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)
Shit, even now I wanna give her the benefit of the doubt. My gut says she isn’t really a danger, but I don’t fucking know, and that pisses me off. Even if she isn’t the enemy, it doesn’t mean she isn’t being used against us. Eagle-eye made it perfectly clear that no matter what our personal feelings are, we gotta put the club first.
“What’s the call?” Mad Dog asks, his voice unusually flat.
“It’s real fucking late. She’s spending the night in the Pit. We’ll bring her in and do a new interview in the morning.”
His eyebrows go up in surprise, but he holds off on saying anything.
“The Pit?” Melody looks at me in horror. Her eyes are like two shadowed saucers. “Are there spikes, or snakes, or…? It sounds like you’re putting me in a dungeon!”
“We are, in a way,” Preacher says. “You’ve had access to our vice president’s house and his woman, free run of the clubhouse, and a lot of time with three of our members. True?”
She stares at him, stricken. “I… Yes, I guess so, but—”
“Your actions have consequences. I have a family inside these walls, as do a lot of the other brothers. You put them at risk. For your sake I hope this gets cleared up quickly, but in the meantime, we’re not going to hold your hand and fluff your fucking pillow.”
I can see the words hitting her. “Easy, Preacher.”
His gaze is steady and clear. “Am I wrong?”
“No.” Capturing her upper arm in my grip, I guide her out of her chair. She reaches for her bag. “Leave it. This way.”
“Wait, why are you doing this? My phone is in there, and all my… stuff.”
“You won’t need it.”
“You know what? Fine. I’m not saying anything.” She tries to pull her arm out of my grip but she’d need to be a lot fucking bigger and stronger to do that. “If you don’t think you can trust me, then why should I tell you anything? You won’t believe it anyway. And how do I know I can trust you?”
“Enough. If getting pissed makes this easier for you, then be my fucking guest, but for tonight, this is the situation. Be glad you’re a woman and we know you didn’t fire the gun. Things could be a lot worse.” I fucking hate everything about this.
Me and Mad Dog escort her past the first row of houses, around the back, past the shooting range, until we get to the squat concrete building that’s the Pit. Not a pleasant place, but it’s not quite as bad as it sounds. Not much worse than overnighting in a jail cell. We would’ve found somewhere else if there was anyone else in there, so it’s more to let her know to take this seriously than any sort of torture. It’s clean, dry, and we won’t leave her alone.
She looks at Mad Dog. “You’re just going along with this?”
He sighs. “Sorry, baby. I won’t bullshit you. This is kind of fucked, but so is this whole situation. Until we unfuck it, we’re doing this by the book. Believe it or not, it’s better for you in the long run. If we go too easy on you, people won’t trust our judgment.”
Pulling open the steel door, I nudge her inside. First cell on the right is as good as any other. “In.”
“I can’t believe you’re—”
“In, I said.”
She obeys, but if glares could kill, I’d be a smoking wet spot on the floor.
“I’ll take first watch,” I tell Mad Dog. “Go get some sleep. I have a feeling we’ll need it.”
There’s a cabinet with bedding for the cells and some basic necessities. Not everyone gets the luxury, but we’re not complete fucking animals. The whole experience will be uncomfortable enough. A pillow and a blanket won’t turn this into a five-star hotel. I pass them through the bars to her.
Her eyes shoot lightning, but she takes them. “I swear I don’t know much more than I already said.”
“Save it.” I grab one of the folding chairs we’ve got leaning up against the back wall, flip it out and twirl it around so I can straddle it and rest my forearms on the back.
“Do you have a nightgown or something in there?”
“Are you fucking kidding me?”
Her shoulders slump. She’s clearly trying to hang onto her anger to keep going, but it won’t last forever. “Then at least turn around. I’m not sleeping in my bra.”
“Honey, I had my hands on your tits while I fucked your thighs this morning. You think I’m gonna lose my mind by watching you do that bendy girl magic shit under your shirt?”
Melody’s cheeks flush pink. “It’s the principle! This morning I didn’t hate you.”
“Do you hate me now?”
She stares at me for a minute in silence. Fine. I turn my head. A moment later, I hear her clothes rustling.