mad Dog sounds suspicious. I’m fucking suspicious too. This shit doesn’t feel right.
“As much as I trust anyone.” She catches herself, looking around the room at the three of us. “Look, you probably know more about the Devil’s Brigade than I do. I’ve seen enough since this started to understand that I don’t know what they’re capable of in your world, but in mine, yeah. He might do the scary, bossy biker thing, but he’d never really hurt me.”
“Do you think your dad could’ve done it?” I ask her straight out. “As VP, Clutch would be next in line if something happened to Rocco, but it’s not a fucking royal dynasty. The club would follow whoever shows they have the balls to do the job, and who they’re most loyal to. Could that be your father?”
To her credit, she takes a little time to think about it, instead of a knee-jerk no. “I don’t know. He’s away so much, and he’s already shown he’s able to keep a life separate from me for most of my life without me figuring it out. I don’t know, maybe I’m just stupid.”
I can’t hold myself back anymore. Two steps and I’ve got her in my arms, pulling her in close and pressing her head against my chest. “You’re not stupid. You were kept in the dark. There’s a big fucking difference, and that’s on your father. Shit, remember when I told you I grew up surrounded by all this, and I’ve never been sure I wanted to do that to my own fucking family? I don’t know if what happened to you is any better. At least I knew what I was dealing with. My father was an asshole because he was an asshole, not because he was a biker.”
Her arms slide around me and she relaxes a little. “Do you think maybe Uncle Clutch has a plan? Maybe Dad’s in danger or something.”