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 studied Ringo for a long time. His gaze never wavered from mine. He didn’t say anything else to convince me he and his club were bad people. Which told me they had really done some bad shit. Also, he believed this was going to make a difference in how I saw the club. And him.
“What are you trying to say, Ringo? I’m not going to think you’re a bad person. After everything you’ve done for me since I got here, after you taking care of me and showing me how a man should treat a woman, if you think any of your past is going to turn me against you, you’re dead wrong.” I cupped his face in my hands. “You’re a good man, Ringo. Nothing you tell me is going to change that.”
He sighed. “Mitch.”
“What?”
“My name. Mitch Glout. It’s not the name I was born with, but it’s the only name I have now.”
“Mitch.”
“Yeah.”
“Mitch.” I thought about it for a moment. “Ringo.”
“Either one, baby. As long as you call me yours.” He pulled me in for a slow, gentle kiss. When he pulled back, he continued, “All the shit I just told you, all that means there will always be people trying to find us. To kill us. If that means they infiltrate our ranks, we will kill anyone we have to. Even if it’s someone we respected and trusted with those people most precious to us.” He brushed my bottom lip with his thumb. “This is why we’ve always kept to ourselves. Sure, some of us go out in public from time to time, but we’ve got plans in place to protect us. And now our families.”
“See?” I smiled at him. “You’re not a bad person. None of you are. If you were, you wouldn’t care what happened to anyone but yourself or your brothers. You certainly wouldn’t take their side over those of us you haven’t known long.” I chuckled. “And Lemon, most certainly, wouldn’t be vice president.”
He snorted out a laugh. “Yeah. She’d have killed us all long before now.”
“I thought she’d only been here a few months.”
“Yep. Six months.” He raised his eyebrows, his eyes wide like he was shell shocked or something. “Seems much, much longer.”
I couldn’t help it. I laughed, pulling myself close against him and tightening my arms around his neck. “What will you give me not to tell her that?”
He froze, unwinding my arms from around his neck. This time, his expression was almost pleading. “Calista…”
I grinned. “Well?”
“Name your price, wench,” he growled. But I could see the mirth dancing in his eyes.
“I’ll think about it and tell you later.” I leaned in to kiss him once more. He took control and deepened the kiss and I let him. No matter how often he kissed or touched me, I loved it more and more.
“Baby girl.” He said it with such affection as he tucked a lock of hair behind my ear. “Let’s get you to Bullet so he can examine you. I want to get the blood washed off your hands and arms.”
I looked at one of my hands and realized it was covered with blood. Redwood’s blood. Immediately, I jerked my hands back. “I’m so sorry,” I whispered. The whole evening coming back in a flood. I’d forgotten for a short time what had just happened. “Apple… Oh, God!”
“Hush, baby girl.”
“But I forgot about Apple! How could I forget --”
He silenced me with a kiss before opening the door to the truck and getting out with me still in his arms. His casual show of strength was at once daunting and arousing. I clung to him shamelessly. I wanted to see Apple, but I was terrified of what I would find.
“You honestly think Lemon wouldn’t be raging to the heavens if Apple were anything but safe? She’s hurt, yes. But the fact Lemon hasn’t razed the city to the ground yet to find Illivich means Apple is still alive. The fact Bullet hasn’t had her taken someplace else -- either by truck or a fuckin’ helicopter -- tells me Apple might be hurt, but she’s not hurt so badly he can’t take care of her here.”
All I could do was nod my head. I could feel myself spiraling back into fear and despair, wanting to give into all these feelings buried inside me when I had no idea how to process any of it.
“I… stabbed a man, Ringo.”
“And I killed him,” he said immediately. “I slit his throat on the Goddamned ground, and I’d do it all over again.”
“I’ve never…”
“And I hope you never have to again. But I’m so Goddamned proud of you, Calista. So Goddamned proud! You defended your friend. Our family. My woman will always defend her family. That means this club and everyone in it.” He set me on the hood of the truck, wedging his hips between my legs. “Listen to me. Grim Road isn’t easy. We’re a motorcycle club, but so much fuckin’ more. We keep to ourselves, keep attention at a minimum. But we hunt those who need hunting. That means there’s always the possibility some dumbass will come after us. We will always destroy them. To do that, we need our women willing and able to defend our children and themselves. We’ll always come for you. We just need you to hold on till we get there. That means doing exactly what you did with Redwood.”