Total pages in book: 38
Estimated words: 34926 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 175(@200wpm)___ 140(@250wpm)___ 116(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 34926 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 175(@200wpm)___ 140(@250wpm)___ 116(@300wpm)
Without another word, Chase wrapped his arm around me and hurried me down the stairs and into the truck. Seconds later, we peeled out of the parking lot and headed back to the Bones clubhouse.
“You OK?” Chase still had his arm around me and pulled me closer to him as we sped down the road.
“Yeah. Just… shaken up. I’d almost forgotten I still needed to pay close attention to my surroundings. I should have seen Butch.”
“That’s not on you, baby,” Chase said. I looked up at him and, though his gaze was straight ahead, I could still see the anger in his chiseled features. “That was all me. My fault all the way around.”
“That’s what we were there for,” Deadeye said. “We had your back. You had Cotton to worry about. We worried about you.” The big man shrugged. “Besides, even though they had the drop on you, you still beat the piss out of ’em. You didn’t need us.”
“They had Cotton,” Chase insisted. “I owe you guys. Big time.”
“Give your girl some credit,” Cliff said. “She held her own. Good thinking to go to your back and use your leg strength, by the way.” Cliff turned around from his position in the front passenger seat and grinned at me. “You decide to toss Chase to the curb, you come see me. You can fight at my side anytime.”
“Not the time, Cliff,” Chase growled. Cliff just chuckled, not in the least bit intimidated by the larger man. I thought perhaps he should have been if the look on Chase’s face was any indication, though I had no idea why. Cliff was practically offering to take me off Chase’s hands. If he was angry because he had to babysit me, this was the perfect opportunity to get rid of me.
“Thanks, Cliff,” I said. “And thanks to you, Daniel, and Deadeye for coming for us.”
Deadeye nodded once, then looked out the window again. Cliff winked again. “Anytime, babe.”
The rest of the ride was spent in silence. I knew once we got back and in my room I’d have to come clean with Chase. With his brother being a cop, I doubted this was going to end well for me. But after seeing the worst humanity had to offer me in prison -- both the inmates and the guards -- I swore I’d do my best to at least be honest and keep my word. It was really all I had left of my dignity. Honesty and integrity. It was all I had to offer anyone in my life now.
Chase was out of the truck almost before it stopped moving, pulling me after him. He hurried us around the side of the clubhouse, not through the front like he’d taken me before. His strides were long, and I had to jog to keep up with his pace. When I tripped and stumbled, he turned to me, looking even more angry than before.
“Christ,” he bit out. Then scooped me up in his arms and headed up the stairs. Even with my weight he took them two at a time, brushing past women in the hallway without even acknowledging their presence. More than one man called out a greeting but Chase only grunted. I thought I heard laughter, but it was hard to say.
Finally, he set me down in front of a door nearly at the end of the hall. He unlocked it, then dragged me inside with him. Slamming the door shut, he locked it but didn’t turn back around to face me. Instead, he braced both hands on the door and banged his head against it several times.
I took several steps away from him but didn’t turn my back on him. I’d seen enough people on the edge to know that, for some reason, Chase had reached his limit. Arguing with him or pushing against him wasn’t a good idea right now. Instead, I just stood where I was, ready to sprint away from him if necessary but knowing in my heart he’d never hurt me. Not like that. He’d have just fired me and told me to never come back. No. There was something else going on inside Chase that I had no hope of understanding unless he chose to share it with me.
“Put your things in the bedroom,” he said. “Just put your pack on the bed and come sit on the couch with me.” He didn’t turn around, but I didn’t need to see his face to know this was an order pure and simple. I hurried to obey him.
Assuming the only door in the place was the bedroom, I hurried through it and did as instructed. The suite wasn’t overly large, but it made good use of space. The main room was a combination kitchen and living room, while the bedroom had the only bathroom. Again, not large, the bedroom had a king-size bed, a dresser, and what I assumed was a closet with folding doors. Everything was neat and clean. Nothing out of place.