Total pages in book: 134
Estimated words: 123825 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 619(@200wpm)___ 495(@250wpm)___ 413(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 123825 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 619(@200wpm)___ 495(@250wpm)___ 413(@300wpm)
The idea he’d bring a man he was seeing to a club party… Mack’s freaked stare showed his brothers still weren’t ready for those lines to be crossed. Keyes furrowed his brow. And not just any man, but the actual man he was seeing—Alec—to a club-sponsored event… His thoughts shifted again—Alec Pierce at one of the club’s filthy, trashy parties. Yeah, at that mental image a grin broke across his face and the bubble of laughter rumbled from his throat.
“Yeah.” Keyes just shook his head, kicking at the dirt at his feet. “No, can you imagine my old man seein’ me like that?”
“I got him,” Mack said confidently. He looked up to see his brother’s chest swell in a kickass fashion, but Keyes just shook his head. That was one thing the club didn’t have, any control over his father’s hateful mouth.
“Ain’t worth the effort. Don’t have anyone anyway.” That bald-faced lie slid off his tongue easily, but his club prez didn’t look like he bought one single word. “Besides, Dev would get drunk, kickin’ everybody’s ass for sayin’ anything.” Keyes just shook his head and left the grin on his face, pretending he was okay with it all when his world and his allegiance were shifting in ways he didn’t yet fully understand or want to look at too closely. “But I’ll be there.”
Fox gave in with a nod and reached out to pat then grip his shoulder in a comforting squeeze before turning around, silently motioning his head toward Mack to get ready to ride out.
“Have I missed shit?”
“Nah, but we’re expectin’ the same response from the city that we got from the feds,” Fox said, mounting his bike.
“Fuckin’ taxpayers gotta be pissed off with all the resources that cunt’s been wastin’. They ain’t got shit on us. As a taxpayer, I’m fuckin’ pissed,” Mack said, mounting his bike.
“You ain’t ever paid taxes in your fuckin’ life,” Fox countered, mocking Mack.
The good-natured ribbing between the two continued. “If I did, I’d really be good and pissed off,” Mack added with a toothy grin and winked at Keyes.
“We’ll be back up and runnin’ by year’s end, so have your fun now,” Fox said, giving Keyes his own sideways grin and a nod. Fox seemed to know that bit of information for certain. Whatever Fox had up his sleeve, he could only imagine. At least twice a month, Keyes was going on their side deals and those weren’t small sales by any stretch of the imagination. With as pissed off as his brothers had been, once they got free of these restraints, he envisioned all kinds of illegal shit going down just to prove they could do it without getting caught.
Keyes gave a nod as Mack’s bike rumbled to life, vibrating loudly in the small space between the two buildings and he pushed the bike backward. Fox drove forward, turning around in the back of Keyes’s property, then lifting two fingers in a peace sign as he passed by. He stared after them before turning to his bike and locking the cash in the seat. He was torn. Saturday nights were his and Alec’s, but he guessed not this weekend. And technically, he was over there every day, so one day didn’t necessarily stand out like it used to.
He studied the ground as he walked back to the shop. He had gone on the defensive against his brothers right out of the gate. Most likely because he was getting backed into a corner with no easy way out. Fuck, he lived in the corner. From the beginning, he’d known he was playing with fire. Alec Pierce was a big open flame that he’d gotten too comfortable with.
He’d been coasting, assuming, and waiting for Alec to dump him. The idea of letting Alec go made him want to fist fight this fucking building to keep it from happening. Viciousness gripped his heart, the kind of anger only his father ever provoked inside of him, at the thought of anyone ever trying to come between him and Alec. He clenched his hands at his side. He’d destroy every motherfucker in his club to protect his man.
With effort, Keyes pushed the unprovoked anger down, letting his feelings for Alec smooth over his jagged psyche. If he were to truly acknowledge his feelings, he was relieved this shit with his old man happened like it had. It gave him more time with Alec. He was driving a million miles a week, but he’d been more content than any other time in his life. Keyes had let the club own him because he talked himself into believing it was where he belonged. Alec showed him what true acceptance and commitment meant. If soul mates were real, it truly seemed Alec fit his person. He didn’t know why, but it didn’t change it either.