Total pages in book: 89
Estimated words: 88262 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 441(@200wpm)___ 353(@250wpm)___ 294(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 88262 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 441(@200wpm)___ 353(@250wpm)___ 294(@300wpm)
“Okay, okay, grizzly bear,” I told Kane.
The moment I was back out past the bar gate, he immediately calmed down, giving me a nod.
“I do protect this space like a bear,” Kane said. “You’re very welcome here. I… really like having you here, actually. Just don’t let it happen again.”
“Softie Kane,” Max teased. “You don’t usually tell anybody you like having them here. Even the people you do like.”
Kane shrugged. “Don’t you think having Draven here makes the place feel safer?”
Something glimmered in Max’s eyes. “Yeah. I really do.”
“I’m like a guardian bear, sure, but Draven’s like a wolf. It’s nice having two beasts around.”
“If you two don’t stop complimenting me I’m going to do something awful and ruin it for both of you,” I said.
“Actually, Kane, that’s Draven’s secret,” Max said. “He’s a big softie inside, too.”
Kane snickered. “I don’t know if I believe that.”
Max blew me a kiss from his place on the step stool and something went molten in my chest. My head filled with every last thing I wanted to say to him, right here and now, preferably with a hand around his neck.
I need to fuck you.
Need.
Going to fucking tear every piece of clothing off of you later tonight, Baby Blue. And those lips that just blew me a kiss are going to look just as pretty around my cock.
My cock was still hard, because looking at Max in any capacity was going to have the power to do that.
But something about him made me ache sometimes, too.
I really didn’t want to leave his side.
For the safety issue.
Mostly.
I gave Max a long look before heading out into the night.
And then I was only home for an hour before I got the phone call from him that I’d been dreading.
Part Two
Thorns
Chapter 17
Max
“I’m okay. It’s okay. But there are police—lots of police, actually, I don’t know why, and they have him in handcuffs—”
“Tell me what happened, Max,” Draven said firmly. “Dom’s already driving me down there. Talk to me.”
I was surrounded by blue and red flashing lights. The night air was a little foggy, and the flickering blue and red filled the mist around the police cars, tinting the whole parking lot in each flash of color.
My own voice was so shaky as I held the phone by my ear.
I was resting against the cool brick exterior of the hard Spot now, as multiple police officers surrounded me, writing down notes, taking photos, and occasionally talking into their radios.
Kane was in and out of the bar, checking on me and making sure the rest of the people inside the bar had gotten out through a safe exit, quickly and easily.
Nothing had happened inside.
But apparently people had heard the gunshot.
And that doesn’t exactly make for a fun night out at the bar.
“It happened fast,” I told Draven on the phone. “I was walking outside to take out a box of recycling, and—and there was a guy, and he shot a fucking gun.”
“Tell me you are not hurt,” Draven barked.
“Not at all,” I said. “He… he didn’t even shoot at me, it was like he was just trying to scare me, shooting over toward a wall—”
“I never should have left,” Draven said.
“Danny Robinson just fucking happened to be walking down Laurel Ave, and he heard the shot, and I’m so lucky.”
“Who is Danny?”
“Oh. Right. He’s a police officer. Was in the same school year as Lily, actually, and it’s pretty weird, it’s like, I know Danny, but now he’s a police officer, and he was with one of his officer friends, too—they came running over. Man, Draven, even as I saw them running, I was worried about them slipping on a patch of grass instead of worrying about the fucking man with a gun—”
My voice broke off as I realized I was rambling about things that didn’t even remotely matter right now.
My heart was still beating like a drum inside my chest. Everything seemed surreal, like I was in a movie instead of living my real life.
How had any of this happened?
How could it be this bad?
“I’m on my way,” Draven repeated. “You’re safe, Max?”
“I’m safe.”
“I’m going to stay on the line, but you don’t need to say anything. Just breathe, baby. Just breathe, in and out.”
I listened to him, because right now I fucking needed guidance, of any kind. I pulled in slow, even breaths, letting them out through my mouth.
The police had the man handcuffed minutes ago, but now, he was in one of their cruisers, being pulled away.
The next few minutes were a blur of police questioning. I kept my phone by my side even as the police came over and asked me to go over every detail of what I’d seen—I was outside, I saw the man, he stared right at me and fired his warning shots, and then Danny had run over and taken him to the ground.