Total pages in book: 39
Estimated words: 36632 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 183(@200wpm)___ 147(@250wpm)___ 122(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 36632 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 183(@200wpm)___ 147(@250wpm)___ 122(@300wpm)
“No,” I said, then shook my head. “Well, technically yes, but not for any longer than it takes Shotgun to make her not belong to me.”
“Already done,” Shotgun said, his fingers moving again. “Dissolving your marriage was way easier than fixing the money issue, but I can get Ripper to help. Breaking into a government system, while not out of my reach, isn’t something I want to do without backup.”
“Understood. The money’s not worth exposing you or the club. If it’s too risky, leave it. I’ll go through the old-fashioned way.”
“Nah, I can get it. Do you want anything taken out of her accounts? Any of the money she already has?”
“No. Just stop any more payments from going to her.”
“On it, Angel.”
“Never mind that.” Eden waved Shotgun off. “If that woman belongs to you, bring her inside. That way, when you spank her, no one will come to investigate.” Eden crossed her arms over her chest. “That one is rude. Teach her some manners.”
“Oh, I’m fixin’ to. Just not the kind of lesson she’s gonna want.”
“You need anything else from me?” Shotgun pulled out a lollipop and stuck it in his mouth.
“Yes. I want to know where Gloria’s been all this time. She indicated she had a rich man keeping her up and that they no longer have that sort of arrangement.”
“Yeah,” Shotgun grinned, talking around the sucker. “Looks like her boyfriend is some kind of oil billionaire. It’ll take me a while to find out everything -- they weren’t married, and therefore no legal documents. Give me a few hours and I should be able to find something.”
“Main thing I want to know is if the guy’s dangerous and likely to come looking for her, or would hurt her physically. I’m not taking care of the woman anymore, but I’m not a bastard either.” I took out my phone. “I need to talk to El Diablo,” I muttered.
“And, as luck would have it, Archangel, I’m here.” El Diablo, the president of Black Reign MC, stood at the door to Shotgun’s office and he didn’t look happy. “Come with me, please. My office is quieter.” His light English accent was deceptively calm.
“Good news travels fast, huh?” I sighed and stalked after my president and friend. El Diablo was the man I’d sworn to follow without question for the better part of my adult life. I’d met him in the middle of my first mission and I knew beyond any doubt, he was the only reason I survived. Now, he might be the reason I died right there.
“Indeed.” His clipped tone told me he was, indeed, pissed to shit and back.
He led the way, stepping into his office and behind his desk while I sprawled in the chair in front of him, scrubbing a hand over my face.
“Why don’t you start from the beginning.” El Diablo didn’t believe in wasting time. He wasn’t above toying with someone before the real interrogation began, but only for his own amusement. Not when the conversation was this important.
“Of which story? Because I have more than one you need to hear.”
“Start with the woman outside. Not how you being with her came about or all the circumstances surrounding the meet. That’s between you and Sonya. What I want to know is the plan for her and her involvement with you up to this point.”
“I haven’t seen or communicated in any way with her in at least four years. Probably closer to five. We were supposed to meet to sign papers to get our marriage dissolved, but she never showed.”
“Who had the papers? You or her?”
“I did. Still have them in my footlocker.”
“I’m assuming Shotgun is taking care of everything with regard to the divorce? Or are you staying with her now that she’s come home?”
“No, I’m not staying with her. I did everything in my power to make sure she was taken care of. I reached out to her once after she didn’t turn up. I was kind of concerned something had happened to her. All she said was that she was fine and would call me later. After that, nothing. I was too busy to worry about her after that. There was no expectation I’d ever want a woman of my own since my life was too damned dangerous to bring anyone else into it.”
“Then you met Sonya.”
“Then Sonya met me.” I wanted to make this perfectly clear. “I had no intention of ever going after her, El Diablo. The second I realized I saw her as more than a child, I kept as far away from her as I could.”
“Why?” There was no mistaking I didn’t have the option of not answering his question.
“You know the life I’ve led. Why would I want to expose any woman to that kind of life?”
“Not what I want to know. Why would you believe you’d be exposing her to your past life?” I knew exactly where the bastard was going. He was going to make me admit my feelings for Sonya and to gauge how deep they ran.