Total pages in book: 80
Estimated words: 77904 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 390(@200wpm)___ 312(@250wpm)___ 260(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 77904 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 390(@200wpm)___ 312(@250wpm)___ 260(@300wpm)
We went down several more times, and it wasn’t long before a chill began to settle in. I’d tried to bundle up, but it was colder than I’d expected it to be, and the cold was seeping through my layers. I could tell by their rosy cheeks that the kids were cold as well. I hated to put an end to our great time, but I didn’t want us to get sick, especially with the holidays coming.
“Okay, guys. I think it’s time to go,” I announced. “I’m about to turn into an ice cube over here.”
“Oh, man,” the kids complained.
“Your mom is right.” Ronin, noticing me shivering, nodded in agreement. “It’s pretty frigid, and it looks like the next round of snow is about to come in.”
The kids looked like they lost their best friend as they gathered their things and carried them back to the truck. Amused by their pouting, Ronin glanced over to me and said, “I don’t know about you, but I could go for some hot chocolate.”
“Yeah, hot cocoa sounds good.” I turned back to look at the kids. “How about you guys? You want some, too?”
“With marshmallows?” Samantha asked.
“Absolutely.”
As soon as we got back home, I made us all some hot cocoa and turned on the fire. I wrapped myself in a cozy blanket and curled up next to Ronin as we watched TV. I couldn’t imagine a better ending to a perfect night. I’d feared that this day would never come, but I was happy—truly, utterly happy.
Rooster
“What’s Grim doing here?”
“Came for Beckett,” Torch answered. “Seems Preacher is ready for him to come home.”
“Not so sure Beckett will agree.”
“Grim thought the same, so he brought a friend with him.”
It had been weeks since we’d had any drama at the club. Our runs had gone as planned, Cotton was making ground as Bruton’s successor, and we were making good money. Hell, we’d been doing better than ever, and it felt good—really damn good. I wasn’t exactly pleased to hear that things might be taking a turn. “What the hell are you talking about?”
“He brought one of the guys who killed his girl,” Torch answered.
“No shit?”
“Yeah, he hoped that having a taste of revenge would help Beckett finally put all this mess behind him.”
“So, where is he now?”
“They’re in Wrath’s playroom. Beckett’s working him over as we speak.”
“Holy shit.” I ran my hand down over my beard. “Well, it will either help the kid or add fuel to the fire.”
“Only time will tell.” Savage motioned his head towards the cooler. “I could use a beer. How about you?”
“Hell, yeah. Maybe two.”
“Sounds good to me.”
Savage grabbed us a couple of beers and sat down at the bar. I glanced back over at Grim, and damn. I’d been around many a fierce man, but none had been quite so menacing. Something about his heavy build and ominous, dark, fierce eyes sent a chill right through you.
His thick beard added to his rugged demeanor, and with his Fury cut, he was a daunting force that commanded respect. I would’ve thought the hang arounds would be all over him, but they wouldn’t even look at the guy. I considered going over and talking to him, but just as I was about to head over, he got a phone call.
He glanced down at the screen with a scowl, then answered, “What the fuck do you want?”
There was a brief pause, and then he went on to say, “I don’t want to hear your fucking excuses. You fucked up, and if you ever disrespect me like that again, I’m gonna rip your throat out!”
Doing my best to ignore the conversation going on behind me, I sipped on my beer and tried to tune him out. It wasn’t easy, especially when he started ranting.
“You’re telling me the goods are there and are up to par, and if that’s the case, we’ll take our fucking money and go. But if it turns out you’re lying and we got some shit like we did last time, then I’ll take every fucking dime of that take, and I’ll use it to fuck you up. I’ll go after your crew, one by one, and I will mess them up in ways you can’t begin to imagine.”
Damn. This dude was no joke.
I got it. He was the enforcer, and just like Wrath, he took that role seriously and wasn’t going to let anyone fuck him or his brothers over. His fierce expression seemed to soften slightly as he listened to the other end of the line. After a few moments, he nodded and said, “You better fucking hope so.”
He ended the call and grabbed his beer, turning it back for a long drink. Once he’d finished It off, he stood and tossed the empty bottle in the trash. His expression remained blank as he started walking over to us. “How you guys making it today?”