Total pages in book: 119
Estimated words: 117494 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 587(@200wpm)___ 470(@250wpm)___ 392(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 117494 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 587(@200wpm)___ 470(@250wpm)___ 392(@300wpm)
I reciprocated by shoving her off the picnic table.
“Hey!”
The door opened and a few of the club’s women came out. They slowed, taking in my sister on the ground. When they started to laugh, she scrambled up and pointed her still-lit cigarette at them. “Don’t even think about starting. She and I have been through hell and we got no problem pulling you down with us.”
They took her in, took in the promise in her eyes, and turned to me.
I was glaring right back at them, knowing they could see my own promise too.
One wrinkled her nose. “Ew. Old women.” She shoved her friends ahead. “Let’s go before they breathe their talcum powder on us.”
Her one friend’s mouth dropped before she let out a startled gasp. “You did not just say that.”
The bitch shrugged, going around her. “What are they going to do?”
She took a step forward, and stopped because in that moment, Claudia crossed the distance and took hold of her swinging hair. She answered, still holding her cigarette, “Let me show you.” And she took one step back, put her hip behind the girl, and flipped her right over. As she fell to the ground, her two friends gasped, but took me in.
I stood, every cell in me ready to launch myself at both of them. I had meat on me, good strong meat and if I twisted my body a certain way, I could just bowl right over them.
“Oh my God! Are you serious right now?”
I stood taller and narrowed my eyes. “Yes.”
Claudia let out a snort laugh. “So wise and forbidding, Kal.”
I flicked her off, still glaring at the other two. “Choose, little girls. Run or fight. That’s the only two options I’m giving you.”
“You don’t have any say here. Who are you anyways?”
Claudia bent over, laughing. “You’re so fucked, but I should thank you for being you. Idiot–” The door opened right at the end of her word and she cut off, seeing Machete step outside. He took her in, his eyes going from the girl who Claudia was still holding down because she’d stepped on her hair, the other two, and then me.
He shook his head. “Oh, boy.”
The door was pushed wider behind him.
Roadie, Corvette, and another of Shane’s guys pushed out, taking in all of us.
Roadie’s grin went wide. “Whoa. Did we just interrupt a chick fight?” He touched Machete’s shoulders, pretending to pull him back inside. “Please, ladies. Keep on as if we were never here.”
“Get off my hair!” the one whined, trying to sit up.
Claudia gazed down at her, literally looking down her nose at the girl and took a slow drag of her cigarette. She was plucked up by Machete, and he carried her back to the picnic table. “No more fighting, babe.”
She pretended to pout, but I could tell she was really loving how Machete was still holding her. He climbed up, settling behind her and she leaned back against his chest.
Roadie was helping the one girl back up to her feet, who took in the sight of my sister in Machete’s lap.
Claudia smirked, raising an eyebrow. “You were saying, bitch?”
Roadie started laughing, one of his hands lingering on the woman’s waist.
Claudia pointed it out with her cigarette. “Be careful with him. He’s always going to be someone’s sloppy seconds.”
“Hey!” Roadie’s hand dropped from the girl’s waist, but he didn’t look insulted. Instead, he gave the girl a slow smile. “We might stop by on our drive back to California? I’ll look for you.”
She was cutting her losses, shaking her head and going off with her friends, but she looked back, looking him up and down before returning a small grin.
Roadie started laughing. “All right. Look at that! Still got it.”
Claudia snorted, running a hand down Machete’s arm.
She said something back, and I recognized her tone. She was laughing something off in a cocky way, but I startled. Not at how she sounded, but from the contrast of her arm against Machete’s arm. She was always usually a dark tan, but her skin was so white.
I realized how pale she was.
She’d not been this pale a few days ago at the barn.
And gaunt.
I was now looking her over, but without the usual filter I normally had with Claudia. She was tough. A smart-ass. Usually loud. Sometimes endearing like at Ruby’s and most times mean like at the barn, but now I was just seeing my sister as she was. Fragile.
She’d lost weight in those days too.
Emotion rose up, choking my throat and I struggled to keep it from moving to my eyes, forming tears, but damn. I loved my sister. Couldn’t stand her most days, but I loved her. Always would.
I didn’t care how she’d react. I cut off whatever she’d been saying to whoever and scooted over.
I wrapped my arms around her, and hugged her.