Total pages in book: 266
Estimated words: 250787 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1254(@200wpm)___ 1003(@250wpm)___ 836(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 250787 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1254(@200wpm)___ 1003(@250wpm)___ 836(@300wpm)
“Fifty-eight,” I breathe. “Fifty-nine.” Another breath. “Sixty.” Dropping the bar, I step back as the weights hit the padded floor in my home gym.
I fall onto the bench behind me and hang my head, running my hand through my sweaty hair. My chest is on fire. I’m overdoing it, but it is what it is. I’m trying to get back to who I was before I got shot. I’m not lifting heavy, but consistently.
Reaching over, I pick up my cell off the bench and hover over Kashton’s number and press call.
He answers on the first ring. “Haidyn—”
“Want to go for a ride?” I stand and walk over to the floor-to-ceiling windows that run the length of the back wall. The sun is just starting to set over the mountains. I love riding at night. It’s my favorite time.
“Yeah…wait! Are you in town?”
“For the night,” I decide to say. Not a total lie.
“I’ll ask Saint…”
“Just you and me,” I tell him before he can involve Saint. I’m definitely not in the mood for that argument right now.
“Okay. Where do you want to meet?”
After a quick shower and thirty minutes later, I pull into an empty parking lot and see Kashton waiting for me on his bike—a Ninja H2R. Coming up next to him, I shut mine off.
He wears a backwards hat and no helmet. “What the fuck is going on, Haidyn?” he asks, getting off his bike. “Why are we meeting here like it’s off the books? And why the hell wasn’t Saint invited?”
I sigh and reach into my leather jacket pocket, pulling out the picture. “Do you know who this is?”
He walks over to my R1 and takes it from my hand. Scrunching his face, he shakes his head. “Only Benny looks familiar. Who is the other guy?” he asks, handing it back to me.
“That’s what I’m trying to figure out.”
He lets out an aggravated sigh. “And you can’t do that from Carnage?”
I could return, but not now. Not with Charlotte. I’m not letting her out of my sight, and it’s too risky to bring her into our world. The guys will start questioning her and who she is. As far as they know, I’m no longer seeing her since I’m not there for our session. “I’ll come back soon,” I assure him.
He runs a hand through his hair.
“Found anything else out since I spoke to you last?”
He shakes his head. “Nothing. The bastard is almost dead by this point. But he’s not going to give anyone up.”
“And Laura?”
“Nope. Until she has the baby, we’re not getting shit from her.” He leans up against his bike, crossing his tatted arms over his chest. “We spoke to Sin, and he told us to do whatever needs to be done, even if we have to pull her out of her coma for answers, but we don’t think it’s worth it. Once the baby is born, we’ll find out what we don’t have by then.”
I nod. “Luke?” I go to the next name on my list.
He gives a rough laugh at that one. “That guy is fucked. He just mumbles nonsense to himself twenty-four seven.” His face grows serious, and he rubs the back of his neck. Looking up, he meets my eyes. “They cut your tracker out when they shot you.”
I say nothing because it wasn’t a question.
“Why haven’t you had it replaced?”
“I will.”
“When?” he demands.
“When I get back to Carnage,” I snap, not liking the direction of this conversation.
His jaw sharpens, and he looks away from me.
“Kash—”
“Ashtyn’s pregnant.” He interrupts me.
I frown a little, confused by his change of topic. “Well, that’s good, right?” We knew it would happen because Saint had her IUD removed when he brought her back. “Didn’t Devin test her after Benny…?”
“Yeah, but it was negative. Apparently, Jasmine went out and bought her a fucking purse full of pregnancy tests before she left, so Ashtyn’s been taking one every day since. She came into the office this morning crying that it was positive. Saint spoke to Devin, and all he could come up with was his test was a false negative. Or it was taken too early. I don’t know how that shit works.” His hands slap the sides of his jeans.
Silence falls over the empty parking lot because I’m not sure what else to say. I just wanted to see him. I don’t want him to think I left him. Not after I faked my death. It had to look real. I needed my brothers to think I was no longer with them. Too many eyes were inside Carnage that didn’t belong, so I had to put on a show.
He pushes off his bike. “Are we going to ride or not?” he asks, straddling it.
I smirk and start my R1. “Yeah.”
My phone vibrates in my pocket, and I pull it out to see it’s the text I’ve been waiting for from Gavin. I open it up and read over it.