Total pages in book: 128
Estimated words: 123155 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 616(@200wpm)___ 493(@250wpm)___ 411(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 123155 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 616(@200wpm)___ 493(@250wpm)___ 411(@300wpm)
By the time we went our separate ways, we’d agreed to a two-month break—enough time to relocate to Oregon and catch our collective breath before moving on to something new. Of course, that break would be dependent on what happened with Wilson’s woman—if anything went down in that situation, we all agreed to cut our hiatus short.
I was grinning as I walked back to our room. Wilson was so rigid and technical in everything from the way he packed his go-bag to the way he spoke that I couldn’t imagine what kind of woman he’d be attracted to. I didn’t know what Kaley Campbell had done to gain Wilson’s loyalty so quickly, but I was looking forward to meeting the woman.
“Hey,” Cecilia greeted softly as I opened the door. She was sitting up in bed feeding Olive, her hair tangled and her face lined with pillow marks. “Everything okay?”
“Everything’s good, baby,” I said, toeing off my untied boots. I crawled in beside her and leaned my back against the headboard. “Told the team I’m out.”
“Oh, yeah?” She looked at me and wrinkled her nose. “Were they mad?”
I chuckled. “Nope,” I replied, reaching out to rub her shoulders. “They’re all out, too.”
“What?”
“That’s what Wilson wanted to talk to me about,” I said. “He came here to quit in person. Turns out, that woman he’s been talking to is too distracting for him to do his job effectively—his words.”
“Whoa,” she said, her eyes wide. “Did not see that coming.”
I laughed and explained all the decisions we’d made at our little round table. It felt good to have something settled, even if it was work. Hell, I had to admit, at least to myself, that it wasn’t just work. The team had become a kind of family—and I was happy as hell that we’d continue as one, even if the circumstances had changed.
“They all agreed to live here?” she said doubtfully when I was done. “In Eugene?”
“Well, Lu’s from Seattle,” I said, leaning my head back and rolling it to the side so I could look at her. She was so gorgeous, even with her leftover makeup and hair flying in every direction imaginable. “She’s happy to come back to the cooler weather and be a bit closer to familiar landmarks, and Forrest was never happy in southern California—too many people. He stayed there because it was close to headquarters and to the rest of the team—but he didn’t like it. Eli’s in. Ephraim and Josiah don’t give a shit where they’re livin’. I think they moved around a lot as kids, so that’s what they’re used to. And Wilson—” I shrugged.
“He’s happy to be wherever the woman is,” Cec said, a small smile playing around her lips.
“Pretty much,” I said with a sigh. “And her name is Kaley Campbell,” I said, mimicking Wilson’s tone.
“Oh, excuse me,” she teased back. She looked down at Olive. “It’s over, isn’t it?”
“Yeah, baby,” I replied, brushing her hair back from her cheek. “It’s over. The Aces still need to deal with the militia. There’s some shit that needs to be handled that didn’t have dick to do with Drake Warren, but you and Olive are safe.”
“Are you sure?” she asked. The tentative hope in her eyes made me want to shoot someone, and I grit my teeth at the knowledge that I hadn’t been the one to kill Drake Warren. That particular honor had gone to Forrest, who’d shot Warren from the upstairs window the minute Cecilia had pulled away from him. Cecilia’s bullet had probably been enough to kill Warren eventually, but Forrest hadn’t waited to find out.
“Your pop will make sure that the militia knows you’re under Aces’ protection,” I said, nodding. “But I doubt you’ll need it. That was Warren’s vendetta—not theirs.”
“So,” she said, letting out a relieved breath, “this is what normal life feels like. I’d almost forgotten.”
“Well, I don’t know about normal,” I replied, glancing around the room. “You’re living in a motorcycle clubhouse.”
Cecilia elbowed me in the side. “You know what I mean.”
“Yeah, I do,” I said, leaning forward to kiss her. I pulled away, but not far. “We can start looking for a place today, if you want. Check the listings, get a feel for what you want.”
“I already know what I want,” she said, giving me a lopsided smile.
“Oh, yeah? What’s that?”
“You’re going to think I’m crazy,” she mumbled, looking down in embarrassment.
“Why?” I hid a smile as she shifted uncomfortably. “Why am I going to think you’re crazy?”
“The people next to my parents are selling their property,” she said so fast that the words all mashed together. “I saw the sign as we drove past yesterday.”
“You were payin’ attention to for sale signs?” I asked in surprise.
“I was trying to keep myself calm,” she replied defensively. “And I saw it and thought about how much I always loved that house and the orchard they have out back. Plus, there’s a pond that we used to sneak over to swim in.”