Total pages in book: 119
Estimated words: 117494 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 587(@200wpm)___ 470(@250wpm)___ 392(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 117494 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 587(@200wpm)___ 470(@250wpm)___ 392(@300wpm)
She stiffened, and I felt her one hand still in the air, no doubt holding that cigarette, but catching movement from the corner of my eye, I saw how Machete took the cigarette out of her hand and held it out to Corvette.
Claudia melted into me, wrapping her arms around me right back.
It was so cliché, but I hugged my sister, and she hugged me, and we just needed this.
Yes. So cliché.
I didn’t give a damn.
I hit call on my phone.
My dad answered with, “WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON? WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN? I HAD TO CALL RUBY I WAS SO WORRIED. YOU BETTER ANSWER ME, KALISTA CALLIOPE MICHAELS! The doc said I have high blood pressure and you put my levels up. Worried my doc.” He took a breath, quieting, calm, but still stern. “I’ve not even been able to practice with the Old Gents, I’ve been so worked up. You better start talking, and you better start talking right now!”
I started talking.
48
SHANE
The decision was that we’d stay in Flagstaff for the night, let the guys rest. Let Kali rest.
Then my phone rang. Heckler calling.
Kali was sleeping soundly next to me, so I stood and went to the bathroom. I shut the door, turned on the shower and leaned back against the counter. I accepted the call, saying, “Too long without contact. I was getting nervous.”
His chuckle was dry. “I know, but we needed to go silent for a bit here. Where are you?”
“Flagstaff, Arizona.”
“Are you shitting me?”
“Not one bit. I got a woman and I don’t want to scare her off this early.”
Another short laugh from him before he went serious. “You should sit down.”
I readied myself instead. “Tell me.”
“We got ’em.”
I shoved off from the counter. “What do you mean?”
“Communication got to us that Marco Estrada sent three teams to California. He knew he was being watched by the club so he’s been acting as a decoy. That was until he got a phone call and he was told that one of his two teams never showed up. He was also informed that their line of contact with who had your woman also went cold. His team and that line of contact are all considered dead. So you know what he did?”
“Bunkered down in The Valley?”
“You’d think. Nope. He is on the move. I just got word and I’m letting you know. We have eyes on the other two teams. We also have ears on them too. They’re too scared to move. We’ve been driving hard around their neighborhood so they’re convinced the entire Red Demon club is converging on them.”
This was music to me. Pure absolute music.
“So Marco is going to them?”
“Yes, indeed. He’s coming up with five trucks of men.”
Man.
This was it, the whole fucking culmination for everything we’d gone through. Heckler was calling me because it was my call now what to do. “Prez?”
“He’s still in lockdown, but he’s not conscious. This is on you.”
Yeah. I was getting that.
Standing here, in the bathroom of another club’s headquarters, a woman in my bed, the irony was not lost that I’d been the one to make the push to leave the cartel. The price was too much. Things I’ve done, scars on my soul, my own haunts following me, but here I was. Alone. By a toilet and I had to make the call for the next move in this war.
“We do this, we have to move forward with Connor.”
“I know.”
I wanted to curse, a whole fucking litany. I wanted to let loose, kill someone like Marco, but to do that, to really do that and make sure it didn’t come back to further haunt us, I didn’t know if I could handle that collateral. “I can’t do it, Heckler. That’s my woman’s brother.”
“I know I’m supposed to tell you that you need to follow through and what we’ve all started, but I’m not going to do that. I can’t. Situation reversed, I don’t know what I’d do either. It’s your call. I know things have changed. Everyone is aware, but I guess my duty is to remind you that this is for the entire club. There. Done. Now it’s on your back. You’re going to be the one shouldering this.”
For the club.
My woman or my club.
I was having to choose, and not too long ago I was vowing that I’d never hurt her again. I was sharing that I loved her more than my club, but I was thinking about all the brothers we had. Every single one of them.
“It’s lonely at the top.” That was from Heckler. He added, “I do not wish to be in your place.”
“Yeah.” Goddamn. “Yeah.”
“What’s your orders so far?”
I moved over and opened the door, seeing Kali still sleeping. She was at peace, and I was about to rip her from it.