Total pages in book: 260
Estimated words: 245483 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1227(@200wpm)___ 982(@250wpm)___ 818(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 245483 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1227(@200wpm)___ 982(@250wpm)___ 818(@300wpm)
If Cill’s uncle has gotten his claws into Cavanaugh, they’re already against us. If more of them are working with the feds, then it means there’s no safe place for Cill to be anymore. Just avoiding the club won’t be enough. They’ll be looking for ways to put him back in jail.
But more than that, it’ll mean that the family we once had is as good as dead.
“It’s worth it,” Cill says. “If there’s a chance to put it back together again, we have to take it.”
“It’s not fucking worth it,” Reed argues. “Do you hear what you’re saying? It’s not worth it for you to be in jail!” Reed’s voice breaks on the last word. Everything he feels echoes in myself.
“Cillian, please—” I start to say, trying to reason with him.
“If my uncle comes after us, that’s just as bad as being locked up. Fuck it, Reed. I’m not going to spend the rest of my life looking over my shoulder. If you really think he’s all there is to Cavanaugh, then by all means, don’t try to take him down. But I think you know better.”
“Damn it, Cill.” Reed shakes his head.
Cill looks at me. “What do you think, Hellcat? You think it’s over at Cavanaugh?”
All of my earliest memories of the club flick through my mind. I was at home in the rec room, and the garage. I never felt out of place there. Even as a little girl, if I wanted to know something about one of the bikes, some tall man wearing black leather and a grin would explain it to me.
Cavanaugh’s the reason we’re all standing in this kitchen together. If we hadn’t had that, we wouldn’t be here.
And Cavanaugh’s been dead to me since Cill’s father was buried six feet under.
“If your uncle’s working with the feds, I think you tell the Cross brothers, you tell the Valettis. You let it leak to the men who can take care of it and we get the hell out. Ask someone at The Ruin where we can go.”
“Where’s my hellcat?” Cill murmurs, disappointment evident.
“Protecting you, Cillian. Keeping you from getting in deeper when you never should have been involved.”
“Listen to her, please, man,” Reed pleads with Cillian who looks between the two of us with disbelief.
“It’s the Crest … what are you two fucking saying—”
“The Crest is dead!” Reed screams, desperate to get through to Cill. He closes the space between them with heavy steps and the air suffocates me. “The club is down to ten people including the two of us. Six men I hardly know anymore, a traitor and an old man who’s waiting to die.” I reach out to steady Reed, slipping between the two of them as the tension rises. He’s losing it.
“Hey, hey, let’s just have a seat,” I offer, gentling my touch. I’ve only seen Reed like this once before. The day Cillian’s dad was found dead. My hands rest against his shoulders and Reed’s arm wraps around my waist, pulling me in as he buries his head in the crook of my neck.
I’m surprised but only because Cill’s behind us.
“I can’t do it,” Reed murmurs before coming to grips and slowly releasing me. He lifts his head, his eyes red and drops his trembling hand. “I can’t watch you kill yourself for a family that doesn’t exist anymore.”
Everything in me wants to hold on to him as he takes a step backward.
He stares at Cillian and I’m hesitant to look back and see his expression. I expect anger from Reed holding onto me like that. Maybe even toward myself for getting between them. I expect a lot of things, but when I turn around, Cill is right there, reaching around to pull Reed in. I’m caught there, between them both, as Cill pats Reed’s back with firm slaps.
“I’m right here, brother.”
“Don’t fucking go back, man. Don’t fucking leave us again.”
As I slip away from their embrace, the two men hug it out, neither willing to let go. “We have each other,” Reed says and emphasizes, “that’s enough.”
Cillian’s silent and I’m not certain he’s convinced.
“Can we just wait to do anything?” I offer again. “We have time, don’t we?”
The two men look over at me before they each take a step back, emotion riddled in their lost expressions. My two broken and lost men. “We have each other, that’s what matters,” I tell them.
Cillian looks between the two of us, swallowing thickly. “How exactly is that?” he questions and a chill sweeps down my back.
“What do you mean?” Reed questions in a single breath even though both of us know what he means. There’s love between us all, and I can’t deny that I feel more love for Reed than I should.
“I mean … the two of you … If I wasn’t here, you’d be with her, wouldn’t you?”