Total pages in book: 68
Estimated words: 67324 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 337(@200wpm)___ 269(@250wpm)___ 224(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 67324 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 337(@200wpm)___ 269(@250wpm)___ 224(@300wpm)
My heart flutters and I roll to my side, looking at him. “I’m not?”
“No. You’re not.”
“Why is that?” I whisper.
He looks to me and the intensity in his gaze has my heart going from aflutter to an all-out rave. “Because I want you here with me. I’m done wastin’ time.”
“What do you mean?” I’m scared of the answer, and yet I need it.
Mykel rolls slightly and his expression becomes incredibly deep. “I want you. End of story. If tonight showed me anything, it’s that shit changes in a heartbeat. When you were gone, and we didn’t know if you were okay, I didn’t like how that felt. I want you, and that’s all there is to it.”
For a man of very few words, that was a lot.
I smile at him, and my heart swells with utter joy. “What about Briella?”
He shrugs one shoulder. “I was in love with her, but you’ve made me realize it was for all the wrong reasons. You’re right; I’m fuckin’ broken, but you stuck around no matter how many pieces there were to pick up. You’re what I need, and you’re what I want.”
Oh god.
“And all along I thought you didn’t like me,” I say, laughing.
He takes my jaw in his hand. “Sometimes you don’t realize what’s right in front of you.”
“So . . . you want to see where this goes?”
“Yeah, I want to see where this goes.”
Fuck yes.
That’s one good thing that’s come out of the evening.
“I’m sorry about what went down tonight. I know Kendric is your brother, and it’s a big blow to all of you to have him arrested.”
“We’re goin’ to get him out—that’s what we do. The club won’t give up the fight until he’s back where he belongs.”
“I know you’re all upset at Zariah, but she was just doing her job.”
“Yeah.”
“She’s risking a lot to help us.”
“Know that, too.”
“Mykel?” I say, swallowing.
“Yeah?”
“I’m scared.”
He pulls me until I fall into his arms and my cheek is resting on his chest. “Don’t ever be scared while I’m here, Waverly. Not goin’ to let anything happen to you.”
The thing is, he’s telling the truth.
I believe him.
I’ve always believed him.
I don’t plan on stopping now.
THE MORNING COMES, and as we make our way to the club, Mykel and I say nothing to each other. We’re both thinking the same thing? What the hell are we going to do now? How the hell are we going to find Dax? What is going to fix this goddamned big mess we’ve managed to create for ourselves?
It seems like there’s no end to this nightmare.
When we arrive, complete chaos is erupting. The moment we walk inside, we see Briella, who is rushing out towards the front door, tears rolling down her cheeks, her hands covered in . . . blood. Oh god, is she okay? My eyes widen at the very sight of her, and I rush over, stopping her. She looks up at me, makes a hiccupping sound, and then starts crying.
“Honey, what’s wrong?”
“He’s lost it. He’s lost it.” She says this over and over again.
Mykel looks to her, and then leans down close and asks, “Where is he?”
“Shed.”
He picks up his pace as he goes out there, and I carefully take Briella and sit her down on the sofa. She’s crying, her whole body shaking, and whatever just happened has her shaken up in a big way. “Talk to me,” I say to her, keeping my arm around her shoulder.
“He’s got three men out there, men who apparently work for or with Dax. He’s just . . . he’s just torturing them. I went in there, and he was going crazy, just punching this guy over and over, like a goddamned psycho. I tried to stop him, but he . . . he wasn’t even with it.”
She looks down at her hands, and they’re shaking.
“Let’s get this blood off you.”
I take her to the bathroom so she can wash the blood off her hands. I know exactly how that feels, and there’s no worse feeling. When her hands are clean, we sit back down. She’s trembling, and I feel terrible for her. I know how scared she is right now, and Briella is a strong girl. “It’s going to be okay,” I say, putting my arm around her again. “He’s just . . . he’s struggling.”
“It’s not his fault. If anyone is to blame for all of this, it’s me. I came back into this town looking for Magnolia, and I started the war with Dax. I was the one who insisted on finding out what happened, and who he was. If I didn’t do that, none of this would have come about.”
“You’re wrong,” I say to her. “King was looking for Dax, and had been for years. This is something that would have come around eventually, honey. You have to know that. Alarick is struggling right now because one of his club members is in prison, and the person responsible got away. He just needs to get it out of his system.”