Total pages in book: 78
Estimated words: 75862 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 379(@200wpm)___ 303(@250wpm)___ 253(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 75862 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 379(@200wpm)___ 303(@250wpm)___ 253(@300wpm)
“Be very careful what your next words are,” Maverick warns.
I turn and glare at him. “Have you ever been afraid, Maverick? So afraid your skin crawls? So afraid you can’t breathe? So afraid you don’t know left from right, up from down? That’s how he made me feel. For years. That’s still how he makes me feel. But you know what I fear more than I fear him? Losing someone I love. Have you ever felt that?”
I know damn well he has, and he jerks like I’ve punched him.
“Then you’ll understand that when it comes to someone you care about, or love, you’ll do anything. I did not betray you. Not one word I ever told you was a lie. But yes, I did help Treyton. It wasn’t by choice. It was out of fear. Should I have come to you? Absolutely, but this is why I didn’t.”
I turn the phone towards Mal, and on the screen, is a photo of Amalie as we were waiting for the ambulance the other night after she was beaten. She looks terrible, and is covered in blood. As I’m showing him, I move towards the open door leading out onto the porch.
I am leaving this club today.
Whether they like it or not.
“That was simply a warning. That was him showing me what he would do to anyone I loved, if I did not obey. That girl, is the sweetest, kindest girl I’ve ever met. She is now lying in a hospital bed, because of me. I wasn’t going to risk anyone else. So, hate me, if you will, but I will not apologize for protecting someone I love. Which, I’m sure, is something every damned person in this room would do, if they had to.”
Mal stares at the phone, his face going tight, his body straightening with every passing second. “He did this to her?”
“Yes. He did that to her.”
“Is she okay?”
“You don’t get the right to ask that,” I whisper, my voice low. “Now I’m going to leave. If any one of you tries to stop me, so help me, I will throw down. Bikers or not, you will not stop me from walking out of this room, and going to my friend. I need to see her. I owe her that.”
“Scarlett, that ain’t goin’ to happen,” Maverick says, stepping forward.
I spin around, jabbing a finger in his direction. “You,” I snarl, my voice rising. “You were meant to believe in me. You didn’t even give me a damned chance.”
His face looks like I’ve slapped him.
I don’t care.
I’m done caring.
I’m done being held against my will.
And I’m done being afraid.
“Can’t let you leave,” Mal begins.
But I spin.
And I run.
“Fuck!” Maverick barks.
“Scarlett, stop!”
I leap off the porch, stumbling a little when I hit the dirt, and then I high tail it towards the entrance of the club. There are a few streets near it, a main road, and a fair amount of traffic. Once I get out there, amongst that, they won’t have a hope in hell of getting hold of me.
And one thing I know for sure.
I’m a damn good runner.
-23-
MAVERICK
What the fuck have I done?
Fuck.
God dammit.
What have I done?
I just fucked her like some sort of cheap whore.
“Get the fuckin’ bikes!” I bellow, launching off the porch, watching Scarlett disappear down the street.
She moved like lightning, and fuck, can she run.
“You won’t catch her now,” Mal yells from behind me. “By the time you get on that bike, she’ll be in a cab, or hiding somewhere. You won’t find her. She knew exactly what she was doing then.”
And now she’s in danger.
“Why the fuck didn’t you just chase her?” I roar at Mal, spinning around, fists clenched. “You were fuckin’ closest.”
“Did you see that bitch run?” he barks back, “fuck me, she was out of this club and down the road before I even got out the front door. Don’t fuckin’ put this back on me, Maverick.”
“Fuck!” I bellow, spinning around and slamming my fist into a pole.
Pain shoots up my arm.
“Need to calm down, find where Amalie is, and we’ll find Scarlett,” Mal says, trying to keep calm.
“He’ll find her before then!” I bark.
“I’ll track her down,” Koda says, coming out of the club and stopping at the top of the steps. “That’s what I do.”
“We don’t have time,” I say, jaw tight.
“Don’t think Treyton is after her,” Mal says, exhaling, big shoulders slumping. He’s had enough. I don’t blame him.
This Treyton fucker is far smarter than we could have ever imagined.
“If he finds out his drugs are gone, he will be,” I point out.
“Got word on that,” Koda tells me, “while you were in there fuckin’ your girl. We’re almost certain Treyton took his drugs back, because he got word we were goin’ in for them. That would explain why he hasn’t hunted Scarlett down and gutted her yet.”