Total pages in book: 144
Estimated words: 130761 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 654(@200wpm)___ 523(@250wpm)___ 436(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 130761 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 654(@200wpm)___ 523(@250wpm)___ 436(@300wpm)
“Get here, fucker.” I pulled him into my chest and kissed his head. “You need anything from me, I’m right next door. You’re welcome anytime. Doesn’t work out with Flame, you’re back with me. Yeah?”
“Yeah,” he said and stepped back.
“She needs to be with her mom anyway,” Ash said. “Sapphira.” I nodded, knowing it was true. Little bitch was jaded at the world, a fucking hermit. “We ever gonna get to see her?” Ash asked. “We all wanna see what she looks like. Speak to her. Never got a chance to even see her at the shootout, and she’s been hiding ever since.”
“Maybe today. Bitch is real shy, kid.” Ash nodded. I held out my shot. “Well, kid. Here’s to you saving my ass and moving in with Flame.” He laughed, and we knocked back our liquor.
“We’d better go rescue Zane from Vike,” Ash said. I followed him back to the fire pit. Some of the brothers had returned from their hike to the waterfall. Styx and Ky had started the grill. They all looked good here.
Dev would have loved it.
“You’ll look out for him, yeah?” I said when I saw Zane’s eyes widen at something Vike had said.
“Yeah. I like him.” Ash put the shot glass on a table. “He’s like you in a lot of ways.” I glanced back across to Vike and Zane, who were sitting with Hush and Cowboy. Zane was laughing. “He’d make a good prospect too,” Ash said as he walked away. I met his black eyes. He was smirking. “Just saying.”
Ash walked over to Zane, and the two of them made their way to the target range. I followed behind. Another kid to teach how to shoot.
Two hours later, when night had fallen and the fire was lit, I sat down on a chair. Zane, Ash and Slash were across the pit, drinking beer and shooting the shit. I watched them, a new fucking trio.
Shit, I felt old.
Someone sat down in the chair to my right, another in the one to my left, as I looked around for Phebe and Sapphira. Sapphira hadn’t wanted to come out yet. Wasn’t sure if she ever would. She was freaking out.
I knew who sat beside me without even looking. “Your old lady making an appearance anytime soon?” Vike handed me a fresh bottle of Bud.
“Hopefully,” I said.
“She doing better now?” he asked, serious.
“Yeah. She’s better. Now realize she wasn’t addicted to drink or smack. She was addicted to forgetting all the shit in her life. Forgetting the fact she had a daughter she was banned from.” I thought of the past couple of weeks, of her smiling face, her fucking kind heart. Her on top of me telling me she loved my sorry ass. My chest filled with warmth. “She’s good.”
“She’s ginger.” Vike smirked. “What?” he said when I raised my brows. “We gingers are a fucking unique species. Nails. We’re all fucking nails. Made from pure Viking stock.” I laughed, hearing Flame do the same. “And you sure do have a thing for us. Needing me in your life, then Phebe. Shit, brother, if you were that hard-up for freckles I would have let you see my anaconda years ago.”
“I’ve already seen it a million times . . . not by choice.” I shook my head.
“And every fucking time you were impressed.”
“AK.” Flame nodded toward the door of the lodge. My heart fucking pounded, near breaking from my chest, when I saw Phebe holding Sapphira’s hand, slowly leading her outside. Saff was nervously looking around the backyard, looking as if she were about to bolt any second. I saw my brothers all look her way, giving her a nod of their heads before getting back to whatever they’d been doing.
Phebe led her toward the other cult bitches on the other side of the fire.
Vike elbowed me in the side. “Look about,” he said and pointed to Lil’ Ash. Ash was frozen, beer suspended in the air, as he watched Sapphira walk past him and sit next to Lilah and Grace. I shook my head, groaning, when Zane and Slash tried to pull his attention. But his huge fucking black eyes wouldn’t get the fuck off Saff. She clearly saw it too, as she looked up, gave him a small fucking stunning ghost of a smile, then ducked her head again. Ash looked as if he wanted to go over and speak to her, but he just sat back, never taking his gaze off her.
“Ash just got a huge fucking boner for Saff,” Vike shouted. Then he jumped from his seat. “Gotta go and rip into him over this shit. Priceless!” Vike rushed to Ash, who was still staring at Saff, like his eyes were glued on her or some shit. “Ash! Me and you need to talk about a new development, fucker!”