Total pages in book: 96
Estimated words: 94313 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 472(@200wpm)___ 377(@250wpm)___ 314(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 94313 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 472(@200wpm)___ 377(@250wpm)___ 314(@300wpm)
“Fuck,” my dad barked as I shoved him out of the way.
Someone had already shot out the side mirror on the truck. It was simple to run up alongside unseen. If I would’ve thought it through, I probably would have been a bit more strategic about the whole thing, but I wasn’t exactly clear-headed at that point. Fueled by adrenaline and rage, I ripped open the passenger door and dragged his old ass out of the truck.
The rifle in his hand went flying, and the driver was distracted by the movement that someone had a chance to pull him out the other side. I didn’t care about any of that.
My fist hit his face with the most satisfying noise I’d ever heard. He was strong, stronger than he looked, but I had at least forty pounds on him. It was far from an even fight.
“Stay away from my wife,” I growled, hitting him again. I dodged the hands reaching for me and rose, kicking him in the ribs. As he tried to stand, I kicked him again in the jaw.
The idiot tried to get to his feet again.
“Otto,” Micky called, his voice above the others. “Remember what she said.”
No one stopped me as I kicked him back down, kneeling in the center of his back. His hair was slick with sweat as I gripped it and leaned down.
“I ever see you again, you’re dead.”
“Get off of me,” he rasped. “Filth! You’re going straight to hell with my whore daughter.”
“You first,” I whispered, slamming his head against the pavement. When he was limp, I got to my feet.
“He’s alive,” I told Micky, spitting on the man at my feet. I lifted my hands and took a couple steps back. “Kept my promise.”
“You did,” he agreed as I moved toward him. “I’ll take care of—”
When his words cut off, I knew. Spinning, I pulled the gun out of my shoulder holster.
Before I could fire, shots rang out and Esther’s dad dropped back down to his knees, a pistol I hadn’t seen hanging limply from his hand.
Looking up from the trash, I met Rumi’s eyes at the other end of the truck.
“She can hate me,” he said simply. “I’ll sleep just fine.”
He walked away without another word.
“Jesus,” my dad muttered, rubbing his hands over his face.
Another shot rang out from the opposite side of the truck.
“Sounds like the driver didn’t feel like talkin’,” Micky said, slapping me on the back as he shoved me away from the body on the ground. “Come on. We’ve got shit to move.”
Only one of the trucks was actually carrying anything, and it was quick work getting the crates into the box truck we’d blocked the road with. Our work was far from over, though.
“Leo, drive through the night,” Dragon ordered his son. “Don’t stop until you get there.”
“Might stay a couple days,” he said with a nod.
“You hang out in Montana without Lily, she’s gonna kick your ass,” Cam joked, pointing at his brother-in-law.
“She’ll just have Rose spend the night so they can do girly shit,” Leo countered, laughing. “Happens every time.”
“Why do I gotta be punished with a cold ass bed every time you’re outta town?” Uncle Mack complained, grunting as he and Draco heaved a body into the front seat of a truck. “Seems like they woulda grown outta that shit by now.”
“Yeah, that’ll never happen,” my uncle Will called out.
They were joking around and bitching as the adrenaline wore off, and I understood it but I stood there, in the center of the activity, frozen. I hadn’t killed him, but I was still going to have to go back and tell Esther her father was dead.
There was nothing funny about that.
No matter what he’d been like in his life, Esther still had good memories of him. She still loved him. No way around it, it was going to be a blow.
“Listen,” Rumi said quietly, coming up beside us. “Mom can’t find Titus.”
“What?” I looked at him, trying to focus.
“Titus never showed up at the clubhouse.”
“Shit,” Micky muttered. “Exactly what we fuckin’ need.”
“Esther said he was worried about her sister, that she didn’t show up to school.”
“He went to check on her.” It was what I would’ve done. “Fuck.”
“Could be nothin’,” Rumi continued. “But Mom’s about to lose her fuckin’ mind.”
“Heads up, boys,” Gramps called, his voice cutting through the noise making everyone quiet. “If you don’t got a job from this point forward, you’re comin’ with me. Titus is missin’. Long story short, there’s a good chance he’s caught up in this shit.”
“And we’ve got no one left to question,” Micky spat. “Fuck.”
“We’re headin’ back to town. Everyone knows what needs to be done here?”
“This ain’t our first rodeo,” someone called out.
“Come on,” my dad ordered. “Your mom sent me Esther’s parents’ address. We’ll check there first.”