Total pages in book: 34
Estimated words: 31905 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 160(@200wpm)___ 128(@250wpm)___ 106(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 31905 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 160(@200wpm)___ 128(@250wpm)___ 106(@300wpm)
“Thanks, Ink. That was delicious.”
He waved off my gratitude. “Glad you enjoyed it, but the compliments really should go to my mamma. I just used her recipe.”
“C’mon, baby.” Baylor tugged me away from his club brother. “Gotta get you up to my room before I meet with the prez.”
Since I was curious about his room, I didn’t argue. When we got there, I was a little surprised by what I found. “No wall of monitors for when you do your tech stuff?”
“Not in here,” he said as he closed the door behind us.
My suitcase was next to the open closet door, and there was another that was closed. “En suite bathroom?”
“Yup, one of the perks of needing to be around twenty-four seven sometimes. I don’t have to share a shower with any of the other guys.”
“Nice.” I pointed at the small fridge, sink, and stovetop. “You even have a kitchenette.”
He patted his abs. “Gotta have fuel nearby to keep me going.”
“Makes sense.”
He strode over to the closet and grabbed a big T-shirt that he handed to me. “My club business shouldn’t take too long. Go ahead and get ready for bed. You can wear this.”
“Bed?” I echoed, my brows drawing together. “It’s only eight.”
“You had a big day, baby. I bet you’re more tired than you realize.”
Thinking about the high of having my first date with him and the low of finding that note in the flowers on my doorstep, I had to agree. “You’re probably right.”
“I usually am,” he murmured before giving me a quick kiss and walking out the door, locking it behind him.
7
WIZARD
Finally—finally—I had Thea right where I wanted her. With me.
Leaving her in my room was hard as fuck, but I needed to bring King up to speed and make sure he was on board with everything. As the president, he had every right to deny having Thea stay here and demand that I turn the investigation over to the police.
However, King was all about family and always had our backs, so I knew he would not only agree but also offer to help. Still, it was out of respect that I made the request.
When I walked into the lounge, King and his old lady were sitting on the couch, playing with their newborn son, Cadell.
His head came up as I entered, and his expression went from soft to his natural scowl. “Gotta handle some club shit, baby,” he said to Stella. Then he pushed to his feet and turned, leading the way down another hallway to his office.
He knocked on Blaze’s open door as we passed by, and the VP stood to follow us. Echo, our road captain; Kevlar, our sergeant at arms; Ace, club treasurer; and Ash, our secretary, were all with him, and he motioned for them to come with us.
King stalked into his office and over to his desk, dropping into the large leather chair behind it.
Blaze went to stand next to him, casually leaning back against the wall while Ash and Ace sat on the couch opposite the conference table, where Echo, Kevlar, and I took a seat.
“Wizard?” King muttered, giving me the floor.
I glanced at Echo. “You tell ’em anything?” I didn’t want to waste time repeating anything he might have already shared, but he shook his head.
Quickly, I filled them in on the basics of Thea’s situation. Then I looked at King. “She’s good here?”
He nodded and waved off my question. “Of course. There’s nowhere safer, and we protect our own.”
I wasn’t surprised that he’d picked up on what Thea meant to me, but I was grateful because I wasn’t ready to talk about it with anyone until she and I were on more solid ground.
“You have the letters?” Ash asked, his fingers tapping on the table restlessly.
Nodding, I dropped the envelope on the table and slid it over to him.
“I’ll have my contact at the private lab to see if there are any prints to analyze.”
“Thanks,” I grunted. “I haven’t had a chance to do any more digging other than the flower shops, but I’ll give you all any information as I find it.”
“Ace, try to follow the money from the flower orders,” King instructed.
It would be hard as fuck if they were all paid in cash, but Ace had done it before, so I was hoping he could get something for me now.
“Wizard, make sure you go over every detail with Thea. What’s changed in her life? Especially around the time the stalking started,” Blaze added.
Word would make it around to all of the club brothers shortly, and anyone available would help out however they could.
Family meant something different to the Hounds of Hellfire. It was a choice, not a genetic assignment. We were a solid wall of protection, respect, and honor. If you fucked with one Hound, you fucked with them all.