Total pages in book: 74
Estimated words: 74022 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 370(@200wpm)___ 296(@250wpm)___ 247(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 74022 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 370(@200wpm)___ 296(@250wpm)___ 247(@300wpm)
“I agree, which is why it is your choice if you choose to have them help,” Slater says, his voice gravelly and low.
“If they have so many connections,” Maverick adds. “Gotta know, why haven’t you used them before?”
“I wasn’t to speak with them when my loyalty was with Shanks. You understand, I was going to do anything to find Ellie, even if that meant I had to give up my family until I did.”
Brutal.
“That’s a big choice,” Malakai says, his eyes scanning over the three men. “You say you run an underground fighting club. Is it legal?”
Lincoln, who seems the oldest of the four brothers, meets Malakai’s eyes and shakes his head. “Not legal. But, how many of them are?”
“Make a valid point,” Malakai murmurs. “What exactly do you achieve from running something that could get you into a fuck load of trouble?”
“Intel. A way into the underground world. Information. We all have demons, we all want to slay them. Gotta fuck with the fire to get what you want, no point in doin’ it clean. I get the information I need. I have a name. My brothers have a name. Nobody fucks with us. We get shit done. That fightin’ ring is our life, and it is what’ll get Slater’s girl back.”
Malakai stares at Lincoln for a minute and then nods. “Got a good deal of respect for that.”
Lincoln nods. “Heard of you. Know the ins and outs of your club. Not here to cause you any problems, willin’ to work together to get the information needed. No toes need to be treaded on.”
“And how can we trust you?” Mason asks, crossing his arms. “Because fuck knows we’ve had nothin’ but shit the last six months. Can’t trust a single fuckin’ person outside of this group these days. Hell, we don’t even trust all the members of our club, and that’s fuckin’ sayin’ somethin’. You’re askin’ us to trust strangers.”
Lincoln nods. “Can only tell you we mean good. Like anythin’, trust takes time. We build up to that. We let you in, you let us in. One goes down, we all go down. That’s how this works, isn’t it? That’s the best way for trust to go both ways. We open the door wide fuckin’ open and if someone chooses to step out of it, we all suffer.”
“Logical,” I mutter. “We’re all puttin’ ourselves at risk, if someone betrays the trust, we all go down. Only way it’ll work without time on our side.”
Malakai nods, crossing his arms. “So you’re sayin’ you’re goin’ to give us the ins and outs of that fighting ring, and all the information you have, and we do the same. And that’s our promise of trust?”
Lincoln nods. “All in.”
“All in,” Malakai murmurs. “Got to know, why you’d risk all of what you’ve worked for to find a girl?”
“Not about the girl,” Damon speaks, his voice rough, deep and low. “It’s about our brother. He’s been through fuckin’ hell to try and find that girl, he’s risked it all, and now he’s part of your club. Best place for him to be. But alone, you’ll not have enough to find where Ellie is. Together, we have a chance. You do that for family.”
Got a whole lot of respect for these boys in this moment.
A fuck load of it.
“Let us discuss it, understand I’m not goin’ to just make a choice without first consultin’ all the members of my club. We’ll have an answer for you by mornin’,” Malakai finally concludes.
Lincoln nods, and the three brothers stand. Slater stays seated. He’s part of the club now.
“One question,” I ask, and only because it suddenly pops into my head when I see Slater stay seated. “If, and I know it’s a big fuckin’ if, someone betrays this little agreement, and shit hits the fan, Slater, where is your loyalty going to lie? Because if this went wrong, it would be your family against your club.”
“Valid fuckin’ question,” Malakai nods at me.
Slater looks to us, then to his brothers. But it’s Lincoln that speaks. “You pulled my brother from the depths of a fuckin’ monster, he swore his loyalty to you. That’s where we’d expect it to lie.”
Fuck.
Yeah.
I like these boys.
Slater nods. “My loyalty is with the club.”
“Big fuckin’ call,” I add, even though I respect the hell out of him for saying that. “Family is family.”
“Loyalty is with the club,” Slater says again, holding my eyes.
Malakai nods and stands. “We’ll have your answer by tomorrow.”
The three men nod and leave the compound.
Just when we thought things were coming good, we just opened our arms to a whole new world.
And possibly a fuck load of problems.
This could go either way.
~8~
NOW – CHANTELLE
“So, you and Boston don’t speak anymore?” Saskia asks, flopping down onto Mason’s couch beside me.
I came over after my shift. We’re going to have a few drinks. Mason gave Saskia the okay to have a few, because her recovery has been long, but I know she’s looking forward to slowly getting her life back on track after everything that went down with Enzo. She went through a lot, and deserves happiness more than anyone I know.