Total pages in book: 195
Estimated words: 185573 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 928(@200wpm)___ 742(@250wpm)___ 619(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 185573 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 928(@200wpm)___ 742(@250wpm)___ 619(@300wpm)
“Come on, Adler!” I yell. “We can do this. Let’s get the fuck out of here.”
Another round of fire erupts around us, and something hits me in the arm right before his body jerks next to mine. I can’t see where he’s been hit. Everything’s getting darker. Colder. And I know I’ve already failed him. But it doesn’t stop me from screaming for someone to come get him. To take him first before everyone else. It’s a losing battle, and as a last resort, I shield him with my body, using myself as cover.
“Keller.” Someone grabs me from behind, and I try to shove him off as he pulls me away.
“No!” I growl. “Take him! Take Adler!”
There’s a pause, and the voice I now recognize as Kelly delivers the dose of reality I already knew but couldn’t accept. “He’s gone, brother. He’s already gone.”
My eyes move to Adler’s face, and it’s just a blur. I blink and blink again until I see his eyes wide open, staring up at the sky. A howl of agony erupts from somewhere inside me, and I don’t recognize the sound.
“Take him,” I demand. “You can bring him back. Take him!”
Kelly drags me away again, and I fight with the last of my strength.
“We’ll get him,” he promises. “We’ll get him.”
Someone calls out for him in the distance, and he yells back. “I’ve got him. Over here.”
“Take Adler,” I plead, my vision narrowing to a pinpoint. “Fucking do it.”
“I’ve got him.” Kelly lets me go, and someone else grabs me. A voice I don’t recognize and a face I can no longer see.
“Hold tight,” he tells me. “We’ve got a medic on the way. We’re transporting you to get some help.”
I shift my head in his direction. “Who are you?”
There’s a pause before he answers. “Keller, it’s me. Carson. Can you see me?”
“Adler,” I say again.
“I’m sorry, man. He didn’t make it.”
Chapter 45
Madden
“Hey.” Tori waves at me from a booth near the back of the diner.
The section is closed off to other patrons, and I’m not sure whether I should be relieved that she’s chosen some level of privacy for whatever she’s about to tell me. I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t considered all the possibilities of what might go down today. As I drove home and replayed our brief conversation in my mind, I remembered the one I had with Adam following the incident in the pool house. He warned me that Tori could be trouble. He said she could invent stories that didn’t really happen if I wasn’t careful. Before, I was doubtful, but after Last Rite shot to fame and I dealt with vipers like that every day, I’ve become skeptical of everyone.
I figured out pretty quickly when people know your name and the size of your bank account, you walk around with a target on your back. Innocent fan photos turn into media fodder, along with whatever story they choose to sell that day. There have been plenty over the years. The result is always the same. They play hardball with my attorneys, making idle threats about ruining my reputation until they get what they really want—an undisclosed amount of cash to send them on their way. I’ve written more of those checks than I can even count, but it was never about my reputation. It was always about protecting the people I care about—Zoe, the band, my brotherhood, and hell, if I’m being honest, even Bianca.
But as I slide into the booth opposite Tori, there’s one undeniable fact. The media already sent me to slaughter, and there’s no reputation left to salvage. So if she’s planning to exploit me, she’ll have to get creative.
“I didn’t know if you’d actually come.” She offers me a nervous smile.
“I didn’t know if I would either,” I admit. “But I wanted to hear what you had to say.”
She nods, and I can’t help noticing she’s not wearing her uniform today.
“It’s my day off.” She glances down at herself and shrugs. “I just figured… this was neutral territory.”
“Probably wise,” I answer.
“I heard about Adam.” She folds her hands across the table and meets my gaze.
“Then I suppose you’ve heard about me, too.”
A spark of anger flares in her eyes. “It’s really shitty what happened to you, Madden. I can’t even imagine how it felt to be thrown to the wolves like that.”
Her reaction isn’t what I was expecting. I’m not used to anyone giving me the benefit of the doubt. And given that Tori has a history with Adam, I was already prepared for her to condemn me, too.
“Aren’t you even going to ask if I did it?” I cock a brow at her.
“I don’t have to.” She dips her gaze and swallows. “I never believed that bullshit. Well, other than the fact that you were in love with Bianca. That was obvious. But the rest… I knew you’d never hurt your brother.”