Total pages in book: 79
Estimated words: 74270 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 371(@200wpm)___ 297(@250wpm)___ 248(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 74270 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 371(@200wpm)___ 297(@250wpm)___ 248(@300wpm)
Eagle-eye nods. His hands are clasped, his elbows on the desk. “King gave me her version this morning. She sent me the picture she took of the guys who were looking for you in the waiting room. You said you didn’t recognize them.”
“No.”
“How about we take another look now that you’ve had a chance to recover a little.” He opens his laptop and clicks a few times before spinning it around.
Emily must’ve been trying to take the photo without anyone noticing, because the angle is funny and the focus is on the woman at the desk, not the men, but it’s clear enough. I lean in closer. This whole time, I’ve been trying to tell as accurate a story as possible, without bringing my father into things. Unfortunately, I can’t leave the Devil’s Brigade totally out if they were the ones who got themselves spotted.
I don’t even have to lie. “Sorry, I’ve never seen them before.”
“You sure?”
“Yeah. I really didn’t see anything. Maybe if I heard them speak it would help? They could’ve been the ones who jumped me, but I don’t know.”
“It’s too big a coincidence,” Rebel says. “I don’t like that the same club keeps popping up, and Emily says you seemed real scared when she showed you the picture last night.”
Eagle-eye grunts in agreement. “You think someone hurt her because she was seen with you.”
“I think it’s a real possibility. The whole shitstorm feels sloppy, but if someone was pissed at us, Melody could’ve looked like an easy target to take that anger out on.” Riptide runs his hand down my arm.
“I agree, but that doesn’t explain them going out of their way to find her later.”
“Maybe they wanted to make sure she couldn’t identify them,” Mad Dog suggests. “If that’s true, she might still be in danger.”
Eagle-eye nods. “Here’s my suggestion. Emily is happy to have her stay for now, and I probably don’t have to tell the three of you to keep an eye on her.” He fixes his one good eye on me. “This isn’t a vacation. One of my boys almost died last night, and another man’s growing cold in the morgue. If you remember anything, you tell Emily or your boys and they’ll make sure I hear it. Okay?”
“Okay.” All I can think about is the gun in the bottom of my backpack.
Did Dad put it in there? Or did someone slip it in when I was unconscious? I know the longer I hold back, the more it’s going to look like I’m trying to hide, but this might all be a big misunderstanding and I won’t know until I can talk to my father.
11
REBEL
“You got a job or someone waiting for you at home?” Riptide asks Melody when we get back down to the common room. “It might take a few days to sort this shit out.”
“I sent my boss a message this morning to let him know I need a few days off. And no, not really at home. I lived with my mom, but she died last year, so it’s just me in the house now. It would be nice to go home and grab some of my stuff, take out the trash so it’s not too gross, that kind of thing, but nobody’s going to call the cops and report me missing.” She stops, frowning a little in consideration. “I’ve never really thought about it but I don’t know how long it would take before someone even noticed I was gone. I live too far out of town for anyone to notice if the house starts looking rough. My dad maybe? But he sometimes drops off the face of the earth for months. Is that sad?”
“It’s different for us,” I explain. “This can be a risky life, so we’re expected to keep an eye on each other. It’s one of the reasons we end up living and working with the same couple brothers even though it’s a big fucking club. If Rip or Mad Dog fell off the grid, I’d probably notice something was wrong in less than a day.”
Mad Dog nods. “The whole club works like a team, but we’ve got well over a hundred people coming in and out of here on the regular and nobody’s taking attendance, you know? When new guys join up, they get thrown together until they settle into a team who can get along and work well together.”
“Working in teams makes it easier on everyone. We don’t have to wonder who we’re working with all the time, and the officers can give us assignments that work for our specific strengths.” I put my hands around her waist and tug her into my chest. Her hair smells like vanilla, and it makes me want to bury my nose in it while I bend her over something. “How about we stop talking about practical bullshit and have a good time before the next fucking shoe drops.”