Total pages in book: 21
Estimated words: 19107 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 96(@200wpm)___ 76(@250wpm)___ 64(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 19107 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 96(@200wpm)___ 76(@250wpm)___ 64(@300wpm)
He glanced over at his sister, then gave a nod. “You go. Give those fuckers what they deserve. I’ll stay with her,” he said, nodding toward Kelsie. He met my gaze, and understanding passed between us.
With a plan set in motion, all we had to do was wait for the sun to set so we could go fuck shit up.
And then I’d come back to Kelsie and never let her leave my side again.
9
KELSIE
The sun had set over an hour ago, and my nerves were working overtime.
The clubhouse still smelled like spilled booze and old cigar smoke mixed in with the scent of weed. I stared at a crack in the plaster and the busted jukebox, which sat in the corner and didn’t work half the time. Carter had sworn he’d fix it years ago as a project in his free time.
I sat on the worn leather couch and looked over at him. He leaned against the countertop, arms crossed over his chest like he was trying to hold in everything he wanted to say. I knew it had been hard as hell for him to stay back. My brother wanted to spill blood just as badly as the other members.
But he stayed to keep me safe, to make me feel comfortable. Because he knew Knox needed to be the one to fuck shit up.
My fingers twisted together before I started messing with the hem of my shirt. Carter stared at me harder than he ever had. I knew what was going to happen next. There was no escaping telling him the truth about why I had come back.
“You gonna say something or just keep glaring at me like that?” I prompted.
He didn’t respond right away, but then he snorted, the sound very unamused. “Been waiting for you to say something, Kels. Been waiting for you to finally tell my why you left and why you’ve returned.”
I glanced down at where I was nervously fidgeting with my shirt. “I guess that time is now, right?”
He didn’t reply, just watched me intently. I swallowed hard and knew I had to get this over with.
Silence stretched again. I guess that was normal when the truth was heavy.
I looked down at the grease stain near my foot and finally whispered, “It got to be too much, Carter.”
His brow furrowed. “What did?”
When I looked up at him, only a second passed before he moved over to where I was and sat beside me. “This place. The club. Him.” My voice cracked on that last part. “You—Knox—were all so deep in the MC life. I knew there wasn’t anything you guys wouldn’t do to get to the end goal.”
“Kelsie, that’s our life. You knew this from the very beginning.”
I nodded. “Yeah, but then I got with Knox, and I saw all the violence and brutality, and how savage it was to be the significant partner of someone in the club.”
“He didn’t hurt you, di—?”
I cut him off by shaking my head. “God, no. He’d never hurt me.”
I felt and saw Carter relax.
“I know how loyal you all are, so ready to bleed for the MC and everyone they hold close.” I shook my head again, gathering my thoughts. “I felt like… if I stayed, that darkness would consume me, and I’d fall down a hole I’d never be able to crawl out of.”
He stayed quiet and listened, but his jaw was clenched.
I squeezed my eyes shut. “I never told him this, but one time, I came to the clubhouse late. I don’t even remember why I did. But I saw Knox carrying a dead body to a van and tossing it in the back. I stayed hidden and just watched.” I cleared my throat, remembering that night. “I followed them, Carter.”
“Fuck, Kels,” he cursed, and I felt his tension.
“I saw Knox bury that body with his bare hands. I heard him talking shit to the corpse.” I swallowed the lump in my throat. “I know the asshole he killed wasn’t a good guy, but hearing Knox replay what he’d done, picturing it, was like a hot knife in my chest.”
“I’m sorry you had to see that shit, Kelsie, but you shouldn’t have been sneaking around. Things are kept from you for your own safety.”
I nodded. “I saw what Knox was capable of. What he was willing to do for the club.” I looked at my brother. “I wasn’t even shocked. I wasn’t scared. I was terrified, because I knew I could easily… accept it all, no matter what.”
“Did you tell Knox any of this?”
I nodded but then shrugged. “In a way, yes. I didn’t admit I watched him bury that man. I told him all but that though.”
Carter nodded and gave a grunt of acknowledgement. “Probably for the best. Knox doesn’t want you to see that shit.”