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)
I nodded, then unlocked the doors and climbed over the console. He put Cody in the very back, then got in the back seat with the stranger. As soon as he had the man secured, Wrath told me, “Drive over and pick up Torch and Riley.”
I started the truck and whipped over to the side of the building where Riley and Torch were waiting. Torch helped get Riley to his feet, then they both got up front with me. Riley was in bad shape. He was bleeding from both his shoulder and his side. Knowing he didn’t have much time, I pressed my foot against the accelerator and sped towards the clubhouse.
I had my focus on the road when I heard Torch say, “We got her. She’s fine, but we’re gonna need Doc to prep the infirmary. Riley’s been shot.”
There was a brief pause, then he said, “Yeah, he doesn’t look good, but he’s hanging on. Just make sure Doc’s ready. We’re five minutes out.”
He hung up the phone, then turned to Riley and said, “Hold on, brother. We’re almost there.”
Riley nodded, and the truck fell silent.
I didn’t have to look back to know that Wrath was staring at me. I could feel the heat of his stare against my skin. I couldn’t tell if he was angry or relieved or both. He had every right to be furious with me. If I hadn’t gone back into the office, then those men would’ve never come after me and I wouldn’t have put them all in danger. Most of all, Cody would still be alive. The guilt of that weighed heavily on my heart.
I wanted to apologize, but I had no idea what to say to them.
By the time I worked up the courage to say something, we were pulling through the front gates and chaos erupted. The second I parked, Savage and Hayes rushed out to the SUV and helped Torch get Riley out of the truck. As they helped him inside, Wrath pulled the stranger from the back seat and led him around back. I had no idea where he was taking him or why, but I knew better than to question it.
So, I stayed put and took several deep breaths, hoping to settle my racing heart. I was still reeling when Dad came rushing over and pulled me from the driver’s seat, hugging me tightly. “Are you okay?”
“Yes, Daddy. I’m fine.” As I hugged him back, I cried, “I’m so sorry. This was all my fault.”
“No way you could’ve known it was gonna play out like that. None of us could’ve known.”
“But Cody...” Tears stung my eyes as I told him, “He’s in the back.”
“We know, sweetheart. Don’t worry. We’re going to take care of him.”
“I’m so sorry, Daddy. So, so sorry.”
I was still hugging him when Cotton appeared in front of me. His brows were furrowed, and he had an intimidating scowl on his face as he asked, “You wanna tell me what the hell happened back there?”
“I honestly don’t know.” I turned and reached inside the SUV. I grabbed Garrett’s laptop and offered it to Cotton. “I’d found what I’d found on the laptop and was at the office getting my stuff together when someone came to the front door. They were trying really hard to get in, but Riley stopped them. And it all went kind of haywire from there.”
“What’s on the laptop?”
“All these crazy pictures of women. When you see them, you’ll understand why I went back in there for it.”
“They must’ve been watching her,” Dad told him. “It’s the only way they would’ve known she’d seen the pictures.”
“We need to get this laptop to Bones and ...”
Before he could finish his thought, Wyatt came barreling out of the clubhouse and rushed over to us. He gave me a quick once over and asked, “You good?”
“Yeah, I’m okay.”
“Good... good. You had us worried.” Without skipping a beat, he turned to Cotton and said, “We’ve got a problem.”
“Yeah, we know. They just took Riley to the infirmary.”
“It’s not about that.” His eyes skirted over to me, then back to Cotton. “We should discuss it inside.”
Cotton nodded, and I knew that was my cue to get lost. “I’ll be in my room if you need me.”
I skirted passed them and headed inside. Before going to my room, I went down to the infirmary to check in on Riley. When I got down the hall, Torch was waiting outside the door with a worried look on his face. “Hey, how’s he doing?”
“I don’t know. He’s lost a lot of blood, but Doc’s doing what he can.”
“I’m really sorry about all this.”
“Nothing for you to be sorry about. You didn’t shoot him. Same goes for Cody.”
“But none of this would’ve happened if...”
“You don’t know that.” He shrugged. “Crazy shit happens every day.”