Total pages in book: 143
Estimated words: 141464 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 707(@200wpm)___ 566(@250wpm)___ 472(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 141464 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 707(@200wpm)___ 566(@250wpm)___ 472(@300wpm)
While a middle-aged, teary woman’s recounting all the ways Whisper helped her reach her fitness goals, one of the brothers slips through the door and stops beside me.
I glance over long enough to clock a vaguely trusted face—Hudson. Around my age. Patched member of the Wolf Knights. Not someone I’d go out of my way to share a beer with.
“You mind if we talk for a sec?” Hudson asks under his breath. “In private.”
I know Hudson but not well enough for private chats. His urgent tone sets my radar humming. I glance at Wrath but his attention’s locked on the woman still speaking.
“Uh, yeah, sure.”
We weave in between different guests clustered in the hallway. My gaze ping-pongs, searching for a quieter, less crowded location. I find a spot near the staircase—by the hallway that leads to the prep room. It’s far enough from the main rooms to talk without drawing attention, but still visible to anyone walking by. No shadows. No doors. Just enough privacy.
I turn to face him. “What’s on your mind?”
“You seem to know the place well.” He gestures toward the parlor. “Ulfric mentioned the funeral director’s daughter is your ol’ lady.”
I cross my arms over my chest and stare him down. “Do we know each other well enough for you to be prying into my love life?”
He blinks, then his face settles into granite. “Didn’t realize it was a secret.”
After the world’s shortest staring contest he blows out an annoyed breath. “I wanted to ask if your club’s recruiting.”
We very much need to grow our numbers but I’m not about to share that with someone wearing another club’s patch. “Why? You know someone who wants to prospect?”
“Yeah, me.”
I let that sit for a beat, then drop my slow, sarcastic gaze to the flash stitched on the patch on his chest—Road Captain. I drag my eyes back up to his face. “You already have a club.”
“I got my president’s blessing to ask, so don’t think I’m a traitor to my club. Truth is, Wolf Knights are probably disbanding my charter soon. I don’t want to move to another state. Again.” He sighs, jaw ticking. “Honestly, I’d really like to move back home. I grew up in Slater and even though the winters fucking suck, my mom, my sister and her kids are all here. I’m tired of missing birthdays and holidays with them.”
“You grew up in the Wolf Knights, right? That’s how you know Teller’s ol’ lady?”
“Yeah, our dads patched in at the same time. Charlotte and I hung out a lot when we were kids.”
“So, why ask me instead of Teller?”
He tilts his head and widens his eyes to a cocky degree while staring at my own road captain patch. “RC to RC, I guess.” He shrugs. “Besides, I don’t know if Teller would be cool with it. He seems to be under the impression there’s more history between Charlotte and me than there actually is.”
“No offense, but I doubt he gives you much thought at all, bro.” Teller’s way too cocky to see anyone else as competition. “He and Charlotte are tight.”
“Glad to hear it,” he says in the least joyful tone possible. “Are you guys looking for recruits or not?”
“Maybe.” I study him harder. “You really want to jump clubs?”
“Told you, ain’t gonna have a club pretty soon.” He shrugs. “We were always good with Lost Kings. I like your club’s structure. You still take riding seriously. Ulfric always had a lot of respect for Rock. Seems like it would be a solid fit.”
I’m sure somewhere in the history of the Lost Kings MC, someone might have patched-in from another club. I’ve never heard anyone talk about it, though.
“You know you’d have to scrape your club ink if you jump.” With his long-sleeved shirt, no Wolf Knights insignias are visible but I’d bet my bike he has at least one.
He nods like he expected that and rolls up his left sleeve, revealing a faded black wolf head with Wolf Knights scribbled like an afterthought over the wolf’s ears. Some truly hideous line work.
“My prez said either way, I gotta do it before I leave. Got this.” He pats his arm and then his chest. “And another one incorporated into a larger piece here. I’ll probably laser this one and cover the other one.”
Makes sense.
“I got no idea if they’ll make you prospect the full term or—”
“I don’t care,” he cuts in fast. “I’m not looking for special favors. I want to earn my full patch same way everyone else does. Want my new club to trust me—not worry that my loyalties might be somewhere else.”
That’s a good sign. Not a lot of guys who’ve been officers in a club want to get busted back to prospect.
“All right, yeah. Since we’re all here, you want to talk to Wrath?” Wrath knew Hudson’s old president pretty well. It makes sense for Upstate’s SAA to start Hudson’s vetting process.