Total pages in book: 23
Estimated words: 22106 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 111(@200wpm)___ 88(@250wpm)___ 74(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 22106 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 111(@200wpm)___ 88(@250wpm)___ 74(@300wpm)
Ben and Felon fill the doorway, and Ben walks in. “Shit, Greyson. I told you and Pres told you. No more destroying places. Hell, we’re not going to be allowed in—”
I interrupt him but don’t take my eyes off Greyson. “He was attacking me… Uh, Greyson saved me.”
Ben and Felon both change in an instant. They look me up and down and then they each take a hit on the guy, and he grunts as he feels each blow. Ben and Felon pick up the guy by his arms. “Where do you want him, Gunn?”
Greyson gestures to the back. “Take him out back. I’m not done with him.”
Ben shakes his head. “Dude, too much more and he’s going to be at death’s door. You want to take this back to the club?”
I look between the three of them, and I have no doubt in my mind that they will kill this man. The Exiled Guardians don’t play when it comes to protecting women.
Malcolm comes to the door and looks at the bathroom. Doors are off hinges, blood is spattered on the wall, and the mirror is broken. “Oh shit. Fuck.”
Ben points at the still groaning man on the floor. “He attacked Alice…”
Malcolm turns to me. I’m shivering, eyes wide, staring at the men around me. Malcolm takes a step toward me and stops. “Alice, shit, I’m going to call the police.”
Ben raises his hand. “The club will handle it.”
“No!” I say, coming to my senses. “No.” I point at Felon. “Felon, out. You don’t need to be caught up in this.” I don’t have to mention his history of being in prison. I turn to Ben. “The club is not handling this. You’re not killing a man, even if he deserves it, because of me. You guys go, I’ll talk to the police and—”
Greyson shakes his head. “Fuck that. Malcolm, we’ll take care of the bathroom. Ben, Pres will wanna take care of this since he messed with one of ours. Call him and we’ll take him back to the club.”
I wrap my arms around my middle. I’m trying to contain my trembling, but all of this is too much. “Greyson—” I say.
My voice is too quiet for him to hear me, so I say it again. “Greyson.”
He looks at me, and I’ve never seen him look like he does right now. The man is shaken to his core. I can feel myself start to fade. I say his name again, and then everything goes black.
CHAPTER 4
GUNNER
I catch her before she falls. I lift her in my arms, and it’s like she weighs nothing. “I’m taking her home.”
Boss ushers me out the door. “I got this. Take care of her.” He tosses me the keys to the SUV. “I’m parked out front. Take the girls.”
I stride out of the bathroom and out the back door of the bar to avoid the crowd and then walk around to the SUV that is parked out front. I’m not sure how it happened, but Emily and Lexi are both standing out front waiting for us.
I toss the keys to Emily. “Here. Drive.”
She catches them. “Oh my God.”
“Is she okay?” Lexi asks, pointing at a still limp Alice.
“She’s going to be,” I tell them. There’s no other option. She has to be okay.
I climb into the back of the SUV, holding Alice on my lap.
Emily and Lexi are quiet the whole way after I assure them that besides a few bruises, she’s okay. Hell, I hope she’s okay. I was so dead set on taking care of the asshole, I didn’t take care of her. I hold my head down in shame.
I hold her to me, talking to her. “I’m so sorry, Alice. Fuck, I should have been there.”
Her eyes flutter open, and she stares up at me. I brush her hair off her forehead. “It’s okay. We’re going home.”
She reaches up and wraps her hand around my wrist. “Don’t leave me, Grey.”
I swear my heart swells three times its normal size in an instant. “I promise. I won’t.”
She nods and then closes her eyes.
We get to the clubhouse, and as I walk in with her in my arms, all the members here are standing, ready for what they know is coming next. No one gets away with what happened to Alice.
The room is silent, and I nod at Pres. “I’m taking her up to her room. Boss and Felon will be back shortly with the guy.”
He nods, and Lexi and Emily are on my heels. I turn to them. “I got her. I promise I won’t leave her side.”
They both nod, and after I assure them I’d call if Alice needs them, I walk through the clubhouse and up to Alice’s room.
I settle her on the bed and sit down next to her. All the what ifs are going through my head, and as I look down at my hands, I see the blood on them.