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)
Chapter Two
Chase
God as my witness, I tried my fucking hardest to leave Cotton alone. The poor girl just screamed “battered woman,” but I got the feeling it wasn’t from a past relationship. Especially with how she reacted to Butch. The three men used to belong to Scars and Bars MC before we got rid of that lot. As far as I knew, they were the only three left in the city. Instead of reacting with fear, Cotton had taken an aggressive approach. Almost like she wanted to make sure the rest of them knew not to fuck with her.
She was like some kind of angel. Pale blonde hair that was nearly platinum, a slight but strong frame, and gently rounded breasts and hips belied the hardness in her eyes. She tried hard to hide it, but this girl had known violence. Had probably even killed. But probably not more than once and I was sure she’d had a good reason.
I watched her flounce off into the office I’d set up for me and Pops. Cain had turned over the day-to-day running of the Boneyard to us. Pops because he’d always been there and refused to quit helping. Me because I’d needed something to occupy my mind so the nightmares of shit I’d done didn’t overwhelm me. And yeah, it had taken a lot of hair on my balls to admit that to Cain. Though I never hesitated to kill or torture when the occasion called for it, the outfit I’d been working in when Bones found me hadn’t always given my team the correct information. As a result, I had to wonder how many of the people I’d hurt had been innocents just caught in a bad situation. It kept me up at night. All the fucking time.
Walking in behind Cotton, I shut the door and sat behind my desk. “I don’t fuckin’ need this,” I muttered.
“I told you I’d just go,” Cotton said softly. “It’ll save you paperwork.”
“This isn’t about firing you, Cotton.” I snapped harshly at the poor girl when I was really mad at myself. I took a breath. “Are you all right? Did that bastard hurt you?”
“I’m fine,” she said, though she rubbed her left upper arm absently. It was where Butch had grabbed her.
“Let me see your arm.”
“I said it’s fine.” She finally looked up at me. “Can I go now?”
“No. I’m not done.” She grumbled something and looked away but sat still. “Where you stayin’, Cotton?”
“The motel. Same as I was when I started.”
“You got wheels?” She shook her head. I half thought she’d lie, but one thing I’d noticed about Cotton was that she didn’t lie. At least, not to anyone in the club. “I’ll have Cain set you up in the clubhouse. There’s plenty of room and there will always be someone there to give you a ride to work.”
“You don’t have to do that. I don’t want to put anyone out.”
“You ain’t. That place you’re stayin’ at ain’t safe, and there are all kinds of drug deals goin’ on there. God only knows what else.”
“Yeah,” she muttered. “Noticed that.”
I sighed. This wasn’t going as smoothly as I’d hoped. Though, I’d picked a piss poor time to bring this up with her. “Tell me what’s goin’ on, Cotton. You runnin’ from somebody?”
“No. I’m just trying to get by’s all.” She looked away before taking a breath and continuing. “Look. I need this job. I wouldn’t be here otherwise.”
“I get that. What I don’t get is how someone as good at servin’ as you are ain’t workin’ somewhere in town where fuckin’ bastards like Butch and his buddies can’t corner you and threaten you. You never get orders wrong, you’re attentive to all the customers, not just your own. I’ve seen you helping out when other girls get behind. You could make way more in tips at restaurants instead of a fuckin’ biker bar.”
I thought she might be going to answer me, then she got that mulish look on her face and shook her head once, clamping her lips firmly together. We stared at each other for a long while, neither budging.
“Fine,” I said. “But I’ll get it out of you sooner or later. Bettin’ Cain knows.”
She gasped, her arms -- which had been crossed in over her breasts -- loosened and she pushed herself off the couch as she stood to face me. “He promised he wouldn’t tell anyone.”
“Then tell me yourself so I don’t have to ask him.”
“It’s none of your business! He knows my past and hired me anyway. I’m just supposed to tell him if there are any problems.”
“Well, I’d classify Butch as a problem. I’ll take you to Cain and you can let him know what went down today.”
I could tell the exact moment she knew I had her and had to suppress a triumphant grin. Instead, I stood and crossed to the door. “Shall we?”