Total pages in book: 168
Estimated words: 169013 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 845(@200wpm)___ 676(@250wpm)___ 563(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 169013 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 845(@200wpm)___ 676(@250wpm)___ 563(@300wpm)
I almost choked over a laugh.
If she was referring to Silas leaving me to wander through a mile-high pile of unpaid invoices and bills discarded in random stacks on the desk, a fool who decided she was actually going to sort through the total mess, then yes.
It wasn’t like I could just sit there idle all day, anyway.
I had to do something with my hands or those hands would have ended up around Silas’s throat.
The few times he’d wandered by the office door, the asshole had never even glanced my way.
As if he had zero care that I was there.
I didn’t know why that pissed me off even more, but it did.
Elena began to haul me toward the main entrance of the clubhouse, which was two swinging doors with the Crimson Crows emblem stamped on the front.
I wasn’t surprised that I could feel that brute of a man tromping along behind us, though he was hanging back in the distance.
You’d think he’d be given a break from guard duty on his birthday. The most problematic part was it appeared that maybe he didn’t want one.
Elena pushed through to the chaos on the other side.
Heavy metal music blared, and while there were a ton of people outside, it seemed the main gathering was in there.
It was a full biker bar. A private one, clearly, but lacking no amenities.
High-top tables were situated up front, three pool tables running down the middle, and couches were hidden in the shadows along the right wall.
Toward the back on the left was an L-shaped bar, probably ten or so stools running each length, and to the back right was a stage elevated by two feet with a dance floor below it.
A haze of smoke curled through the dim lights, making the people scattered everywhere appear like figments of vapor.
A few dancing. Some tossing back shots while others were drinking straight from the bottle.
Laughing.
Shouting.
“Is everyone here a part of Crimson Crows?” I basically shouted it so Elena could hear above the raucous din.
It wasn’t like I knew much about biker life.
It’d always been a bit of fiction to me. Something fanciful and romanticized.
Full disclosure, what was going down in there was far from romantic.
People groping each other in the darkened corners, one woman propped on a table while a biker kissed up between her thighs.
Elena gave a slight shake of her head. “Normally only family is allowed, but not tonight.”
Family.
She considered these brutes family.
She shrugged a little. “But the guys wanted to give Trevan a real bash, so they basically did a word-of-mouth invitation. A ton of old friends came from the last town where we lived, so I recognize most.”
A tiny frown tugged between her eyes. “But I think there are a bunch of people from Crimson Creek here, too. Probably out looking for a little taste of the wild side.”
“Is that what this really is? Wild?” I was pressing her.
But I needed to know.
I needed to know what the hell they were involved in and just how my brother had gotten himself entangled in it.
Air puffed from her nose as she continued to wind us through the mob.
Then she leaned close. “It’s a different lifestyle, Brinley, and at times it can be wild.”
She hesitated, peeking around like she was worried she was going to get caught dishing a betrayal, before she whispered, “Dangerous.”
Then she rushed, “But what they do is really important.”
Confusion smacked through me at her words. “What they do?”
How could living this type of life be important?
I was thinking more like a scourge.
Surprised guilt seemed to make her stumble a step, and her eyes widened in regret.
No question, she’d let something slip that she wasn’t supposed to.
“What does that mean?”
She pasted the first fake smile I’d seen her wear onto her face. “It’s nothing.”
Shucking it off like she didn’t have my brain swirling with questions, she pulled out ahead of me, dragging me along.
“Come on. If you think Lulu’s chicken smelled good, wait until you taste it.”
She angled us through a doorway and into another room.
It was like walking into another realm. The lights were brighter in there, and a few people were sitting at the three picnic tables that ran against the right wall.
On the left was a long buffet table.
The room basically a mess hall.
The delicious barbecue Elena was referring to was piled high on heated silver platters, and every side dish you could imagine was set out as offerings.
Trevan didn’t follow us.
I could only imagine he was leaning against the other side of the wall, standing like a sentry with his arms crossed over his chest.
An older woman was at the buffet, dumping a bowl of ribs slathered in sauce into one of the chafing dishes.
Her gray hair was twisted into a bun, and she wore a Crimson Crows T-shirt.
Tell me these guys didn’t actually have a fan club and merch.