Total pages in book: 88
Estimated words: 81845 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 409(@200wpm)___ 327(@250wpm)___ 273(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 81845 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 409(@200wpm)___ 327(@250wpm)___ 273(@300wpm)
Knowing I wasn’t going to win the battle, I had the nurses push her bed close to mine so she could sleep close by but not be disturbed. Yet she always woke anytime someone even opened the door, and she didn’t sleep again until after they finished checking me over and told her I was okay. Even now, two weeks after they released me to come home, she was still waking up almost as often as when the nurses had come in to check on me. Every night I wake to find her with her hand on my chest or her fingers at my wrist, taking my pulse—literally. I knew she would be shook up for a while over what went down, but I didn’t want her to dwell on it, especially when she had lost our baby the same night and hadn’t really had a chance to process that.
I hadn’t even had a real moment to process it either. I just know there is now a pain in my chest that wasn’t there before, a pain I knew I would have for the rest of my life, because whether or not Maggie and I knew about the baby, he or she was still ours, still something we had created together, a part of us that was now lost.
Wrapping my hand over the curve of her waist, I carefully pull her closer so I don’t wake her then rest my chin on the top of her head and close my eyes. Kenton and Kai are hitting town tomorrow night, and then we’re moving to Kai’s place until shit gets sorted and we figure out exactly what our next move needs to be. They were going to show up after I got shot, but I told them to stay put. I didn’t want to send Paulie the signal and knew I needed time to recover.
I know Paulie put a hit out on me, because I got the message from Justin after I got out of surgery and got my phone back. Only I got that message way too fucking late, and by the time I got it, I had already been shot and had a six-hour surgery to repair my lung and make sure there was no other internal damage.
I didn’t give a fuck about me getting shot. Yes, that shit hurt more than any pain I’ve experienced in my life, but nothing compared to the fear I felt knowing it could have been Maggie. That bullet could have hit her, and the way I was laying on top of her, I’m still surprised it didn’t. The bullet hit under my armpit, inches away from her, so fucking close that had she moved, had I not wrapped my arms up and over her, it would have.
I’m done with this shit with Paulie. His rein of terror is coming to an end, and I don’t give a fuck if I’m the one who has to put a bullet in his head to do it. Over the years, he and his son have fucked me over on a variety of occasions, but this time, he went too far. This wasn’t drugs in my club or dead bodies at the door; this was him taking a shot at me and my woman. A woman who was carrying my child when he had his men do it. Yes, this shit is coming to an end, and then I’m moving Maggie to Tennessee to start over. I can’t say I haven’t enjoyed Vegas, but the life I was leading was a life I was never really living at all. I moved through the motions, not really connecting with anyone. I have no roots here, no family, and only a handful of people I would consider friends. I want more than that for Maggie and me. I want her to have people, family around, bonfires, dinner with friends, and a house eventually full of kids. Vegas isn’t the place I see myself building that dream for us.
I wasn’t lying when I told Maggie I’ve been thinking about moving for a while. The day I took Mags skydiving, I set up that meeting with Ace, needing to get a feel from him about his interest in buying me out of the club. He mentioned wanting to be partners in the past, but if I left town, I was going to be out completely. There would be no looking back.
“I know you’re awake,” I whisper, running my hand down her back when I hear her breathing change.
“Do we really have to leave?” Her head comes out from under my chin and my eyes dip forward to meet hers. I told her last night about moving to Kai’s place out in the desert. She doesn’t want to go. I know this, but I also know it’s the safest place for her to be while Kai, Kenton, Justin and I take care of what needs to be taken care of.