Total pages in book: 171
Estimated words: 159500 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 798(@200wpm)___ 638(@250wpm)___ 532(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 159500 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 798(@200wpm)___ 638(@250wpm)___ 532(@300wpm)
Road swallows, his honey-brown eyes watching me with a new kind of sweetness. “It will be. I’ll think of something.”
Brigid is mumbling something through a gag, trying to shove away her captor, but it’s no use.
Prophet leans closer to Road. “I’m not letting you do this. There must be another way.”
But I see the method to Road’s madness. Us going is the only way to get Brigid out, and I know how much she means to Road and all the Vultures. I’d love to hide Road away from any danger, but if we go together, we have more of a fighting chance.
I take a deep breath, trying to cool my head. “They won’t kill us on the spot. Grizzly is too vengeful. He’ll want all and any intel, and only then our heads. Just like he couldn’t let go of Roy’s death.”
Road’s lips quirk, as if I were offering him a picnic, not facing torture and death together, and I feel the touch of his fingers on my hip, the one that faces away from my former club. It burns so good.
“Are you fucking high?” Yeti demands, but Road shushes him with a hard stare.
“I know I’ve been a fuck-up lately, but trust me, okay?” His gaze moves to Prophet, and he speaks in a lowered voice. “We’ll be passing the trap close to the gate. I can activate it.”
Prophet’s eyes are like carved in stone as he nods and pulls something from his pocket, no bigger than half a finger. He passes it to Road below the low wall, so the Butchers can’t see.
“Put the fob in your pants, so you can activate it even if they cuff you.”
It’s fucking happening. And as much as I dread the near future, I’m no coward. If I die, so be it.
So many eyes are on us now, licking our skin like fire, but as crazy as this plan is, at least it gives me something to hope for. And despite all this danger, and the pain likely waiting for us soon, I still experience Road’s gaze like physical touch.
“When the trap explodes, there’ll be chaos, and we run into the woods. Don’t wait. Just run, is that clear?”
I nod and mean it. While I’d love to be Road’s hero any day of the week, I see how turning around, checking if he’s there, might be the doom of us both. I have to be satisfied that this plan isn’t some self-sacrificing suicide mission on his part. It’s our best chance. And since the Vultures know about it, they might get a chance to show up with reinforcements.
Prophet squeezes Road’s shoulder. “Stall for time anyway. We might have a chance to do something here. I won’t forget this, brother,” he says and with a gesture, urges Creep to come over.
“Are you powdering your noses, or something? I’m done waiting! Come out, or I’m shooting the witch!” Grizzly yells, and there’s no more time to hear what Prophet’s plan could be.
“Why? Did you book a table at some fancy place for us all?” Road leads the way down the steps of the porch, and I follow, fighting the nausea twisting up my stomach. As we leave, I spot Creep whispering something to Prophet, but whatever this is about, Road and I are on our own.
As we leave the protective shadow of the roofing and step into the white glow of the lights mounted around the clubhouse, each stride feels like a step toward the noose. I itch to touch Road once more, to kiss his lips in case it’s not possible once we pass the fence, but I refuse to aggravate the Butchers any more than they already are and find comfort in knowing Road is here for me.
Grizzly laughs. “Yep, tonight you’ll find out what it’s like to dine in hell.”
Road puts down his gun on the way and I do the same. The Butchers would disarm us anyway, and this way, if we manage to bolt, the guns might be reachable to us. I know this without even discussing it with Road.
I keep my shoulders loose and eye Grizzly as Road seems to struggle with the lock. He’s buying us time for whatever plan Prophet might have, but I’m pretty sure the trap at the entrance to Vulture Hollow is our best bet.
“A very dramatic way to talk about your shitty cooking, uncle,” I say, and I’m satisfied that in the stark white light, I spot a few hidden smirks.
“We had a bit of a laugh, so now bring over Brigid. We’re not leaving until she’s through the gate,” Road says, and I stiffen at the sight of a gun pointed his way by Samson. They could easily take down both of us right now, and Brigid too, but I remind myself that this is not what they want. They can’t torture us if they spill blood this early, and I bet Grizzly made his orders clear. He wants to know about Roy’s killer, and thinks he’ll squeeze it out of a Vulture.