Total pages in book: 83
Estimated words: 76881 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 384(@200wpm)___ 308(@250wpm)___ 256(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 76881 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 384(@200wpm)___ 308(@250wpm)___ 256(@300wpm)
I don’t like not knowing if we are going in the right direction, but if Paige went down here, then she probably had a reason. We head into the unknown, and as soon as we’re in the hall, the door shuts behind us and a light comes on.
Poe looks around. “Fancy, can we get one of these at the clubhouse?”
“Sure, drop it in the suggestion box.”
“We have a suggestion box?” Crank asks as we jog down the corridor.
At the end of the corridor, there’s an open door. A body comes into view, their gun up. All three of us aim at once, only to find Lash, Sinner and Hellfire at the end of our sights. “Fuck, we almost shot you.”
“Good thing you didn't,” Hellfire says dryly. “Where's Paige?”
“Was hoping you'd know that. She disappeared down this way along with her aunt. Who may or may not have led her away on purpose,” I spit out bitterly. Paige has so little fucking family left, it sucks that her surviving in-law is likely a traitorous bitch.
“Fuck.” Hellfire's expression darkens. “They came this way?”
“Yep.” Poe opens another door. “And I think I know where they went.”
We look past him to see the fire escape leading down to the ground behind the building. “Someone should've seen them, right?” I ask Hellfire. “We had the place surrounded.”
He shakes his head. “Could be, but who the fuck knows? It was chaos after we charged with all the fucking cops swarming in. Probably not. Sinner and Lash. You boys go back and start asking. See if anyone caught it. Suspect we woulda been told if someone did, though. Our guys would’ve noticed Paige.”
Poe starts down the spiral staircase, with me, Crank and Hellfire following. The metal rattles beneath our boots. At the bottom, the gate barred gate that’d typically be locked is swinging open, and there's skidmarks on the asphalt.
“Someone was in a fucking hurry. I bet my balls it was Fabbri,” Hellfire says.
“Fuck!” Crank kicks a rock across the parking lot and into a garbage container with a metallic clang. “Motherfucker! Now what? Give me something to fucking break.”
“Let’s go. Someone saw something, and standing around isn’t going to get her back.”
33
PAIGE
“Where are you taking me?” I ask for what feels like the millionth time. Not that I expect it'll work this time either, but I'm so frustrated, so freaking angry. I need some kind of response, something, anything.
Fabbri slaps me, knocking me sideways into the window, my cheek lighting up in pain like a firework went off in my face. It burns, and as much as I try to stop it, my eyes sting as tears come running. Alright, maybe that's not the response I needed.
“Shut the fuck up,” Fabbri says, not even looking at me. “I'm trying to think.”
We're both in the back, and my aunt is up front, driving. Fabbri's arm is bleeding all over his ruined suit.
“This backwater town is fucking useless. The cops don’t know their place and the bikers are just as miserable here as they are everywhere. Fucking vermin! The goddamn Outlaw Sons are going to fucking pay. Every single one of them. I'm going to fucking burn down that stupid church of theirs and then level the whole fucking compound to the ground.” He looks my way like he's going to hit me again, but just snorts angrily before he turns to look out the window.
“It’ll be fine, darling. I’ll take you somewhere they won’t think to look. We can stay there until things are safe,” Aunt Heather says soothingly.
No, I should just call her Heather now I guess. It sounds funny in my head, but she betrayed her dead husband for a mobster. I don’t need to be fake polite anymore.
“Where?” Stefano asks, and nobody slaps him for it.
“Walter’s little laundry place. It’s been closed for weeks now, hasn't it? It’s not far from here and there must be first aid kits or something in the building, right Paige?”
I ignore her.
“Paige?”
“Oh, I’m sorry. I hate to be rude. Were you talking to me?” I snap. “You’re aware that Uncle Walter’s corpse was basically slow roasted in the loading bay for most of that time, right?” I watch the rearview mirror to see if she reacts. “Are you still sure you want to go there?”
Heather’s face goes a little green on the edges and her eyes go wide. “I…”
“Just drive there. It’s too late to change plans.” Stefano orders. “Don’t be squeamish. You knew what you were getting into.”
Her knuckles go white around the steering wheel. I have a feeling she might have jumped ship from Uncle Walter to a man she thought had a better chance of improving her lifestyle, but she hadn’t thought out the gory details.
“Just fucking drive.” Fabbri sounds so done with everything. He slumps into the seat, looking sullen as he looks out the window. Him being unhappy sure makes me feel a little better, but it doesn't exactly improve my situation, and I don't want him slapping me around any more than necessary.