Total pages in book: 40
Estimated words: 38829 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 194(@200wpm)___ 155(@250wpm)___ 129(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 38829 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 194(@200wpm)___ 155(@250wpm)___ 129(@300wpm)
“For my brother,” he supplies, and I nod. “I wish we could go back. If Bear had just confessed about his feelings for you before we ever met …”
“You wouldn’t have even been attracted to me,” I laugh.
“Now, that’s where you’re wrong. You’re a beautiful woman. I would have noticed, maybe even envied my brother. I just wouldn’t have acted on it.”
“If you had told me Bear was your brother, I wouldn’t have either. I would have warned you about Douglas. All three of us screwed up and have regrets. Maybe that’s why all of this is shifting so easily. Whatever the reason, I feel like things are exactly how they are supposed to be,” I confess.
“Except Bear’s not here with us.”
I shake my head in disagreement. “Bear’s always with me. I just wish it was in a different way.” I let out a shuddering sigh—enduring it as it rocks my body. “Now tell me. Have you found Douglas?”
“We know where he’s been hiding out. We moved in, but he must have gotten wind that we were coming, because he was gone by the time we arrived. He left his buddies to face our wrath.”
“Of course he did. Douglas knows nothing about loyalty. Do you think he’s trying to leave the country?” I ask, voicing my biggest fear.
“No. He’s got too many warrants over his head. He’d had to sneak through the border, and he doesn’t have the skill to do that on his own. More than that, though, is that Eyeball is stupid. In his mind, he can still kill me and take over my club.”
“How would he do that? Even Douglas can’t be that stupid. Your men are loyal and they hate his guts. There’s no Ranger helping him out this time.”
“No, but he knows my weakness.”
“Winnie,” I nod, instantly afraid for my best friend.
“Well, if he watches closely, yes—which is why I have two men on her at all times. I think it’s more likely, however, that he sees you as my number one weakness.”
I huff. “So that’s why you have Cross staying here.”
“No, not really. I’d get one of the men to step up, but Cross is here because he wants to be. He views you as the daughter he never had. Cross loves being near you, Olivia. You shouldn’t doubt that.”
“Okay, so what’s the game plan? Are you expecting him to show up soon? Should I move to the ranch now instead of waiting?”
“He was spotted one county over. One of the members of the Savage Brothers—Crusher—spotted him. He tried to move in and get Eyeball, but his old lady was there, and he made sure she was safe first. By the time he came back …”
“Douglas was gone. I swear my brother has more lives than a damn cat,” I mutter, frustrated.
Blade laughs. “It’s okay, Livy,” he says, slipping back into my nickname. “Cross, Hangman, Money, and Sasa are all tracking him. In fact, the reason I’m here this morning and not them is because Hangman was pretty sure they found his hideout. They were moving in about thirty minutes ago. He’s going to call me as soon as he can.”
“What? You’re lying.”
“I’m not. Why would you say that?” Blade grumbles.
“Because. If they were getting ready to move in on Eyeball, you’d be there. You would want to be the man who killed him to avenge your brother,” I needlessly explain.
“We may not have worked out as a couple, but you do know me,” he laughs. “Or at least, the me that I used to be.”
I scrunch up my face. “Okay, now you’re spouting bad rhymes and not making sense,” I chastise, making him laugh harder.
“It means, the old me would have been the first to ride in for vengeance. Now, I’m doing as my brother would want me to do. I’m protecting the woman he loved with everything he had. I’m making sure she’s safe. Which is what he asked me to do in his letter, and it is exactly what I’m going to do.”
I feel tears sting my eyes. “I didn’t think you’d ever forgive me for that night,” I whisper.
“I see that night clearly now. When you begged me to kill you, you wanted to die, didn’t you, Livy?”
“It would have been better than to go back and have them continue to …”
“Don’t think about it anymore, Livy. You survived. They didn’t break you. Let’s both concentrate on our future. I’ve missed you, Livy,” he says with a genuine smile.
I walk over to hug him. “I’ve missed you, too. More than you know, Blade.”
“Is this a private party or can anyone join?” Winnie asks, sounding pissed. Viper is standing beside her, scrubbing the side of his face, looking uncomfortable. I feel Blade tense against me, and I shake my head.
“Quit terrifying your man,” I giggle.