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)
He just shrugged. “You’ve made things a lot harder on yourself than necessary. There was an offer, but you refused. Why, Junie? Why push it this far, when you know how this works?”
“Because it’s mine,” I shot back, vehemently. “And that’s enough.”
Brett smiled, but it looked sinister at best. Maybe even a little deranged. “If you’d just taken the offer --”
“Yeah, you wouldn’t have had to commit arson and put an old man in the hospital. Classy, Brett. Real fucking upstanding.”
He took another step, his hands still out to his sides. “I just want you to listen to reason.”
That’s when Zero came running hard across the wet sidewalk until he slid between us, putting himself between me and the threat. “Back the fuck off,” he snapped. “You don’t talk to her. You don’t come near her.”
Brett’s smile was gone. A flush crept up his collar. Then he produced a gun from under his coat and pointed it chest level at Zero.
Zero didn’t even have time to act. The shot was quieter than I thought it would be but still gave off a muffled bark. The round hit Zero somewhere high and left, spun him sideways into me. There was a surprised look on his face as he met my gaze before his legs trembled, losing strength. Bright red blood blossomed over one side of his chest and more blood bubbled from his nose with each breath.
“Oh, God!” I caught him on the way down enough to slow his fall. My hands went sticky immediately. I heard myself chanting, “Fuck, fuck, fuck,” but it was like someone else was talking.
Brett was on me in a second. He yanked me back by my hair. I tried to swing for his face, but my arm went wild, and he caught my wrist easily. He shoved me toward the curb, to a waiting car. I twisted, trying to dig my heels in. All it did was make the pain worse.
One last look over my shoulder and I saw Inferno’s cut slip off and drop to the wet ash next to Zero. I remember thinking it was way too big for me, but fighting to get away from Brett I’d managed to lose the one thing that meant more to me than any other possession. Maybe even more than my grandmother’s recipe box. That vest represented not only Inferno’s protection, but his love for me. I tried to scream, but Brett clamped a hand over my mouth.
The last thing I saw before the door slammed was Inferno’s vest lying in blood and cinders, and Zero gasping for air, his lips moving as he watched me helplessly.
Then Brett shoved me inside the vehicle, wedged in beside me, and the car peeled out, leaving me at the tender mercies of someone I truly believed was a madman.
* * *
Inferno
Psycho Nurse Lisa wasn’t happy with me. She was also the first one to shove me out the door when she overheard the problem. Juniper had been taken by her ex and Zero was currently on the way to Vanderbilt. Half the club was headed to the other end of Nashville. The other half awaited Knuckles’ orders.
I don’t remember leaving the hospital. I do remember the aforementioned psycho nurse threatening my ability to piss upright if I got out of bed. Once Knuckles explained what had happened, she knew she couldn’t win this battle. She’d made sure I had an inhaler and a bunch of other shit and sent me out the door with instructions to come back if I needed.
The ride to the compound was a blur, my mind still not grasping the fact that Juniper had been kidnapped. Also, I had no idea if Zero would make it out of this alive. He’d been shot with a small caliber, but a bullet to the chest was a bullet to the chest.
Inside the clubhouse, Knight was in his office, gaze glued to the wall of monitors and a phone to his ear. Several of the guys waited in the common room for Knuckles’ orders but the place was silent except for any noise coming from Knight’s office.
None of that interested me much at the moment, though. Tiny had a guy tied to a chair in the corner of Knight’s office, away from anything important. The kid looked like he might piss himself at any moment. Bruises on his face stood out where whoever had brought him in had got a little rough. He looked a fuck of a lot better than if I’d been the one to bring him in.
Knight didn’t fuck around. “This is the one,” he said, with a jerk of his chin. “I got a positive facial ID from the Brentwood gas station security camera.”
The kid had a small, skinny build. Looked to be about twenty or so. Eyes darted everywhere but at me. Mostly, he focused on Tiny because Tiny was anything but and looked like he wanted to break the kid in half.