Total pages in book: 136
Estimated words: 134747 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 674(@200wpm)___ 539(@250wpm)___ 449(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 134747 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 674(@200wpm)___ 539(@250wpm)___ 449(@300wpm)
Her eyes cave and she wraps her arms around her middle. “Don’t you get it? You’re one of them, one of us. They will die for you.”
“Don’t you get it?” I whisper, tears clouding my eyes. “I can’t let them.”
She opens her mouth, and then closes it, shaking her head frantically. She growls. “Goddamn you, why are you so stubborn?”
“Because I’m your sister.” I quickly squeeze her hand, turning away.
I walk out onto the lawn as quietly as I can, but the second Mike spots me beyond their shoulders, all heads fly my way.
Mike uses that to his advantage, darting forward to knock Captain in the head with the same part of the gun he used on me and he falls to his knees.
His brothers fly around, ready to attack, but I shout, “Wait” and they all freeze.
“Victoria, don’t.” Captain growls, pushing to his feet.
I walk out in a wide arc, so they can’t reach out and grab me, and Mike slides his feet my way, forcing them to curve the other way.
Mike’s breathing begins to settle as I grow closer.
“It’s okay, Cap,” I tell him softly, not taking my eyes from Mike’s. “He won’t hurt me.”
Mike’s lips twitch, an almost unnoticeable nod leaving him.
“I won’t let him leave, and never with you,” Captain says.
My blood pumps fiercely and I nod, and then I slide between them all, right in front of Mike, but he keeps his eyes on them, gun raised and pointed high.
His free arm comes down around my waist and he yanks me to him.
“Don’t fucking move!” he shouts, and I know Captain has stepped closer.
“Mike,” I whisper, sliding my hands up to his face. “Mike, look at me.”
His eyes tighten, and he jerks slightly, so I press tighter, move in closer.
A heavy line forms between his brows and he licks at his lips.
“Mike… baby, look at me...” I glide my thumbs back and forth in slow sweeps. “Please, look at me,” I whisper.
His jaw flexes and then his eyes briefly cut to mine.
I smile, gliding my hand down. “Hi.”
His nostrils flare, his eyes bouncing between mine and over my shoulder in rapid, constant motions.
“Let’s go, let’s leave this place,” I tell him. “You were right, there’s nothing for me here. I saw what you wanted. I saw him with Mallory. He doesn’t want me, and I don’t need him.”
“But the girl, she’s still in there.”
“We don’t need her,” I rush out. “We can, we can have our own.”
He swallows, and his head tips to the side with a slight nod. He lowers his mouth to my ear.
“You will love me,” he murmurs, kissing my hair and I squeeze my eyes shut. “I swear you will.”
I nod, dropping my hands to his chest, my heart seizing in mine when the sound of the barrel clicking rings in my ear. “But only if you can’t love him.”
I gasp, shoving at him. “Mike, no!”
But it’s too late, the gun has already gone off.
I fly around, screaming as Captain’s body falls to the ground with a crash, Connor Perkins on top of him.
Everything happens quickly from there.
Royce tackles Mike to the ground as Maddoc picks up the gun, points it right at his head, and without so much as a blink, he pulls the fucking trigger.
I dart toward Perkins and Captain, screaming when I see blood running down Captain’s head.
I grab Perkins, and he groans.
“I’m sorry,” I cry as I roll him off, scrambling closer to Captain.
Royce falls right beside me as my hands fly to my mouth.
“No, no, no...” he panics. “Brother, no!”
“Oh my god,” I croak, my eyes falling to his soiled shirt, blood dripping down his side.
Raven runs out the door as Maddoc spins and drops with us.
“Cap.” Maddoc smacks his face lightly. “Captain!” he shouts.
I cry, pushing up his shirt to apply pressure to the wound, but freeze, my hands flying along his stomach, smearing in the blood in search of the bullet hole, but I don’t find one.
I quickly move to his head, shaking as I inspect the gash there.
Not a gunshot wound.
“He hit his head...” I whisper. “He hit his head,” I say louder.
They look to his stomach and then his head.
Maddoc quickly feels for a pulse, nodding with a glare. “He’s knocked out.”
“Thank fuck,” Royce croaks.
“Guys,” Raven whispers.
All eyes fly to her and slowly she lowers to her knees, kneeling beside Perkins who holds a hand over his gut, blood pouring from him, the color having drained from his face.
Oh my god.
Maddoc and Royce glance at each other, whipping around when footsteps sound behind them.
Rolland drags himself closer, falling beside Raven and Perkins.
He looks to his sons and then slides behind the man.
Raven helps him push his upper body from the grass, and Perkins hisses, his head falling back on Rolland’s chest right as he settles himself there.