Total pages in book: 76
Estimated words: 72617 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 363(@200wpm)___ 290(@250wpm)___ 242(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 72617 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 363(@200wpm)___ 290(@250wpm)___ 242(@300wpm)
“What exactly are you sorry for?”
“Everything.” He shook his head, and his voice was strained as he said, “I should’ve looked into your boss, but for reasons that make no sense to me now, I convinced myself it wasn’t necessary.” I could see the anguish etched on his face as he said, “I let Dad down. I let the club, but most of all, I let you down.”
“It’s okay. Really. There’s no way you could’ve known what he was up to.”
“You don’t get it.” Wyatt said, his voice growing stronger, "It’s my job to know.”
“Okay, then we both messed up.” I reached over and placed my hand on his. “But it’s okay. I’m okay.”
“Yeah, but I still feel bad about it.”
“Well, that makes two of us.”
I sighed, then took another sip of my coffee. I looked behind me, searching for any sign of Wrath, but no such luck. Wyatt noticed my searching for him and said, “He’s inside with Dad and the others. He’s probably gonna be awhile.”
“I kind of figured that.”
“I should apologize about him, too.” He ran his fingers through his thick blonde hair and sighed once more. “Wrath is a good guy, and I’ve got no business telling you not to see him.”
“You were looking out for me and for him, too.”
“No, I was being a selfish asshole.” He turned to look me in the eye as he said, “I’m not gonna lie... It would be easier if you two didn’t hook up. He’s taking on a tough role with the club, and I meant what I said about the distractions. It would make it tougher, but it’s Wrath. If anyone could do both, it’s him. And honestly, it might be the best thing for him. He’d be lucky to have you.”
“Thanks, Wyatt. That means a lot.”
“Well, it’s true. You’re strong and smart.” He gave me one of his goofy grins. “Kind of pretty when you wanna be.”
“Hey.”
“You know I’m just fucking around.” He glanced back at the clubhouse, and after a moment’s hesitation, he stood and said, “I better get back in there.”
“Okay.” I knew it was doubtful that he’d tell me anything, but I had to ask, “So, Garrett wasn’t really Garrett, right?”
“Yeah, you could say that.”
“And the stuff on his computer, the pictures and stuff, they were really his?”
“Afraid so.”
“Are they what I think they are?”
He didn’t answer my question. Instead, he simply said, “We’re going to take care of it, Mia. You don’t have to worry about him anymore.”
I nodded, then watched as my big brother started back into the clubhouse. It seemed strange how much he’d grown over the past couple of years—not just in size, but in every way. He was now a man, confident and strong, and I did not doubt that he and the brothers would take care of Garrett. Soon, he’d be nothing more than a memory.
I’d finished off my coffee, so I decided to go back inside for another. I’d just made it back inside when my cell phone started ringing. I grabbed it out of my pocket, and it felt like a ray of sunshine had broken through the clouds when I saw that Darby was FaceTiming me.
I quickly answered, and my entire mood lightened the second I saw her face and Susana’s pop up on the screen. “Hey, guys! What’s going on?”
“We were just about to ask you the same thing,” Darby sassed. “Mom told us you were at the clubhouse and that something had happened with your boss, but she didn’t really know anything more than that. So, what’s going on?”
“I really don’t know.” I wasn’t sure what I could and couldn’t tell them, so I did my best to keep it simple. “I think he might be involved with something bad, but the guys are looking into it.”
“So, what are you gonna do now?”
“I guess I’ll stay here until the guys give me the okay to leave.”
A smirk crossed Darby’s face as she teased, “A little quality time with your honey-boo-boo.”
“Honey-boo-boo?” I laughed. “Seriously?”
“Okay, Mr. Smexy in Leather.”
“He’s been pretty busy with the brothers.” I walked into my room and closed the door. “You know he’s the club’s new enforcer.”
“Woah.” Susana pipped in. “When did that happen?”
“A couple of days ago.”
“And your dad?”
“He’s been ready to step down for a while.” The thought made my chest tight. My father was the enforcer long before I was even born. It was hard to believe that someone else was in that position, even if it was Wrath. At the same time, I liked the idea of my father finally taking a much-deserved break. Knowing they’d understand better than anyone, I added, “You know the club means everything to him. He wouldn’t have left the position unless he really thought Wrath could handle it.”
“Well, of course.” Darby glanced over at Susana. “It’s just gonna be hard to see Stitch as anything but the enforcer.”