Total pages in book: 83
Estimated words: 78024 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 390(@200wpm)___ 312(@250wpm)___ 260(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 78024 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 390(@200wpm)___ 312(@250wpm)___ 260(@300wpm)
Colt leans his weight on the table between us. “Tell me to fuck off if it’s none of my business, but why would your mother keep you from talking about your own fucking brother?”
She runs a finger back and forth along the bottom of her glass. “He was my half-brother. I think Mom always hated that our father picked Ax’s mom over her. He only moved in when she found out about us and kicked them out. Dad was…”
“He was a fucking waste of oxygen,” I fill in for her. “The asshole never gave a shit about his own fucking kids. He could barely take care of himself and smoked weed like it was a full time job. Even back then I never understood how the fuck he managed to get two women hooked, but they weren’t much better.” I shut up when I see Quinn’s shock. “Sorry,” I lie. Her mom was always a bitch, but I suppose she might’ve changed.
“I know she was never the best, but she gave up a lot to take care of me,” Quinn says softly. “She could’ve had her own career, but then she got pregnant, and Dad was in and out of our lives. I knew how to take care of her, but Axel, he was hard, you know?”
“You were what? Five when Ax moved in with you?”
She takes a sip of her drink and nods. “Something like that.”
Me, Sinner and Colt exchange a silent glance. Family is complicated. Most of us know that first hand. I’m sure she doesn’t have to hear about it from us. Quinn presses a cocktail napkin against the back of her neck. She looks even more flushed, the red spreading down to where her breasts are peeking out of her laced-up leather top.
It takes a lot of effort to drag my eyes up to her face. “Time to switch to water.”
“Yep.” She pops the P when she says it. “Aaaaanyway, Mom’s my manager now. She calls all the shots.”
“Must be doing a good job if you’re a rich and famous actress,” Sinner says.
“Yeah, right.” Quinn snorts, looking shocked at the sound. She blinks, then shakes her head like she’s clearing it. “Sorry. I shouldn’t complain. What about you? What have you been up to? Aside from getting cool tattoos and building muscle?”
“Like your sister. Yeah, right,” Colt mutters under his breath.
I let out a soft huff of a laugh. “Floated for a while, like I said, trying to figure shit out. Then my step-dad got sick. Long story short, there are only so many times you can hear that there’s a lesson to be learned or a meaning behind everything before you get real fucking tired of it. Started working at a body shop and got a bit of a reputation for being good at custom paint jobs. I did some work for a couple of the guys in the Sons and—”
Sinner throws his arm over my shoulder and grins. “And now he’s stuck with us.”
Quinn has her chin in her hands. “Aw, that’s nice. Friends I mean. Even if they’re friends with guns. I don’t have friends. Or guns.”
“You feeling okay, Q?”
She looks up at me, eyes a little unfocused. “Yeah? I don’t—” A flash of panic crosses her face and she tries to stand too quickly.
What the fuck? I grab her just in time to keep her from falling.
“Quinn!” A woman with warm chestnut skin and gold in her hair comes rushing over. “What’s going on? What are you doing with her?”
“It’s okay, Erika. He’s an old friend,” Quinn says, but she looks ready to drop.
“You’re with the show, right?” At Erika’s nod, I gesture at the still half-full margarita. “Her drink. I think someone slipped something into it.”
“What? Are you joking?” She puts a hand on Quinn’s arm. “Do you know these guys?”
Quinn looks up at me, head a little heavy on her neck. “He’s Priest. Don’t call ‘im Heath anymore.” She takes a deep breath. “It’s probably just the heat. I need to get out of here.”
“No way. You’re not getting into a car with a stranger like this,” Sinner says when Quinn pulls out her phone and starts up an app to call for a ride.
Erika nods. “He’s right. You shouldn’t be alone right now. I’ll go with you.”
“No! I don’t want to make a scene. If we both leave, people will notice.”
“We’ll get her home safe. Erika? Can you handle reporting this to whoever’s in charge? Nobody at the bar. We’ve been here since they came with the drinks but who knows what the fuck happened before that.”
“Of course.” Erika puts her hands on either side of Quinn’s face and looks her in the eyes. I can see her judging if she trusts Quinn’s judgement and I don’t fucking blame her. “Call me when you get home, and first thing in the morning. You got that?”