Total pages in book: 44
Estimated words: 40362 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 202(@200wpm)___ 161(@250wpm)___ 135(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 40362 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 202(@200wpm)___ 161(@250wpm)___ 135(@300wpm)
“This is going to be short,” River started. “Adelaide is working on putting together a charity fundraiser for cancer, so try to keep your schedules as open as possible for the foreseeable future. We don’t know the dates yet.” Cancer was a big thing to Adelaide. She’d lost her best friend and her ex—who were twins—to lung cancer. I didn’t think any of us sitting at that table would ever forget her screams when Tristian had collapsed on the kitchen floor.
It was horrifying and gut-wrenching. I’d never seen someone fall apart as she had, and I never wanted to witness it again. I wasn’t a man for crying, but the way the strongest woman I knew had screamed and cried for him fucking brought tears to my eyes. Even now, remembering those horrific screams, had my chest aching.
“This morning, I need you,” River continued, looking at me, “and someone else at this table to ride out with Ink and Whiler to the warehouse to exchange weapons.” I nodded once. I was the person Ink preferred working with at exchanges and vice versa. We understood each other, though he’d definitely mellowed out a lot since he and Jessie—Joey’s twin sister—finally settled down together and started their family.
River looked at everyone. “Anyone need to bring something to the table?”
At everyone’s negatives, River slammed the gavel on the table, adjourning church. I walked out of the room, pulling my bike keys from my pocket. I caught a glimpse of Reina wiping down the bar. Unable to help myself, I ran my eyes over her. She looked tired. She had bags under her eyes as if she wasn’t sleeping well.
That shit bugged me, and I felt like it was my fault. And I hated that I could be the cause for her being unwell. But yet, I knew I wouldn’t change shit.
I was all fucked up in the head.
Shaking my head, I walked up to Tank, nodding my head once. “You up for a ride?” Tank was patched in when the Sons of Death were having a shit ton of problems years ago when Tristian was still alive. River used to be a club member of the Sons of Death back when he wasn’t ready to be the president of this club and take over after his father. But a few short months after River became president, he patched Tank over for protecting Adelaide.
For River, most of his decisions boiled down to his immediate family.
Tank snorted. “When the fuck ain’t I?”
He followed me out of the door. Ink nodded once at me. “We’ll follow, brother.”
I popped open the lid on the next wooden crate so Whiler could inspect the weapons. Ink lit a cigarette, surprising me. I didn’t know he smoked. Guy was normally squeaky clean. I honestly couldn’t ever recall a time when he’d even let himself get wasted. He stuck to a couple of beers a day, at most. “Since when do you smoke?” I asked him.
He shrugged. “Took up the habit a few months ago. Tensions are high with the club at the moment. Alejandro’s got us on our toes.”
I didn’t ask any other questions. Wasn’t my business. Alejandro Garcia was the leader of the Mexican cartel and also the father of Elaina’s son. Elaina was Joey’s old lady. They had some kind of truce I didn’t even pretend to understand, but it worked for them. But it also meant that the Sons of Hell got sucked into whatever shit Alejandro had going on. Yet, it also worked in their favor. If the Sons of Hell had something happening, Alejandro was right there with Joey, getting the shit resolved.
Suddenly, a loud pop met my ears right before something slammed into my shoulder. I roared in pain, the hit knocking me on my ass. Ink shoved me flat to the ground, already moving to cover my body with his. I could feel warm, wet blood pulsing from my shoulder wound.
“Got to fucking move you,” Ink snarled, grabbing me under my arms.
I shouted a curse when he grabbed me under my arms, my vision going momentarily white as he dragged me out of the doorway so I wasn’t an easy target anymore. My vision wavered. I was losing blood too goddamn fast. That, I could tell.
“Call Reina,” I rasped, letting my eyes slide shut.
“Sam—”
“Fucking call Reina!” I barked. I wouldn’t let her find out any other way. She wasn’t finding out from River. I wanted her to find out from the source.
My vision wavered. Ink was saying something, but I couldn’t hear him anymore.
I was out.
And my last thought was that I regretted playing fucking games with Reina. I’d wasted too much time with her.
Reina
My phone rang at the same time River’s did. I frowned down at it, Whiler’s name on the screen. Why in the world would Whiler be calling me? He never called me. Hell, the only reason I had his phone number was for emergencies only. I seriously didn’t even have a single text message from him in my phone. The only time we talked was when the clubs happened to come together on occasion.