Total pages in book: 79
Estimated words: 72756 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 364(@200wpm)___ 291(@250wpm)___ 243(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 72756 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 364(@200wpm)___ 291(@250wpm)___ 243(@300wpm)
Preacher scrubs through his hair in frustration. “We need to contact the club. Snark can start doing his digital shit and monitor the police lines to find out what the fuck just happened. Eagle-eye’s going to be pissed.”
“Someone killed Aaron,” grumbles Crash, sounding disappointed he didn't get to do it himself. But he nods. “Only thing that makes sense.”
“Yep,” I agree. “It's what it sounded like, and somehow Grayson pinned it on her.”
Preacher shakes his head. “That slimy fucker. I don't know how the hell he did it, but if anyone could, it'd be him.”
Crash starts pacing. “We know they took Summer to the station and if it’s murder, we can’t just swing in and post bail. I have no idea how fucking corrupt the cops are around here, but if they're anything like our hometown heroes, we can just fucking assume that justice follows the money. I'm not seeing any easy solutions here.”
“Nothing worth doing's ever easy, is it?”
“We have to claim her,” I say softly.
They both snap their attention to me.
“What? It’s true. Tell me you haven’t both been thinking the same, but we need to make it official. She’s ours and she deserves the full protection of the club.”
Crash nods. “Of course I want to claim her, but I figured we’d talk it out first and ask her.”
“Devil’s right,” says Preacher. “The only reason I haven’t pushed to do it yet is to give her time. I didn’t fucking want to lock her into something she didn’t understand. Not so soon after getting away from here.”
“There’s no time to ask her anymore. If she really wants to back out, she can do it later, but as far as I’m concerned, she’s our woman.”
The guys nod.
“I’ll make the call to Eagle-eye,” Preacher says. “This is getting too fucking big. If we're going to get Summer the hell outta there, I want the odds on our side, and not riding on just the three of us being fucking clever enough to make something happen. Are we in agreement? We’re in it together or not at all.”
I nod. “I’m in.”
“So am I,” Crash agrees.
I can feel things shift as we stand there. We were members first, loyal because of the club, then brothers as the Fallen Angels, a team. Summer is the last piece, clicking into place to lock us together.
32
SUMMER
I… I killed someone.
You'd think I'd be out of tears by now, but my body just seems to keep producing more. After the fingerprinting and the mugshot and all the other registration stuff, they tossed me into a holding cell. It must be a quiet night, because I'm all alone in here.
Or maybe it's because I'm a murderer.
God, I can't believe Dad’s gone. Gone gone. In my head, I know it's Grayson's fault, not mine. For all I know there was never any cure, but what kind of animal is he to make me pull the trigger? It makes me want to scream, but I know that won't fix anything.
I tried.
I can't even mourn. If not the man, then my chance at ever getting any sort of closure. I'm trapped in this horrible limbo that I don't see a way out of. Am I going to prison? I need a lawyer—aren't they supposed to assign me one? Hall of Grace has one, but I don't know their number, or even their name. Dad never shared any of the business side of things with me.
I wish a lot of things. That I’d blocked Titania. That my father treated me as more than a possession, a bartering piece.
That I didn't kill him.
I have to stop thinking like this. It's not helping, and if I'm going to find any way out, I really need to think straight. Be logical. Come up with something clever, some way of proving that Grayson's behind this. If they're taking fingerprints on the syringe, his should come up too, right? Or did he put on gloves? It’s all a blur.
I knew he was eager for Dad's money and taking over the church, but I never imagined how far he would go to do it. And was he really responsible for Vivian’s death?
This morning, I woke up between Crash, Preacher and Devil, and I've never felt so safe in my whole life. I wish I knew if they were out there planning for another rescue, or arrested just like me. I know I can't expect them to storm a police station to get me out, but I can dream. They'll break me out and we ride off into the sunset, Bonnie and Clyde style. Bonnie and Clydes, I guess. Then again, they got shot at the end, didn't they?
“Summer Hale?”
I look up to see the woman who arrested me, the sergeant with the severe ponytail. She looks at me expectantly. I don't know why she asks. She knows who I am.