Total pages in book: 69
Estimated words: 63842 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 319(@200wpm)___ 255(@250wpm)___ 213(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 63842 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 319(@200wpm)___ 255(@250wpm)___ 213(@300wpm)
I pressed my forehead against my knees, trying to make myself smaller. A tear leaked from the corner of my eye, sliding hot down my cheek. Then another. I wiped them away furiously with the heel of my hand. I was not going to cry in this fucking corner like a child because someone broke a vase. I was not going to be this broken thing Eric created.
But the tears kept coming, silent but unstoppable. They weren’t really about the vase or even about the flashback. They were tears of pure frustration at my body’s betrayal and my mind’s inability to distinguish past from present. And for how pathetic I’d been for so long. Now I had nothing.
* * *
I’d come to an agreement with Hannah. I helped out with housekeeping, cooking, and anything else needed in Haven, and I could stay longer. At least, that was the agreement I proposed. She’d smiled and told me that of course I could stay. That there were no conditions and I could stay as long as I wanted. As safe as I felt here, I knew it would be a long while before I “wanted” to leave. And also, I didn’t really believe they’d let me stay here much longer. It was past time I left. I just couldn’t make myself go.
Now, I pushed the supply caddy, which seemed to weigh a ton, its wheels squeaking as I pushed it down the hallway. Hannah had asked me to deliver fresh towels and toiletries to the linen closet where everyone got what they needed. A simple task, but it got me away from the sympathetic glances after my meltdown in the common room. The building designated for Haven had been a former warehouse but someone had converted the place into a very comfortable, very soothing atmosphere inside.
I passed the small office and approached the security station that controlled access to the entire building. The security here was insane and every security guard working here took their job very seriously. No one got inside Haven who didn’t belong. The door was ajar, and I slowed as I heard Hannah’s voice from inside, clearer and more authoritative than her usual soft-spoken manner.
“-- have to adjust the rotations since Noose’s funeral. We can’t leave any gaps in coverage, especially at night. The restraining orders don’t mean shit if --”
I hesitated outside the door, not wanting to interrupt but also curious about the changes happening around us. Noose had been killed just before I came here. He’d died in the same fire that had nearly claimed the lives of Mia and Oktober, as well as Pain and Inferno. The Kiss of Death MC had been providing security for Haven since its founding, a fact that had initially terrified me until I realized they were the only thing standing between the women here and the men who might come looking for them. More than once, I’d been ashamed of the way Eric had called these men criminals. I’d learned that while most of them had killed, they’d all had good reasons for what they’d done and had taken their punishment.
I knocked lightly on the doorframe, the caddy parked beside me. “Sorry to interrupt. I have supplies for --”
The words died in my throat as I stepped into the doorway and saw who Hannah was talking to. A large man filled the small security office with his presence across from Hannah. The Kiss of Death leather cut stretched across shoulders that could have belonged to a linebacker. His dark hair was buzzed short on the sides but longer on top, and a shadow of stubble darkened his jaw. But it was his hands that held my attention. They were large and weathered, with scars across the knuckles. I didn’t know this man, but he obviously belonged to the club.
I froze, instinctively. I didn’t like strange men. Most of the women here had issues with strange men. I gaped at the guy, feeling like prey caught in a predator’s trap.
“Jade, perfect timing,” Hannah said, seemingly oblivious to my reaction. “This is Rip. He’s taking over Noose’s security detail.” She turned to the man. “Rip, this is Jade. She’s been with us about a month now and has been helping with chores. She’s been a lifesaver in so many ways.” Hannah gave me a smile before reaching out to take my hand and tug me farther inside the office. “If you can’t find something, ask Jade. She’ll either know where it is or if we have whatever it is you need.”
I managed a tight nod, my throat too dry for words. This man was here to protect us, not harm us. I knew he wouldn’t be here if he were a bad person, but my body hadn’t gotten the memo.
“Rip’s going to be handling the night shift security,” Hannah explained, filling the quiet.