Total pages in book: 54
Estimated words: 50753 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 254(@200wpm)___ 203(@250wpm)___ 169(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 50753 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 254(@200wpm)___ 203(@250wpm)___ 169(@300wpm)
Blade disappeared as he laughed soundlessly. He’d had no idea this would be so fun.
Later that day, he stopped Albert in his tracks when the violent man passed the small bakery three doors down from The Blue Door. The beleaguered man discovered a knife pinned his unworn hood on his sweatshirt to the wooden siding. Blade enjoyed the man’s panicked thrashing when the garment choked him as it pulled against his neck.
The voice of Albert’s companion drifted to Blade as the younger man ran. “They told me someone’s after you. Keep away from me.”
It seemed the word was out. No one wanted to be around Albert. They all thought Blade would have to miss and hit someone soon. They didn’t realize he never missed.
“Fuck!” Albert screamed a couple hours later when the sandwich he lifted to his mouth exploded. He turned to find a single slice of salami tidily tacked to the wall with an ice pick.
By that evening, Albert was on a one-way bus headed to Toledo. Albert never saw the employee in the ticket booth send a notifying text, revealing his destination. The Shadowridge Guardians MC had a lot of friends in town. Blade would alert a motorcycle club in that city to be aware of him when he returned to the clubhouse. After hiking back to his bike, Blade swung his leg over the seat. He’d have some explaining to do to his Little girl.
The MC wouldn’t ask questions. He figured Kade had a good idea of what he was doing. Blade had already arranged for Snake to take over for him in making some of the components for the latest build. His prospect needed time to work independently.
Sapphire would have a lot to say.
“What do you mean you watched my attacker get on a bus to Toledo?”
“That’s the good news, Little girl. He’s gone and should be out of our lives,” Blade assured her. He carefully controlled his expression to squelch the smile that would reveal his amusement.
“You left me in the middle of the night and didn’t answer any of my calls. I thought something had happened to you. The guys in the MC seemed to know more than I did, but they wouldn’t tell me anything,” she ranted.
“I’m sorry, Blue Eyes. I wasn’t in a place where I could pull out my phone. You wanted me to be safe, right?”
“That means you were in danger. That isn’t acceptable. Especially because I guessed you were dealing with that menace to society,” Sapphire accused him. Each word that emerged from her mouth was louder than the previous one. She was totally out of control.
“Don’t yell at me, Sapphire. You can be upset with me without shouting. It’s important for you to remember that I can take care of myself. I was not in danger, and I wouldn’t put myself in peril. I have way too much to live for, Little girl.”
“I can yell if I want,” she answered at the top of her voice.
“You can. Your throat may not be too happy with you in a few minutes. I know your ass won’t be,” Blade told her calmly as he walked into the bedroom.
The other room was quiet as he pulled out the toy drawer. Sapphire was listening. Purposefully, he rattled several things inside as he gathered a plug and the lubricant. Returning, Blade watched her gaze settle on the items he held.
“I don’t have to wear that,” she said quickly.
“I thought I’d get it ready if you wanted to continue ranting.”
“I have the right to be angry,” Sapphire told him, her focus narrowing in on his face.
“Why exactly are you upset—because I put myself at risk?” Blade asked, tapping the base of the plug on the counter.
“Yes! You should have left everything to the police. They get paid to handle bad guys.”
“They have to work within parameters. I don’t have any barriers,” Blade explained. “I’m not always a good guy, Blue Eyes. Sometimes the situation demands a much different approach than the law would allow.”
“Like this one? What did you do?”
“Not much. I harassed him a bit. He made the decision to leave.”
“A bit,” she repeated sarcastically. “What did you do? Carve him into small pieces?”
“Not quite.”
“That doesn’t reassure me.” She propped her hands on her hips and stared at him.
She was so cute Blade struggled not to smile. Enough of Albert Jacobs. “He left town on a bus of his own free will. He’s gone. Do you want to keep rehashing this or shall we stop thinking about that asshole?”
Sapphire’s jaw dropped as she digested his suggestion. Finally, her shoulders sagged back into a more relaxed position and the anger dissipated from her face as she realized it was over. “I don’t have to keep looking over my shoulder?”
“It’s always smart to be aware of people around you.”