Total pages in book: 38
Estimated words: 35194 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 176(@200wpm)___ 141(@250wpm)___ 117(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 35194 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 176(@200wpm)___ 141(@250wpm)___ 117(@300wpm)
I’d been through hell before I came to Grim Road. I’d tortured, been tortured. I’d fought for my life and the lives of my team. I’d lived with monsters only to kill them when they least expected it. Never once had I truly felt fear. Not like I felt now.
I was on my bike, full throttle. Straight back to Calista. My woman.
Soon after, I spotted Redwood and two women on the ground in front of the house. As I got closer, I realized it was Apple and Calista. I couldn’t tell which one of them was hurt, but I didn’t miss the gun in Redwood’s hand. Especially when he raised it to point at the women on the ground.
“Redwood!”
I was afraid he might shoot the women, but he turned and fired at me twice. I felt the wind from the first bullet whiz past my face. The second one kissed my cheek with a fiery tongue.
I grunted, jerking and nearly laying the bike down as I sped toward them. I heard Calista scream as Redwood turned back to the women. There was movement in front of Redwood. Calista and Apple struggled with something, then Calista launched herself at Redwood.
“Calista!” It only took seconds to reach her, but it felt like an eternity. It was like everything was happening in slow motion and I was slogging through quicksand.
I was almost there, tensing to spring and tackle the son of bitch to the ground when Redwood fell. Calista was on top of him with what looked like a chef’s knife. She screamed like a fucking banshee, driving the knife into his chest over and over. Apple crawled away from Calista and Redwood, but not to get to safety. She saw the gun and made a grab for it, rolling toward me.
“Take that motherfucker out, Ringo!” Her demand was growled through clenched teeth.
I snagged the gun from her. “Calista! Roll!”
I must have put enough command in my voice to penetrate because Calista didn’t hesitate to do what I said. The second she was away, I skidded to my knees beside Redwood, the barrel of my gun against his forehead. Calista’s knife was still sticking out of his chest and the man was bleeding like a stuck pig. Blood bubbled from his lips and nose with every breath.
“You fuckin’ piece of fuckin’ shit.” I snarled at the man. “You were my brother.”
Redwood snorted, spraying blood over my face. I spat back at him, digging the gun into his skin harder. He just gave me an evil smile. “I’m not the only one, Ringo. Dom and Rocket… are crazy to think… you’ve not got… enemies… here…” He was struggling with each word, and I knew he wouldn’t last long.
I pulled the knife from his chest slowly, taking great pleasure with every wince from the fucker. I put it to his throat. “Tell me who else, Redwood.”
He laughed. “Go fuck yourself, Ringo.”
“You first.” Very slowly and deliberately, I cut his throat. When the blood started flowing from one side of his neck as I severed his external jugular, Redwood whimpered, clamping his hand to the blood pouring from the vein. I kept going, inch by slow inch.
“Ringo?” He gasped, a look of surprise on his face. I paused, raising my eyebrow. When he sucked in a breath but said nothing else, I shrugged. Then continued cutting, slicing through his trachea to the other external jugular vein. He gurgled a couple more times, gripping my vest with his bloody hand. Blood flowed freely into the grass and gravel, staining our home with the blood of our own.
I stood, tossing the knife to the ground as I turned to find Calista. She was huddled beside Apple, her shirt off and bunched in her hand where she pressed it to Apple’s chest.
For her part, Apple appeared calm, but in pain. No doubt every single breath hurt. She met my gaze. “Will you get Lemon for me, please, Ringo?”
I nodded, pulling out my phone and calling Rocket. He answered on the first ring.
“What happened?”
“Redwood’s dead. Apple’s been shot. Don’t know how bad, but we need Bullet.”
There was a murmur of voices, then Rocket was back. “He’s on the way. Lemon too.”
“Good. She asked for her sister. Did you find anything on your end?”
“Dom found evidence someone was on the west side just beyond the boundary. That’s what triggered Crush’s proximity alert. Whoever it was is long gone.”
“Probably because he was alerted we were on to him.”
“What?” The president’s voice was suddenly sharp and angry. Even more so than he was when we first took off after an intruder into our territory.
“Redwood shot Apple. Calista stabbed Redwood. I cut his fuckin’ throat. He said he wasn’t the only one. Not the only enemy we have here.”
“You believe him?”
“Above my pay grade. My gut says he’s lying, but I’m not willing to take that chance.”