Total pages in book: 44
Estimated words: 40446 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 202(@200wpm)___ 162(@250wpm)___ 135(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 40446 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 202(@200wpm)___ 162(@250wpm)___ 135(@300wpm)
Sting gave Piston a grin. “Bit prickly, ain’t she?”
“Only when around this ape.” I bared my teeth at Piston. “He brings out suka in me.”
“How about a visit with Iris and the other women?”
Again, I felt that pang in my chest. Spending time with the old ladies of Iron Tzars, even though all of them were at least a decade younger than me, was one of my favorite things to do. I considered all old ladies of Salvation’s Bane to be my family and the women of Black Reign were just as close. Women of Bones were all like sisters, especially since my own sister, Millie, was there. But women of Iron Tzars were… more. There was something about all of them that soothed me. I had found home in Grim Road, too, but Grim was Piston’s home. And I wasn’t sure I wanted to be in such close proximity to him.
“Is my usual room in clubhouse open?”
“It is. Danica will want word from Lemon. They Facetime every day, but I think she would feel better to hear how Lemon’s doing from someone other than Lemon. Apple misses her sister, too.”
I couldn’t help but smile. Lemon was hell on wheels, but she was still teenager. It was easy to forget. “Tell her I’ll meet her for dinner in common room. I have many stories to tell to lift her spirits.”
“Don’t we all.” I glanced over to find Piston grinning while he toed gravel at his foot. Obviously, there was some memory he was reliving that amused him. Out of nowhere, surge of something that felt suspiciously like jealousy slammed into me. It was on the tip of my tongue to remind big baboon Lemon was taken, but I managed to keep retort to myself.
“Right.” Sting had wary look on his face as he glanced from me to Piston and back. “Well, you both know where to go. Make yourselves at home.”
I didn’t wait around, instead securing my bike before slinging my backpack -- pink, of course -- over my shoulder and heading inside. I needed hour of peace and quiet. To decompress and get my thoughts under control.
Piston was thorn in my side. I hated him. I was also more attracted to him than any person I’d ever met. Man or woman. There were reasons I never had relationships. First and foremost was the fact that, being in relationship meant you had to care about someone. Caring about someone meant you had to protect them. Protecting them meant you put yourself between them and danger. I’d found out hard way, when I’d left for my training in FSB, best way to protect people you cared about was to stay away. Or not care in first place. Through years since leaving Russia, this was rule I’d broken. Not intentionally, but by becoming part of Salvation’s Bane, I’d put club directly in path of my enemies. Something I hadn’t seriously considered until Victor had abducted Lemon. So, Piston needed to get lost. Which meant I needed to push him away harder.
Room I used at Tzars was barren of furnishings save single-size bed, small table doubling as desk, and storage cabinet. I rarely needed it, but Sting’s woman, Iris, had insisted I have more than simple bed. I was surprised she hadn’t insisted on more furniture, but she’d respected my boundaries and refrained.
There was knock at my door. I had to grin, wondering if Daisy and Clover had let the other kids know I was here. They liked pink. Especially my eyes. I opened the door, not to the gaggle of kids I expected, but to big baboon I’d been trying to get away from.
I scowled. “I’m busy.” I tried to shut door, but Piston stuck his heavily booted foot in way preventing satisfying slam I wanted.
“Calm down, Shortcake. You’re not so busy we can’t have a little chat.” The look on his face was positively carnivorous.
“Shortcake?” I frowned up at him.
Smile split his face, but it wasn’t happy look. Was more like he was mocking me, or maybe there was hint of challenge there too. “Yeah. Shortcake. Because you’re sweet when you wanna be.” His grin got wider. “And you remind me of that little doll back in the eighties. My little sister had several of them.” Then he chuckled. “Strawberry Shortcake and Lemon Meringue. Gonna have me some fun when we get back to Grim Road.”
It took me moment for what he’d said to register. “Strawberry Shortcake. And… Lemon Meringue?”
“Yeah. Little dolls. One dresses in pink with strawberries over her dress. The other in yellow. One smells like strawberries, the other…” He let obvious linger, not finishing his sentence.
“Are you… calling me… some kind of… doll?” That couldn’t be right. “Because if you are, you know you die now. Right?”
The very last thing I expected was for Piston to bark out genuine laugh. This kind of displeasure usually had my prey quaking in fear. But not this man. Of course, not this man. Because, for some reason, he saw me, yet still wanted to be near me.