Total pages in book: 124
Estimated words: 126840 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 634(@200wpm)___ 507(@250wpm)___ 423(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 126840 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 634(@200wpm)___ 507(@250wpm)___ 423(@300wpm)
So I didn’t know if Andy said something (he probably did) or if it was a between-clubs thing (and it probably was).
But Jagger knew I was with Core.
And now he knew I knew.
I knew.
I knew what Eleanor said was true.
And it sounded like he was immediately instigating damage control.
God, Archie was married into this?
Apparently, that documentary about Chaos wasn’t a documentary. It was propaganda (which of course it would be, the woman who directed it, Rebel, was married to Rush).
Now I knew something else too.
They weren’t all about brotherhood and family. They didn’t put it all on the line to get clean for their women and children.
They were just like all the other MCs.
They were about men and men only.
They were out there, in this modern world, living like it was the 1700s, where men were all-important and women were property.
“That’s okay,” I said softly in response to his offer.
“Listen to me, Hellen,” he ordered firmly. “I don’t know who talked to you—”
“I’ve gotta go,” I mumbled.
“Hellen,” he called.
I disconnected.
I also turned off the sound on my phone.
I’d have to deal with how I felt about Archie being in that, and what I might have to say to Andy about it later.
I also had to call my fucking dad and warn him about Eleanor, as well as tell Mom and Li.
But I had to do that later too.
I needed to deal with this now.
Then put it behind me.
I had my proof. I was never in love with Bryan, nowhere near it.
Because this?
What I was feeling right now?
This was excruciating.
My phone buzzed in my hand, so I looked down at it.
It was a call from Archie.
She was the single coolest chick I knew.
And she was brainwashed with this shit.
I got that.
Boy, did I.
They sucked you in with sweet talk and great sex, so by the time you realize you’ve agreed not to ask any questions about the shit they get up to with their brothers, realize you’ve thrown yourself into a life you don’t know dick about, you’re so addicted to that life, to them, you can’t get loose.
I went to my car, and I’d give myself shit for this later, but I drove to Core’s without taking a second to get my head together. I was in such a fog of pain and betrayal, I could have hurt myself or someone else.
But I made it.
I hit the garage door opener on my visor, and the act of doing that felt like a knife sinking into my flesh.
I parked, shut down my Mini, nabbed the opener and took a minute to take Core’s key off my ring before I left my purse and briefcase where they were and went into the house.
The first thing I saw was that I had laundry folded on his dryer. I hadn’t put it away yet.
My laundry folded and mingled with his.
Just like everything else between us, it had happened naturally.
He did the cooking, so he also did the grocery shopping.
Without a word, I’d started to do our laundry.
He had a cleaning service, so that wasn’t a thing.
After he cooked, for the most part, we did the dishes together.
Sometimes, he’d be off doing something with his club (and at this point, I knew that “something” could be more anything than the anything I already knew it to be). If he was, I’d do the dishes. Sometimes, I’d be off for drinks with the girls or need to check a scheduled post went out, and track its progress, so he’d do them.
We’d just clicked in like we were meant to be.
In everything, we’d done that.
Clicked in like we were meant to be.
I made it to the kitchen and put the opener and his key on the island, seeing the steaks out, already seasoned.
There it was. Allowing them to come to room temperature.
He said it produced a better result.
He was right.
I saw movement and watched him walk in from the back, probably out checking the grill, and I did this having to completely ignore Nanook bounding in with him, coming straight to me. I needed to get this done, and I was broken, but taking a second to come to the understanding I was losing both my boys, that would shatter me.
And anyway, taking in Core was enough.
God, he was gorgeous, that tall, hard body. That hair. Those eyes.
That smile which started to falter after he caught sight of me and then processed the state of me.
“You ran late,” he said guardedly.
“Did you and your brothers beat up Rosalie Kavanagh?”
I knew they did on the word “beat.”
I knew it because he didn’t turn awkward or defensive. He didn’t shut down or appear wily.
His eyes went dead.
Completely dead.
Somewhere deep, deep down inside of me, I registered that look in his eyes with alarm.
However, the prevailing emotion was keeping my feet, due to the fact my heart had exploded.