Total pages in book: 124
Estimated words: 121578 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 608(@200wpm)___ 486(@250wpm)___ 405(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 121578 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 608(@200wpm)___ 486(@250wpm)___ 405(@300wpm)
Laughter erupts around the table. Even from me.
“What?” Teller pulls his T-shirt away from his chest and sniffs. “No, I don’t.”
Murphy tilts his head like he hates to be the bearer of bad news. “Don’t take this the wrong way. But…”
I press my fist to my lips to keep from losing it.
“Shut up.” Teller stands and stares at Rock like he’s a kid about to shit his pants, waiting for the teacher to give him a bathroom pass.
Rock waves a dismissive hand toward the door. “Go. I’ll check in on you later.”
Teller leaves, slamming the door behind him.
Shaking his head, Rock turns toward Rooster and me. “You two can go too.”
“Trin’s in the kitchen making pancakes for lunch if you’re sticking around,” Wrath offers.
I fake a horrified expression. “I thought you didn’t eat pancakes.” I clutch my chest and roll my eyes skyward. “Think of all the sugar.”
Wrath’s lip curls. “I didn’t say I was eating them. She’s making me steak and eggs.”
“Isn’t it kind of embarrassing a man your size can’t make his own food?” Murphy snort-laughs.
“I can.” Wrath’s head tilts, slow and deliberately, like he’s weighing the pros and cons of kicking Murphy’s ass. “But I’m here, listening to your disrespectful mouth.”
I push my chair back and stand. “As much fun as this has been, I’m going to go get my pancakes on.”
I nod at Rock, then Z. “Thank you.”
Rock inclines his head. “Thanks for keeping us up to date.”
“No problem.” I punch Rooster’s shoulder on my way out, relishing his exaggerated grunt of protest.
Happy to be free and not asked to stick around, I make a beeline for freedom. Rock, Z, Wrath, and Murphy seem to have things to discuss. Since I prefer to mind my own business, I head out of the war room, intent on putting some distance between myself and both presidents.
“Look at you leaving the table like a big boy today,” Rooster jokes, coming up on my left.
“One time, motherclucker. One time.” I roll my eyes. “You act like I’m always staying for detention or something,” I growl at him, still annoyed that he questioned how Margot feels about me in front of everyone and pointed out she’s my first girlfriend. As if I’m too dumb to figure out how relationships work.
Anger rising as I keep thinking about it, I stop and slap my palm against Rooster’s chest, halting him in his tracks. He glances down at my hand and back to my face.
“What the fuck’s your problem?” I growl, low enough that we won’t be overheard. “Why’d you question Margot’s motives like that in front of everyone?”
A deep frown creases his forehead. After a second, he brushes my hand away. “Has she told anyone in her life that she’s seeing you?”
“Huh? Who, the corpses?”
“No, her friends, her dad? She must have other people in her life.” He closes his eyes and shudders. “Besides corpses.”
“I’m pretty sure her dad already knows—he talked to me this morning before I left.”
His eyes widen. “Yeah, and how’d that conversation go?”
“Fine.” I shrug. “Basically, he wanted to let me know that I’m not as slick as I think I am, parking my bike alongside the house where I thought he wouldn’t see it.”
Rooster snorts and ducks his head. “Smooth.”
“Other than that, he wanted to make sure I’m not weirded out by what they do there.”
“Are you?”
“Not really. I don’t exactly go wandering around the house, though.” I blow out a breath. “I guess he was concerned I might only be seeing her because the club asked me to spy on her.”
He scoffs. “If only he knew Z told you not to.”
“Right.”
“I’m sorry,” he says.
Holy shit, is an asteroid about to hit the planet? “Did you just apologize?”
He lets out a heavy sigh, as if he already regrets it. “Something about pretending not to know you rubbed me wrong…” He shrugs. “I don’t want you involved with someone who doesn’t even want to acknowledge you’re together.”
“I can’t decide if I’m deeply touched.” I press my hand against my chest. “Or deeply offended.”
“Fucking hell. I should’ve kept my mouth shut.”
“Well, yeah.” I nod and punch his shoulder. “If it makes you feel better, Dad,” I sneer, “I think she told her cousin about us. Same thing—he’s seen and heard my bike there a lot.”
“Okay. Good.”
“You realize the whole point is not to tell the cops anything personal about ourselves, right?” I ask since he seems to have forgotten Outlaw 101. “I was fuckin’ proud of her for not saying anything. Wrath agreed.”
“You’re right. Jesus Christ, I already apologized. You need me to beg too?”
“Gee, could ya?” I wave my hand at the floor. “Maybe puff out your chest, strut around, flap your arms at your side and yell cock-a-doodle-do a few times? Then I’ll know you’re truly sorry.”
“You’re insufferable.”
“It’s part of my charm.”