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)
He folded his arms around me, his head burying into my neck. “I’m sorry. I’m so fucking sorry.”
My whole body jerked on a shudder. My baby brother was going to die, and I could do nothing to stop it. What new hell was I stepping into? “He can’t go.”
Shane stiffened right before he lifted his head. A dull and almost dead look was in his eyes. It washed over me, and a third fucking shiver wracked my body. “He set all this in motion. He did. Not me. Not my club. He told me he was going to do this whether or not my club followed through. I visited him thirty-nine times. Thirty-nine, Kali. He took me off the list so I couldn't do it for the fortieth time. This shit didn’t happen overnight. It took an entire year of his life to plan it. You tell me, knowing everything I told you, you tell me what to do. Don’t go through with it? You tell me. What should I do?”
“Not fucking yell at her, how about that?”
I tensed because someone had overheard.
And I tensed even more recognizing Claudia’s voice, but I was going over what he just said. He gave nothing away. She wouldn’t know any details, but the guilt I was feeling at not telling my sister? A black hole opened in my stomach and it was swirling and it was angry and it wanted to eat my soul out of me.
Was this how Shane felt?
I reached back, not intending to, but once I touched him, I couldn’t pull my hand away either. “It’s fine, Claudia.”
“My right buttocks, it’s fine. He’s yelling at you about our brother. First, what the fuck are you talking about and second, DON’T YELL AT MY SISTER, YOU BIG FUCKING ASS–” she cut off with a gasped cry, but then began yelling again, “Put me down! Marshall. What are you doing? That’s my sister…” She trailed off when he put her down, but he shoved a helmet over her head, lifted her onto the back of his bike, and a second later, he was in front of her and they were leaving.
“Yep. She’s all woman, that’s for sure.”
A few of the other guys had migrated over. That was Corvette.
Roadie laughed. “They’re going the wrong way.”
“No.” Shane moved in behind me, his hand coming to my waist. I didn’t want to, but I felt more centered at his touch, at feeling him at my back. He added over my head, “He’s not. He’s taking her home.”
I leaned back into him.
His arm curled around my waist, his hand splaying out over my stomach.
“Get on your bikes. It’s time to go.”
He sounded so tired when he said it, and my heart was aching.
But I moved forward because I had every intention of being there when they took Marco Estrada down.
I didn’t call, but I texted.
Me: Dad, I love you. I’m proud to be your daughter. I’m proud of who you are as a man and a father. You are the best person I know in my life.
Me: I just wanted to tell you that.
Me: I really love you, Dad.
Me: I gotta turn my phone off. I hope you’re not breaking a hip with the Old Gents.
Me: If you are, call your doc.
53
KALI
I wasn’t privy to their plan, but I stayed back and I watched. When I left his bike and followed behind the large portion of guys, he hadn’t argued. He wasn’t going to fight me on a lot, I realized. Maybe it was guilt? Maybe it was because I needed to see this through, considering what it was going to take away from me. I didn’t know.
I didn’t care.
None of the guys said a word either, and I glimpsed a few with pity in their eyes so they all knew.
All of them. It hit me then, really hit me.
This had been a plan for a long time. They all knew. They knew when they came to Friendly, Indiana in the first place. Roadie knew when he was fucking my sister. He knew when he cheated on her.
Machete knew when he ‘took over’ with my sister.
Shane knew when I showed up, following him.
When he kissed me.
When he claimed me.
When he defended me to Foley.
They all knew, and that was a truly shitty feeling.
But was I different because I hadn’t told Claudia? Because I already knew that when we got the call that he was knifed in prison, and was dead, that I wasn’t going to tell her the real reason behind it? I already knew I wasn’t. And in my mind, there was only one thing I could do that would make any of this worth it. One thing that would appease my soul.
So because of that, I kept quiet and I stayed in the background, and I watched.