Total pages in book: 43
Estimated words: 39123 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 196(@200wpm)___ 156(@250wpm)___ 130(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 39123 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 196(@200wpm)___ 156(@250wpm)___ 130(@300wpm)
“Let me get you cleaned—”
She shook her head. “No,” she said quietly, her voice full of pain and heartache. “Go, Trigger. Go find him. Just…” She drew in a deep, shuddering breath. “Just make sure you come back home to me, too.”
I wished it was a promise I could make her, but I couldn’t. And by the broken expression on her face, she knew that, too.
“I love you,” I rasped. I could at least promise her that. “For eternity, sunshine, I will always love you.”
I turned away from her and strode over to where I’d left my boots, fixing my jeans as I went. Once I shoved my feet into them, I snatched my burner phone off the bed and headed for the door.
Her broken sob echoed inside my skull as I quietly shut the door behind me.
8
Sophia
Iscrubbed at my red, swollen eyes as I traipsed down the stairs the next morning. There’d been no word from Trigger and still nothing from Chase. I was a nervous wreck. Sleep had been nearly impossible, and what little bit of sleep I did manage to get was haunted by every worst possible scenario of what could be happening to Chase. And if it wasn’t Chase, then it was Trigger.
I had no idea how I was going to manage getting through the work day, but I had to. I couldn’t sit around this clubhouse, where I was used to seeing Chase everywhere I turned. And I couldn’t just lay around in bed upstairs where the pillows still smelled strongly of my two men.
“Here,” Jessica said softly when I pushed open the door to the kitchen. She was making breakfast, her hair pulled up into a messy bun on the top of her head. She was still in her pajamas. I took the coffee she held out to me, wishing I could plaster a smile onto my lips, but the muscles in my face weren’t cooperating.
“Thanks,” I managed, my voice sounding raw, even to my own ears.
She turned to face me, leaning her hip against the counter as the pancakes on the griddle cooked. “Are you sure you can handle work today, Sophia? I just don’t think—”
“I can handle it,” I muttered, bristling. “I need to be able to handle it, Jessica. I can’t just lay around and wait for news. That could…” My throat closed up, and I had to swallow some of the scalding coffee to open it back up. Tears blurred my vision, making my already sore eyes hurt even more. “That could take weeks,” I croaked, my voice cracking.
She wrapped her slender arms around me, and I bit my tongue, swallowing down a sob. Squeezing my eyes shut, I willed myself not to cry. To not give into the devastation and hopelessness I felt. When I stepped back, she dropped her arms with a small sigh. “If you think you need this, then I’ll let Scorpion know you need two of the guys to go with you. He won’t be happy about you being away from the clubhouse, but I think he’ll understand the need to keep yourself busy.” Reaching up, she gently squeezed my arm. “Can you keep an eye on the food for a couple of minutes while I go talk to him?”
I nodded, and she slipped from the kitchen, her footsteps light on the tile flooring. I set my coffee down and reached for the spatula, carefully flipping each pancake. By the time I was done, Jessica was coming back into the kitchen, a small smile on her lips. “Gidget and Halo will be accompanying you,” she told me. “Try to have a good day, at least?”
I wasn’t sure that would be possible, but I nodded. I had a feeling I’d be going through the motions, and that would be about it.
I finished my coffee in three big gulps that burned the roof of my mouth and my throat, then headed out of the kitchen. Gidget and Halo were waiting for me by the bar. Gidget pushed off the countertop, grunting at me in greeting. He wasn’t much of a talker. It wasn’t that he didn’t like people. He was just… quiet. Which, from what I understood, was a big change from the man he was when the Texas Charter was first formed. Apparently, he used to be a hot head and loved running his mouth.
His temper apparently used to be so bad, he once put Halo in ICU from a head injury after a pretty bad drunken fight. How they got along now was beyond me. If I’d been the one put into the hospital, I’d still be holding a grudge. But Halo just wasn’t one to hold grudges like that.
“You ready, girly?” Halo asked. “We’re taking Jessica’s SUV. Scorpion doesn’t want you out in the open.”