Total pages in book: 40
Estimated words: 37734 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 189(@200wpm)___ 151(@250wpm)___ 126(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 37734 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 189(@200wpm)___ 151(@250wpm)___ 126(@300wpm)
Thorn scowled. “He hurts you in any way -- mental or physical -- I’ll kick his ass first and ask questions later. The infraction is big enough, I’ll kill him.”
Lia gasped and turned her head sharply to look at me. Her lower lip trembled, and her eyes glistened with moisture. “No!”
“Hey, now. I ain’t gonna hurt you so you don’t have anything to worry about. This is exactly why I told you to ask Thorn about it. I knew that would be his answer, and rightly so.” She turned her face into my chest and inhaled. Thorn had a soft look on his face as he gave Lia a smile she couldn’t see. Yeah, he had my number. He also now knew Lia was all in. She’d be mine even if Rocket changed his mind.
“I guess that answers the question of whether or not she really wants this.” Thorn chuckled. “You got any more questions for me, Talia? I’m expecting your father any time now.”
She sniffed once, then turned back to face Thorn. “What happens to me if my father betrays you?”
That startled me. “I thought we’d gone over that, honey. You’re not responsible for your father’s actions.”
“I know you did. But I want to hear it from Thorn.” She stuck her chin up, her mien stubborn.
The president nodded slowly. “I can see how that would be something you’d want to know. Before I answer, let me ask you a question.”
“Of course.”
“Do you think your father would betray us?”
She took her time answering, really thinking it over if her expression was anything to go by. “No. I mean, not unless he thought you were hurting someone. I’ve heard him say often enough that MCs do their own thing. The only thing he actively fights against is human trafficking and some forms of drug trafficking. Says the latter isn’t really his business, but he doesn’t condone selling to kids. He’d also interfere if he thought you were hurting the women and children in the compound. He can’t stand bullies.”
“And Rocket doesn’t put his little girl in the hands of sex traffickers.” I kissed the top of Lia’s head before facing Thorn again.
“Makes sense.” Thorn rested his forearms on his desk, his fingers laced together as he leaned forward. “If your father betrays us, we will look into whether or not you had a hand in it. I won’t deny that or try to make you believe otherwise. I’d be negligent if I didn’t.”
“Of course.” Talia nodded at Thorn.
“But any investigation will be done judiciously. Meaning, we’re not going to go looking for ways to hang you. We’ll look at the circumstances and your relationship to them. I can even honestly say, we’ll look for every way we can to believe you’re innocent. If you do assist your father in betraying us, we’ll look at whether or not you did it willingly or under duress. Or even if you were aware he was using you. What happens next would depend on that investigation.”
“And if you believe I did it unknowingly or that he deceived me into helping him?”
“Then we’ll take that into consideration, and you’ll give us your account. If you were truly innocent in anything like that, you won’t be harmed in any way. But if you’re a plant for your father, for his club --”
“She gets it, Thorn.” I couldn’t hear him tell Lia he’d see her dead if she intentionally betrayed Salvation’s Bane. “I’d have to be thoroughly convinced she had an active, knowledgeable part in anything like that before I’d believe it. I’ll defend her to the death otherwise.”
“Any man worth his salt would defend his woman that hard.” Thorn acknowledged me with a nod of his head. “Anyway, we’re not going to have to worry about that, because Rocket isn’t that kind of president. He doesn’t try to take something down from the inside. He goes with a full-on frontal assault. Like a man. Only a coward would use his daughter as a mole. Even if that daughter’s grown. Rocket is many things, but he’s most definitely not a coward. You’re safe here, Talia. I swear it on my life.”
Talia looked up at me for confirmation. I smiled down at her. “You and Linnie are the most important people in my life, Lia. I love the men in my club. They’re my brothers. But they can take care of themselves. We protect our families with our lives. All of us. You’re one of us now. It will be official as soon as Thorn and Havoc discuss it and are in agreement. They’ll inform the rest of the club, and they’ll vote. You’ll receive your patch then.”
“Will I need to be inked too?”
“That’s up to you. There may be a couple of the ol’ ladies who chose to get a property patch inked on them, but if they did, it’s not in an obvious place. Mariana didn’t get a tattoo. We’ve never required it.”