Total pages in book: 72
Estimated words: 66697 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 333(@200wpm)___ 267(@250wpm)___ 222(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 66697 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 333(@200wpm)___ 267(@250wpm)___ 222(@300wpm)
“Thank you,” she said quietly. “That’s acceptable.”
Knuckles stepped forward. He didn’t look at Tessa. He looked at me, his eyes cold. “Griffin, get Knight to give Tessa a sat phone. Tessa, you keep that phone on you and charged. We’ll check in with you every day. And, Antonio? You break that promise…” Knuckles took a menacing step closer to me “… and Kiss of Death comes for you. Family or not. Alliance or not. You understand me?”
I held his gaze. The threat in it was real. Knuckles did not make threats he wasn’t prepared to carry out. I had seen what happened to men who’d crossed him. I also happened to know Knuckles was making a point. Not to me, but to Tessa. He had her back. The whole club did.
“I do,” I said. And I meant it.
He held my gaze for a long moment. Then he nodded, once, and turned away.
I needed some air. I stepped outside through what was left of the front entrance. The air hit cool and clean after the smoke inside.
Darby found me anyway. She always did. We had built a relationship of sorts since she’d come to be with Sully. She didn’t treat me as a father figure but more as an equal. I couldn’t deny she’d become a close friend. I trusted her and, by extension, Sully.
She came out through the same ruined doorway, pulling her jacket tighter against the chill. No Sully this time. She stopped beside me but didn’t acknowledge me at first. My driver now waited with the engine running for me and Tessa to leave for the airport.
“Don’t smother her,” she said.
“Tessa?” I made it a question when we both knew it wasn’t. Darby had me figured out better than anyone in my life except, possibly, my father.
She rolled her eyes. “No, Tonio,” she snapped. “The Goddamned Tooth Fairy. Yes, Tessa! She’s stronger than she first looked. The hell she went through might have bent her a bit, but she’s not broken. Don’t treat her like she is.”
“Darby,” I said. Her name came out rough. I had nothing after it.
“Just saying. She’ll surprise you if you let her. And if you don’t, you’ll be missing out on something truly special.” She held my gaze for a long moment. Then she shook her head once and walked back inside.
I stood in the cold air. She was right. From the moment I met Darby, she’d been able to see through me. Seth too. She’d inherited that from her mother.
I went back inside to see if Tessa was ready. She had changed into clothes that weren’t torn or bloodstained. Her hair was pulled back, the cut above her temple cleaned and bandaged. She stood with a small bag at her feet, talking quietly to her sister.
Veda looked up when I approached. The distrust in her eyes was palpable but she didn’t say anything. Instead, she gave me the stink eye. Yeah. I got it. No one was happy with me taking Tessa away from them, but they also knew I made sense.
“I’m ready,” Tessa said.
I picked up her bag, and we walked toward the front entrance together. Outside, my driver had the car door open. The interior light cast a warm glow across the gravel.
Tessa paused and looked back at Haven and her sister. Then she turned and walked to the car. I followed and got in beside her. The door closed with a soft, expensive click. My driver pulled away from the curb, Haven receding in the rear window.
Tessa sat beside me, her hands in her lap, her gaze fixed out the window. She was quiet and composed. I wanted to reach for her hand. I didn’t. I wanted to tell her she was safe now. That nothing would touch her behind my walls. That I would stand between her and any threat that came for her, and that threat would not survive the encounter. I didn’t say that either.
The car moved through the wet streets toward the airport and my waiting helicopter. I would keep my promise. I would bring her back the moment she asked. But if I played my cards right, she might want to stay with me. For a while.
The car turned into the private drive to my hanger, the helicopter ready and waiting for us. Kass stood just outside ready to open our door. I had what I wanted.
Somehow, in the getting of what I wanted, I’d lost every illusion I’d ever had about why I wanted this girl. No matter what I told myself -- or anyone else -- I didn’t just want to keep Tessa safe. I wanted her for my own.
Chapter Three
Tessa
The car rolled onto the tarmac, cutting through puddles from the afternoon rain. A helicopter sat waiting, its rotors in motion and three men in dark jackets standing by. I could feel the thump of the blades before I even stepped out. My legs wobbled a little, but I made myself walk to the open door and climb in without looking at Antonio. My duffle landed on the seat next to me, the only thing that belonged to me in this entire production.