Total pages in book: 151
Estimated words: 143728 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 719(@200wpm)___ 575(@250wpm)___ 479(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 143728 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 719(@200wpm)___ 575(@250wpm)___ 479(@300wpm)
Reaper had always known that Viper loved him, but standing beside him, trying to calm him down, his brother’s guard was lowered and the confident, assured president of The Last Riders exposed the depths of the remorse he had been living with the years they had been apart.
Reaper closed his eyes tightly, hating himself for being the single misshapen link in Viper’s armor. As president of The Last Riders, he held numerous men’s lives in the palm of his hands. Being a husband and a father held the same responsibilities.
For the first time in their lives, Reaper felt a surge of protection go through him, like a lightning bolt hitting a transformer. Lying back on the bed, he stopped trying to get up and stared at the ceiling, giving Viper the opportunity to regain his composure.
“Call Taylor.”
Viper was taking out his phone when Ton and a man wearing a white coat came into the room. Tuning out what the doctor was saying to him, he watched Viper go out the door and waited for him to come back. He nodded his head as if was paying attention to what was being said.
“When your condition improves, your brother has managed to get you admitted into a treatment facility to wean you off the drugs your body has become dependent on. There’s usually a six- to seven-month waiting list, but whatever strings he pulled, it worked. If your vitals stay stable for the next week and we manage to get you to eat on your own, then we’ll be able to get you out of this hospital bed.”
He impatiently waited for Viper to come back inside the room, wanting the doctor to finish talking. He and Taylor would figure out where he was going next when he was released. He wanted to be where she was, close by so that she would be able to see him anytime she could.
After the doctor left, he expected Viper to come inside and finish the conversation with Taylor. He was about to send Ton out for him when his brother came back, his phone no longer in his hand. From his bleak expression, the hope that Taylor would ask to speak with him was another hurt that shattered yet another image of how it would be when he was freed.
“What did she say?”
“She can’t come right now. Taylor needs time before she talks to you. She’s afraid that it will be too upsetting for her until she is able to process that you’re alive. Taylor’s expecting, and she’s concerned that it might be too much for her and the baby.”
“She’s pregnant?”
“Yes.”
The woman he loved was having another man’s child. In all the time that he had been held captive, not once had he allowed himself to think that she wouldn’t be waiting for him with open arms. Now, not only was she not waiting for him, she had been in another man’s arms.
“She’ll come and see me, and when she does, we’ll be together again.”
Neither Viper nor Ton tried to convince him that she wouldn’t, changing the subject to talk over what had been discussed when Viper was calling Taylor.
“You’ll be given a room with a private patio,” Ton told him. “Viper’s made arrangements so that one of us will be able to stay with you so you won’t be alone. It’s against the rules, but the director is going to make an exception for us.”
“I think it would be better if I do this alone.”
“I’m not letting you out of my sight again.” Ton flushed a ruddy hue. “Did Viper tell you that I was dating? Is that why you don’t want me around?”
“Ton.” Viper gave their father a sharp glance.
Reaper looked at Ton and Viper suspiciously. “He didn’t tell me. Who are you seeing?”
“Winter’s aunt, Mrs. Langley.”
“Vincent Bedford’s mother-in-law?”
“Yes. Shay is nothing like her son-in-law.”
Reaper bore no hatred for Mrs. Langley. She had been kind to him during his stay with her. He remembered Slate’s warning to Vincent that if she woke, he would kill her. Thankfully, the sweet-natured woman hadn’t been another casualty of Slate’s; he was happy his father found someone to love.
“No, she isn’t.” His gut clenched as another withdrawal hit him. He needed the blissful rush of drugs pumping into his bloodstream. He clutched the sheet with sweaty hands and twisted away when Viper reached out to touch him. He could no longer hide the agony of need, driving him to drop the façade he had been showing them.
“Call the nurse,” Reaper managed to get out.
Viper jumped to press the Call button. Reaper let him answer the nurse over the intercom before he grabbed Viper’s wrist.
“I want you and Ton to leave.”
“We’re not leaving.”
“I can’t do this with you and Dad here,” he begged. “Please, Viper. I’m safe, and I’ll get through the withdrawals, but I can’t do it with both of you watching every move I make. The two of you being here is making it worse. Please … this is the only shred of dignity I have left. Don’t take it from me. Just go.” With the last of his strength, he managed the last of his plea before the nurse arrived to administer a sedative to push him back into the unconsciousness that took away the pain. He watched with a mix of agony and relief as Viper and Ton left him alone to combat the demons that weren’t ready to release their hold on a body they’d owned for so long, determined to drive him back to the pit of Hell that Slate ruled.