Total pages in book: 73
Estimated words: 66480 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 332(@200wpm)___ 266(@250wpm)___ 222(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 66480 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 332(@200wpm)___ 266(@250wpm)___ 222(@300wpm)
That pulled a reluctant smile from me. "Yeah, but that worked out okay."
Honey's face grew serious again. "This is different. The tension between the clubs has been building for months. Jack says the Copperheads have been pressing into our territory."
I flinched at that. Ghost had mentioned "things happening" that I didn't know about. This must have been what he meant. The fact Honey was saying anything to me about it at all showed how worried she was.
"Maybe Rocky's not involved in that part," I said, even as I recognized how pathetic it sounded. "Maybe he's just a mechanic who works with them."
"You don't believe that any more than I do." Honey chided gently. "There's no such thing as 'just' anything with the Copperheads. Everyone gets their fucking hands get dirty."
I knew Honey was right. The logical part of my brain had been screaming the same thing since I'd seen that patch. But something else, something deeper and more primal, kept whispering there was more to Rocky than what I saw on the surface.
"I need to know," I said softly. "I need to know if it was real, or if I was just a mark."
Honey studied my face for a long moment. "Wren—"
"I know it's stupid. I know it's dangerous. But I can't let it go without knowing for sure."
The silence stretched between us, heavy with all the things neither of us was saying. I'd never felt this way about anyone before, and the fact that it had to be someone from the fucking Copperheads felt like some cosmic joke at my expense. Ghost would lose his mind if he found out. Jack would probably put a hit out on Rocky on principle alone. But none of those things changed the fact I couldn't stop thinking about him. Couldn't stop wondering if he was thinking about me too.
Honey sat next to me on the couch. "This isn't just dangerous, Wren. This is suicide." Her voice shook with genuine fear. "The Copperheads aren't just rivals. They're fucking animals. Animals who'd gut you without blinking if they thought it would hurt Bound in Blood. Pretty sure you know that better than me, yet here we are.”
I rubbed my temples, wishing I could erase the past few days and go back to when life made sense. When I didn't lie awake at night replaying every fucking moment with a man who had very well played me for a fool.
"Last month, Jack and some of the guys intercepted a truck headed for the Copperheads' compound. Young girls, Wren. Some of them no older than thirteen, all of them drugged out of their minds." She turned her head to look at me. “You’re my best friend, Wren. I can’t let them hurt you. Not over a man.”
I stood up, needing to move, needing to do something with the restless energy building inside me. "I get it, OK? They're monsters. But..." The words stuck in my throat.
"But what?" Honey challenged. "But maybe your guy is different? The exception to the rule? The one good apple in a barrel of rotten ones?" Her laugh was harsh, brittle. "Sweetheart, you're smarter than that."
"I don't know what he is," I snapped, running my hands through my hair. "That's the whole fucking problem. I can't just write him off without knowing for sure and without knowing his name I have no place to start."
"Why not? Why can't you just let this go?" Honey gave me a confused look, but I knew she understood. I’d had a similar expression on my face when I first learned of Jack’s interest in her. "There are plenty of other guys out there. Guys who won't get you killed or worse."
"Because it didn't feel like a lie," I said quietly. "What happened between us felt real. And if there's even a chance that it was..."
Honey looked at me like I'd grown a second head. "You're actually considering seeing him again." It wasn't a question.
Before I could respond, my phone buzzed on the coffee table. We both froze, staring at it like it might explode. When it buzzed a second time, I lunged for it, snatching it up before Honey could reach it.
My heart hammered against my ribs as I read the message on the screen: "Been thinking about you. See you again?" The words sent a jolt of pleasure through me making my fingers tingling. I must have made some sound, or maybe my face gave me away, because suddenly Honey was at my side, grabbing the phone from my hands.
"Been thinking about you. See you again?" she read aloud, her voice rising with each word. "Are you fucking kidding me right now?" She looked up at me, eyes wide with disbelief. "Tell me you're not actually considering this."
I reached for my phone, but she held it out of reach. "Give it back, Honey."