Total pages in book: 25
Estimated words: 23333 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 117(@200wpm)___ 93(@250wpm)___ 78(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 23333 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 117(@200wpm)___ 93(@250wpm)___ 78(@300wpm)
He didn’t want to keep wondering how Kelley was doing. He didn’t want to call Willow to get an update, because he felt like he’d already called Kelley enough times, and she needed a break.
He didn’t want her getting her hopes up, thinking this was going to be more than what it actually was. But the truth was, he was a fucking idiot. He wanted Kelley, more than anything. Riding away each time was getting harder, and he didn’t want to do it anymore.
And the worst thing was, he couldn’t stand the thought of another man earning those smiles Kelley gave him. He couldn’t stand the thought of another man being what he hadn’t been—there, by her side—giving her children and a life.
He had no doubt Kelley had a shit life before he entered it. There was no way he would allow that. The open road stopped looking so good. Now, it looked like a nightmare, and not one he wanted to have anymore.
He liked being with Kelley. He loved picking her up from work, spending nights with her, sharing meals with her, making love and fucking, just doing what people did. Kelley was in his fucking heart, and he didn’t want to lose her.
He reached into his jacket and pulled out the velvet box he had happened to purchase before he came to Creek. He’d been passing through another town that had a jeweler. He’d stopped to take a piss, and that is when he’d seen the engagement ring, just glinting up at him.
The jeweler seemed to be pissing himself with fear. Probably thinking he was going to steal from him or kill him, either way, he got the ring. The guy had even offered him a decent discount. Crow didn’t give a fuck about the price. He had some money from the jobs they had done over the years. It was a nice sum as well—something to get them started—and he had a few plans that would help settle them down.
The guys all said roughly the same thing.
“Well, fuck.”
There was nothing that meant business like a ring. This was what he had gotten for Kelley.
“There is one thing I do need to do first,” Crow said. “And I was wondering if you boys would like to take a small trip. I know it’s risky, with the snow, but I think we could be there and back within the day. Hopefully, we won’t get stuck.”
“What do you need?”
“Five years ago, Kelley’s mother sold her to the traffickers we took care of.” Crow had killed them, and they had handled the bodies. He also had a guy from the law department who told him they had gotten an anonymous tip about a bunch of other girls. For the last five years, Crow had been taking out the men associated with that group of traffickers. The only person left was Kelley’s mother.
“Count me in,” Brick said.
“And me.”
One by one, the boys raised their hands, as he knew they would. There was nothing worse than a mother who would do that kind of shit to her child. They were bikers and had done a lot of bad shit over the years, but they all had limits on what was acceptable. Selling your kid was the lowest anyone could sink to.
And now, he was going to settle that score.
Chapter Nine
Kelley finished stocking the shelves and looked around at all the people. The grocery store was getting pretty busy, very fast. She was struggling to keep up. She rushed back into the warehouse, stacked up her cart, and went right back to the beginning. She worked tirelessly.
She had overtime for tonight. She wasn’t getting off until nine, and Crow had already told her Willow was going to come and pick her up.
It wasn’t Christmas Eve yet, but Crow not picking her up made her wonder if he had changed his mind. Not that she blamed him. The open road did sound inviting to some people. Not to her. She loved the warmth and comfort of her home. Where some people hated the mundane life of doing the same thing over and over, she loved it. She had a schedule, and sure, from time to time, it changed. Growing up in chaos, a life with order was a dream come true.
Her mother had been a giant pain for as long as Kelley could remember. There was rarely any food. Not that food was such a big deal, yet it was. People needed to eat, or at least children did. Even if her mother was getting food from the men she was having sex with, she always forgot her daughter. Much to her shame, she had dumpster-dived for food. Until she was able to get a job and supply her own food, she had lived the best she could. Sure, there were times her mother pretended to care. It depended on the man she was with. Rarely did they want to see a caring mother.