Total pages in book: 28
Estimated words: 25958 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 130(@200wpm)___ 104(@250wpm)___ 87(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 25958 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 130(@200wpm)___ 104(@250wpm)___ 87(@300wpm)
“I’ll be there.”
He ended the call, and I flipped the phone closed before pushing it back into my pocket. Walking over to Anurak, I crouched in front of him and pushed his dark locks out of his face. He glanced up at me and lowered the phone. A small smile effortlessly tilted my lips, just like it always did when I looked at him.
Just looking at my little pup brought me happiness.
“You ready to go?” I asked him. “I need to take care of something, and then, we can go shopping.”
He nodded and sat up. Standing, I held my hand out to him. With a pretty blush staining his pale cheeks, he placed his hand in mine and let me help him up. I twined our fingers together and led him from my office. When he tried to hand me my phone back, I shook my head and gently squeezed his fingers. “Nah, perrito, you keep hold of it. You might want to continue watching your show while I’m driving.”
Anurak pushed the phone into his hoodie pocket before reaching over and placing his other hand on top of our joined ones, clutching at me. My heart skipped a beat in my chest. My little puppy already owned me, and he didn’t even realize it.
“Will Niran and Bento be coming, too?” Anurak asked.
I nodded. “They’re already waiting for us in another vehicle.” Pushing open the front door, I stepped outside where my Audi R8 was already waiting, the engine running. Pulling open the passenger door, I waited for Anurak to sit before I reached in and snapped his seatbelt into place. After pressing a kiss to his forehead, I stood up straight and shut his door before rounding the hood and opening my door. I nodded once at Niran, who was in the driver’s seat of the SUV behind my car, then slid into the driver’s seat.
Anurak pressed play on SpongeBob, and the sound of the show filled the car as the Audi purred onto the highway. A little less than thirty minutes later, I eased my car down the slope to the river that had become mine and Jax’s meet-up location. Anurak glanced around before his eyes landed on the water, and they widened. He grabbed my shirt sleeve and tugged, looking up at me with big, dark, excited eyes.
He was so fucking adorable.
“Can I?” he blurted, my phone long forgotten in his lap. “Can I go to the water, Rico?”
I nodded. “You can. But be careful. Don’t go into the water, understand? And watch your step so you don’t slip.”
He nodded and then shoved open the door, running full sprint for the bank at the river’s edge. I slid out, watching him with a small smile on my lips. Jax cleared his throat and pushed off the tree he’d been leaning against. I cut my eyes to him before focusing back on Anurak. I knew Bento was watching him, but still, I felt like I couldn’t be cautious enough.
“Who is he?” Jax asked, watching as Anurak crouched, his hands pressing into the dirt as he peered into the water.
“A boy I rescued,” I explained. “His name is Anurak.”
Jax hummed, leaving it at that, then looked at me. “We need a small shipment of guns in two days. Fifteen AR15s. Think you can get those to me? I’ve got cash.”
I waved him off. “I don’t want your fucking money, Jax. I’ll have Alfonzo get you the weapons you need. He’ll contact you with a meet-up spot.”
“I don’t take shit for free, Rico,” Jax growled in irritation, his eyes narrowing at me. “Ain’t shit in this world free.”
I rolled my eyes. “Then you can pay Alfonzo for the tiny bit of trouble he’ll be going through,” I snapped, getting irritated. Jax knew I didn’t like being challenged, but Jax was also like me; he didn’t care who he stepped all over. I looked at him. “But you should know my word is solid, Jax. If I say it’s free, it’s fucking free.”
He shrugged. “I trust you more than I trust a lot of people, Rico, but I’ve gotten enough free favors from you.”
I shook my head. Offering my men and my resources to rescue Ace, one of Jax’s GBMC brothers, from those sick mother fuckers who’d kidnapped him and wiping out that ring had not been a hardship. I’d trusted the GBMC to take care of everything so I could keep my hands clean of it, but I had a soft spot for Ace, even if the boy himself didn’t know it. I had no romantic feelings for the kid, but I did hate that he’d gone through what he did, both as a child and with that sick mother fucker, Johnny Dorman.
The GBMC brothers had all grown up in foster care together, but Ace had it the roughest out of all them. When Jax went to prison, the other guys dispersed, leaving Ace by himself. And he’d suffered.