Total pages in book: 39
Estimated words: 36564 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 183(@200wpm)___ 146(@250wpm)___ 122(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 36564 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 183(@200wpm)___ 146(@250wpm)___ 122(@300wpm)
Piston snorted. “You think I wanted to have to make nice with people? That’s what ambassador means. You make nice with people.”
“I’m pretty sure there’s more to it than that, old man.” I felt a smile tugging at my lips.
“Not much. Luckily, Venus handles everything and other than Thorn and El Diablo, the others pretty much live in fear of her. Mama and Pops have encouraged the fear.” Piston looked like he couldn’t be prouder. “So far it’s not been too bad. Right now, you guys are the subject of her focus because of your woman.”
“Oh? How’s that?”
Piston leveled a look at me. “She’s making sure you do things right with her.”
“Ah. So Lemon and Calista got her away from me to interrogate her.” When Piston grinned, I flipped him off. “You turned my own daughter against me. Some things gotta be sacred, Piston.”
“Take it up with Venus.” Piston pulled out a joint and lit up. “I’m just here for the pot.”
Yeah. This place was one big family. Brothers and little sisters all. I loved it. I think everyone else did too.
The women sat at a stone bench under a huge beach umbrella, talking and sharing a bottle of Crown Royal. It was something Lemon had picked up and fallen in love with. Last time she’d brought it out, Annie had been drunk off her ass. She’d had an amazing time and, surprisingly, hadn’t been hung over the next day. Probably because I made her drink a bottle of water for every two shots she did. Overkill? Maybe. But for her first stem-winder, I figured the extra water would not only help her stay hydrated, but fill her up so she didn’t drink as much.
“They’re here,” Piston said, his gaze was lasered on the entrance to the beach. A small group of men approached them with Bear and Spike flanking them with Rattler leading the way while Leather and Rocket brought up the rear.
“Took them long enough.”
Piston shrugged. “Chief said they debated on leavin’ her be. She did a number on their leader, though. He’s the tall son of a bitch in the middle of the group. Not sure how much function he’s got left in his dick after she got through with him. Includin’ not bein’ able to piss standin’ up.”
“That’s my girl.” I kept my tone light but I was readying myself for a fight.
I glanced over at the women. Looked like they’d multiplied. All of them surrounded Annie in a protective ring. They were still laughing and talking and seemingly oblivious, but Cecilia and Evelyn glanced at the incoming group more than once. Luke, Evelyn’s oldest child, positioned himself in the sand on a beach lounger between the visitors and his mother. That kid was going to be a force to be reckoned with when he grew up.
Rocket hung back while the rest of the group walked up to me. A tall, slender man in the middle stepped closer, moving between the two men in front of him. He was thin but wiry and very aware of his surroundings. I saw the exact moment he spotted Annie, and he hid it well. But I was very good at my job. He carried himself like a man who knew what he was doing and I had no doubt he could hold his own in a fight. Was he the most dangerous man in the area? No. Besides our guys, the man immediately to the left was the one to take down first in this group. He was also the most likely to draw first blood.
Everyone in the group dressed in black jeans and black shirts. Which kind of surprised me because they didn’t really fit the classic cult profile.
Rattler brought the guy to us. His entourage followed only a couple of steps behind their leader. The only guy who seemed uncomfortable with the setup was the man I’d identified as the one to watch. Yeah. He knew something was up. He touched the leader’s shoulder lightly but said nothing. The other man acknowledged him with a slight tilt of his head.
“I’m here for Annie.”
I said nothing. Piston took another draw off his joint.
“I see she’s here.” He waved his hand in the direction of the women. “While I appreciate you looking after what belongs to me, I’m here to collect her now.”
I still said nothing. Piston passed me the joint. I took my own hit and passed it back.
The cult leader raised a hand and signaled to the men in his group to go to Annie. Leather, Spike, and Bear formed a wall between the women and anyone trying to get to them.
“Not your best move.” Venus approached from the other side. By now, there was no distracting Annie. She saw the commotion and was trying to head in this direction. Lemon and Apple spoke with her, encouraging her to hang back. Apple tracked the movements of the men in question. She and Deacon had come for an extended visit. It wasn’t long before Deacon joined the men standing in front of the women. “You should sit with Rocket. Talk.” Venus’s voice was lightly accented Russian. She sounded reasonable, but anyone would have to be a fool to think she wasn’t ready to kill a motherfucker. “Will be, shall we say, enlightening conversation.”