Total pages in book: 135
Estimated words: 123672 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 618(@200wpm)___ 495(@250wpm)___ 412(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 123672 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 618(@200wpm)___ 495(@250wpm)___ 412(@300wpm)
“That’s the funny thing about sharing genes,” he mutters, slowly inching closer and making my skin crawl. Even though he shares Crew’s face, there’s something much darker within his eyes, and something tells me to run as fast as I can. “You never showed up to his funeral. What kind of woman skips out on her friend’s funeral?”
“The kind who knows what’s good for her,” I say, backing up a step.
He steps right with me, only he takes a much larger stride, closing the gap. “I don’t think you have any idea what’s good for you,” he says, his gaze trailing over my face and then down my body. He reaches up, his fingers brushing across my jaw. “You really are pretty, aren’t you? My brother might have been a sick bastard, but he always had good taste.”
Slapping his hand away, I back up again with venom in my eyes. “Don’t fucking touch me.”
Crew’s brother laughs, his eyes lighting with excitement. “He told me you had a feisty side, but for some reason, I never quite believed him,” he says. “But it’s nice to be proved wrong every once in a while, don’t you think?”
“What the hell do you want with me?” I demand, knowing damn well that despite how things ended between me and Crew, he never would have stood for something like this. He always wanted to protect me, you know, except that one time he didn’t. “There’s nothing here for you.”
He inches toward me again, and I scold myself for staying back tonight. I should have let Big Jim drive me home and everything would have been fine. But then he might have shown up at my apartment. Though, then he might have had to deal with my new creepy friend, assuming he was there, of course. Who am I kidding? After last night, he was definitely there for more. Unless this is the asshole who’s been sneaking into my room.
“Oh, there’s plenty here for me,” he says, leaning closer, trying to intimidate me, and damn it, it’s working. “It’s a real shame my brother didn’t introduce us sooner. We could have had a lot of fun with a sweet thing like you.”
“Back off. Otherwise, you’ll find out just how much fun I can be.”
The corner of his lips lifts into the smallest grin, and despite his face only moving the tiniest bit, the change is enough for his whole demeanor to shift and show me the true devil inside.
I was right. I need to run.
Not waiting another moment, I barely take a step before crashing into a solid wall of pure muscle, and a set of warm hands grip my hips. My gaze tilts up, and I have to crane my neck, more than ready to scream, but I let out a heavy sigh of relief finding Viper. “You good?” he spits, his gaze locked on the man over my shoulder.
I nod, ready to keep running, but he doesn’t let go. Instead, I grip his cut as though it could offer me some sort of protection. “This ain’t your territory,” Viper growls, a tone I’ve only ever heard once—when a member of a rival club wandered into the store. “You’re crossing a line.”
“I’m collecting a debt,” Crew’s brother says.
Viper’s hand shifts behind his back, and in a flash, a gun appears in front of me, and without giving even the slightest warning, he pulls the trigger. Only as I scream, the two men remain ridiculously still, with a chunk of concrete torn from the ground directly between the asshole’s feet. “Leave. Otherwise, the next one is going between your eyes.”
Crew’s brother holds Viper’s stare a moment longer, his jaw clenched, but Viper is relentless and unforgiving, and it’s clear to everyone here that he’s not about to give up anytime soon. The asshole’s gaze quickly flickers to me, and that wicked smirk widens. “I’ll be seeing ya, Kyah.” And with that, he turns on his heel and stalks off into the darkness.
The second he disappears, my body crumbles, and Viper holds me up. “You good, babe?”
I swallow hard and nod, turning in his arms to meet his calculating stare. “What the hell was that about?” I demand, realizing he knows much more than he’s willing to let on.
“The fuck do you think you’re doing leaving work alone at midnight?”
“What?” I say, my eyes widening. “How the hell is this my fault? I’m not the asshole lingering in the streets trying to talk to vulnerable women.”
“No, but you’re the fucking idiot putting herself in a vulnerable position. Now get on my fucking bike. I’m taking you home.”
I clench my jaw, shaking my head. “I need answers, Viper,” I growl. “And while you’re at it, you can tell me why the fuck you’ve been following me everywhere for the past two weeks.”