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)
“Wait,” Riptide interrupts. “What about Melody? You’re gonna prioritize a fucking coup over your own flesh and blood?”
Joker’s nod is grim. “This can’t wait, unless I wanna risk the whole fucking Brigade. Anyone who followed Rocco and Clutch is going to try to dig in back at the clubhouse. I need to go get what’s mine. With any luck, Clutch went back there. I’ll tie him up real pretty for you if I find him.” His smile is bloody.
“Just like that, huh?” Mad Dog doesn’t even try to hide his distaste.
He smirks and looks right at me. “I’m realizing that some of you boys have developed an attachment to my girl. I’m sure you’ll look into it.” Joker moves his attention away. “So how about it? Eagle-eye, am I free to go?”
“Prez?” King asks.
Eagle-eye glances at Shadow, Outlaw and Thunder. “Your call.”
After a moment, they nod.
“He’s not the man we’re after. Let him dig his own fucking hole.” Shadow sounds as disgusted as I feel.
“Go on, run home,” Eagle-eye says disdainfully. “I’ll hold you to your word. If you cover for Clutch or so much as fucking sneeze in our direction, we’ll be back, and we won’t bother negotiating.”
“Excellent. Hope we never meet again.”
32
MELODY
The freeway passes by, one light post at a time. Clutch and I are in the backseat while a driver takes us back to the clubhouse. Clutch isn’t talking, just looking really pleased with himself. Every time I look out the window, I half expect to see Rebel and the others coming to get me, but I know they’re not there.
I already checked.
And again.
I’d rather just go home, and right now, home isn’t the house I shared with Mom.
As soon as I saw Dad I got a sinking feeling that I had made a mistake. I trust their word that the Eagles won’t hurt him more than he already is unless they can prove he’s the shooter, but I can’t shake the sense that something has gone wrong. Was it my fault? I don’t know, and that’s what makes it so frustrating.
“Uncle Clutch?” Calling him ‘uncle’ is starting to sound weird in my head, but it feels even stranger to not say it. It’s been that way my whole life.
“Hm?” He’s pulled out of his thoughts and has to recalibrate. “What’s up?”
“What happened back there? Do you think Dad’s okay?”
“Melody, honey, you can’t be that naive. Your father is in a lot of trouble,” he says, like I’m five, and not a grown woman.
“But do you really think Dad could be the shooter? It just seems out of character.”
“You don’t really know your father, Dee. He’s not a good man.”
That wasn’t an answer. “But you have some kind of proof, right? Or a plan to get him back?”
Annoyed, he rubs the bridge of his nose. “I know this aspect of his life is new to you, but there are some harsh truths in this world, and one of them is that sometimes shit has to happen for the good of the club.”
Alarm bells are ringing in the back of my head. I nod. Casually, I pull out my phone and start scrolling. I put a whole bunch of numbers in my phone before we left, like all of the guys and a bunch of the old ladies. Maybe I’m being paranoid, but I set my phone to silent and click Mad Dog’s contact before slipping my phone to the side of my leg where the screen isn’t visible. The call connects.
“But Dad’s your friend. Don’t you want to help him?”
“I really fucking hate to be the one to say this, since your father’s been my friend for years, but he turned on me and the club. It doesn’t change how I feel about you, Dee, but I had to do what I did for the good of the Devil’s Brigade.”
“You’re not making any sense. What is it you think he actually did?”
“Rebellion. He’s planning on replacing Rocco. He thinks he’d do a better job than our current president. He even told me about it, and when I didn’t agree, he got violent and threatened me.”
“What? I can’t imagine him ever hurting you. That’d be crazy.” Dad? Really?
Clutch’s face screws up into an annoyed scowl. “Ambition is a poison, Dee. Why is it so hard for you to believe that your father killed a man? Two, actually.”
“But why? And why would he have invited me to the rally and given me that gun to keep safe?” I’m going out on a limb here because I don’t know with one hundred percent certainty that he was the one who put it there, but I can’t think of any other way it got there and I want to see his reaction.
“Gun in your bag?” He turns to me, face scarily blank. “What gun?”