Total pages in book: 52
Estimated words: 47615 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 238(@200wpm)___ 190(@250wpm)___ 159(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 47615 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 238(@200wpm)___ 190(@250wpm)___ 159(@300wpm)
I twisted the throttle all the way, the engine screaming beneath me as my bike surged forward. Rat Man jerked at the sound, finally spotting me in his mirror. Too late. I was already on him, closing fast. He whipped his head around, trying to find me. His eyes widened behind the clear visor. Recognition hit him like a physical blow. He knew exactly who I was.
Good.
He swerved, trying to put distance between us while keeping pace with Knight’s SUV, panic making him clumsy. The front of his bike wobbled as he tried to keep an eye on me and reach for his weapon at the same time.
I feinted left, making him drift right, away from Knight. Then I cut hard across his path. His front wheel clipped the backside of mine.
The impact jolted through my bike. I wrestled it back under control as Rat Man’s front wheel twisted violently. Physics took over. His handlebars whipped sideways, throwing him forward as the bike bucked beneath him. Man and machine separated in a tumble of limbs and metal.
I braked hard, controlling my skid as Rat Man hit the asphalt and rolled, his momentum carrying him toward the ditch. His bike scraped along the road in a shower of sparks before sliding off the shoulder. Rat Man’s body bounced twice before coming to rest half in the ditch.
I started to circle back but Knight blew his horn and motioned me on to follow him. Right. We needed to get Ada to safety. Because she needed me there, not out here finishing off that pig. I’d trust Knuckles to help me end this in a way that didn’t put any of the women or the rest of the club at risk. I had to be rational and control emotions I’d never had difficulty reining in before.
I hurried on, glancing back only briefly to see if the other man moved. The compound wasn’t far. With no immediate threat, my attention went back to Ada. All I could think about was getting back to her. And what terrified me most wasn’t what I’d just done. It was how much further I’d go if anyone threatened her again.
I roared through the compound gates at twice the speed I should have, the guard barely getting them open in time. My tires skidded on the gravel as I braked hard, heart still hammering from what had gone down on the highway. The adrenaline hadn’t faded. If anything, it pumped harder through my veins now that I was back, now that I knew Ada was somewhere inside these walls. Knight’s SUV sat empty near the clubhouse entrance. They’d beaten me to their home territory while I’d hung back to make sure no one else followed us. I killed the engine but couldn’t bring myself to dismount yet. My hands trembled slightly as I pulled off my helmet, the residual violence churning inside me with nowhere to go.
When I finally swung my leg over the bike, my muscles protested from being held too tight for too long. I paced across the courtyard, unable to stand still.
What bothered me wasn’t what I’d done or what I’d considered doing to Rat Man. It was how badly I’d wanted to do it. How the thought of Rat Man threatening Ada had broken something loose inside me that I’d kept carefully locked away.
I hadn’t felt protective of anything in… well, ever. Had nothing worth protecting. Now suddenly I had this woman under my skin, making me act like a wild animal defending its territory.
“You good?” I turned to find Knuckles watching me from the doorway of the clubhouse, arms crossed over his chest. His face gave nothing away, but his eyes held a knowing look that made me uncomfortable. Like he could see straight through me.
I didn’t answer. Just nodded once, sharply.
“Heard what went down on the highway.” Knuckles stepped out into the courtyard. “Quick thinking.”
“Would’ve been quicker if I’d put him down permanently.”
Knuckles made a noncommittal sound. “Maybe. But you made the right call coming back instead.”
I glanced toward the clubhouse. “They inside?”
“Knight’s giving everyone the rundown. Ada’s with him.” Knuckles studied me for a long moment. “Seen the look on your face on several of the guys in Kiss of Death. Including myself.”
“What look?”
“Like you’d burn the world down to keep something safe.” He let that hang in the air between us.
I looked away, unwilling to acknowledge what he was getting at. “Just tryin’ to help. I had a bad feelin’ somethin’ was gonna happen.”
“Right.” Knuckles didn’t push it. Just nodded toward the clubhouse door. “Let’s hear what Knight’s got to say.”
Inside, Knight stood at the center of a circle of patched members, gesturing as he spoke. Ada stood just behind his right shoulder. Her eyes found mine the moment I entered, something unreadable flickering across her face. My step faltered slightly before I regained control.