Total pages in book: 64
Estimated words: 59146 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 296(@200wpm)___ 237(@250wpm)___ 197(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 59146 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 296(@200wpm)___ 237(@250wpm)___ 197(@300wpm)
I walked down the front path to the driveway without looking back. I reached my bike at the end of the driveway and swung a leg over it and sat. As I put my hands on the grips before starting the machine, I realized not only was I shaking with anger, but my palms were sweating.
Finally, I revved the engine a couple of times, just to piss off the neighbors around us, and took off. I needed to get away from here. I needed to make sure Knight and Hawk knew they needed to be aware of a heightened threat to the club from this pissant in case he figured out more about Kiss of Death than he should. And I needed to figure out what exactly I planned on doing about this situation because I knew there was no way I could leave Juniper on her own.
Chapter Nine
Inferno
My phone lit up with Juniper’s name while I cleaned the garage for Tiny. Did the garage need cleaning? No. But I’d been such a pain in the ass, Tiny had put me to work. Since he was an officer and I wasn’t, I was stuck here while Knight worked on keeping an eye on Brett’s movements. The visit to that open house hadn’t been to intimidate Brett. I’d put a gadget Knight gave me on his car and Knight used that gadget to get into Brett’s phone via the Bluetooth when it connected to the car. It might not help much, and only for a day before the battery died, but at least maybe we’d have a heads-up if he did anything stupid.
I answered Juniper on the second ring. “Hey.”
“Inferno.” The second she said my name, I knew something had gone very wrong. Her breathing was too fast and shallow.
“Juniper. What’s wrong?” I moved toward my bike at a run, leaving everything where it fell when I dropped it.
“I need help. Behind the b-bakery supply shop off C-Charlotte.” Her voice broke as she spoke. “The b-back parking lot. They took my k-keys and --”
“I’m coming. Are you hurt?”
A pause. “I’m fine.” The words came out on a little sob, which meant she was the opposite of fine.
I shot off a text to Knuckles and started my bike, my mind settling somewhat when the thing roared to life. On the bike, I was in control of my world. Right now, I needed every ounce of that control. The compound gate rolled open before I reached it, and I sped along as fast as I dared.
The little supply shop she always used sat in a strip of low commercial buildings with a gravel lot behind it. I cut through the alley between buildings and found her standing beside her sedan, one hand braced on the trunk, the other holding a set of keys so tight her knuckles had gone white. She was upright at least. Her hair had come loose from its bun and hung in dark strands around her face. She didn’t look up when my bike growled into the lot.
I killed the engine and hurried to her side. She looked at me and I saw more fury than fear. A lot more. Her eyes were bright and hard and her mouth was set in a line so tight the corners had gone white. There was gravel ground into the heels of both palms. A scrape ran the length of her right forearm where the sleeve had torn. The bruise Brett had left on her skin was still there, purple fading to yellow at the edges, and beneath it fresh red marks where someone had grabbed the same arm.
“They took my keys,” she said, like she’d rehearsed them. “Two men in a white sedan, I didn’t get the plate. They were parked behind the dumpster.” She pointed without looking. “When I came out with the invoice and my order sheet, they were just there. One of them grabbed my keys out of my hand.”
I needed to make sure she was OK, and to hold her close for a long fucking time. I needed her in my arms like I needed to breathe, but as big a dumbass as I could be sometimes, even I recognized now was not the time. If she felt smothered again, I doubt I’d get another chance.
“He grabbed my arm and just…” She waved her hand in a frustrated motion. “I don’t know. I fell to the gravel. I managed to hang on to his arm and got my keys back. When he pulled me to my feet, I swung for his face and I got him.” Her eyes were bright and wide with the adrenaline rush. “I got him good. Right across the…” Her hand made a diagonal slash across her own cheek. “He fucking screamed.” She was breathing hard now, her words coming faster. “The other one pulled him off. They said…” She stopped. Shook her head. “They said there’s an offer coming on the building. On my building. The b-bakery. They said I’d be smart to take it. That’s what they said. ‘There’s an offer coming. You’d be smart to take it.’ Then they ran. Got in the car and left.” I saw the confusion beneath her anger. “What does that mean? An offer on the building? I own the building. My grandmother left it to me. There’s no offer. There’s no…” She cut herself off. Swallowed. “I called you. I promised I’d call you.”