Total pages in book: 80
Estimated words: 75642 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 378(@200wpm)___ 303(@250wpm)___ 252(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 75642 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 378(@200wpm)___ 303(@250wpm)___ 252(@300wpm)
She nods in understanding, but that doesn’t stop her from spending the next hour watching the side mirror as if she thinks Keres will have activated some form of warp speed and caught up with us.
“Is this the best idea?” Mila asks when I pull into the parking lot at the Farmington nursing facility.
“They won’t even make it into town,” I assure her. “Look.”
Mila’s eyes follow the point of my finger so she can see Shadow and Hound standing outside waiting for us.
“Oh, dear,” Mrs. Taylor says. “Why are the police here?”
I don’t answer her question. I wait for Mrs. Taylor to be introduced to the administrative and nursing teams who will take over her care.
Mila hugs her mother and promises to see her soon, but there’s a blankness in Mrs. Taylor’s eyes when Mila takes a step back.
“Such a sweet girl,” she says, patting Mila’s cheek. “Your mother must be so proud.”
Grief washes over my girl’s face and it has the power to break my heart.
“Listen, Mr. Chilton,” Mary says once Mrs. Taylor is safely inside.
“Mary Scott, please come with us,” Colton Matthews says.
“Am I under arrest?” she snaps at the detective.
Colton is a homicide detective, but I know his connection to the club as Kincaid’s niece’s husband is why he’s here today.
“We haven’t decided that yet, but we’re going to need to question you,” he responds.
I wonder just how crazy things are going to get when she jerks her arm out of Colton’s grasp and spins back to face me.
“Don’t you dare hurt him,” she snaps, her voice a little broken. “Rosco only does what his older brother, Adrian, makes him do. He’s not like the rest of them!”
Mila looks even more crestfallen as Mary is pulled away and put in the back seat of a patrol car.
“She told them where we were and what we were doing?”
I nod.
“We have a couple more guys heading this way,” Hound says. “Just in case they manage to get past us. The police will have a hard time making anything stick to Mary, but at least with her in custody, she won’t be able to tip them off. Get Mila home. Kincaid will get you caught up once she’s safe.”
I nod, guiding Mila back to the SUV.
“All of this will be over before long,” I assure her, thinking maybe Keres coming after us is the best possible outcome. They wouldn’t be able to overpower all of us even if they caught us by surprise. Wren keeping close tabs on them makes all the difference. Now we have the upper hand and we can make sure that everyone is safe.
With her shaking hands, she struggles to click her seatbelt into place. I cup her chin, forcing her to look up at me.
“We’re fine,” I tell her. “We’re safe, and after today, there’s a very good chance we’ll never have to worry about the Keres MC ever again. Trust me.”
“I do.”
As quick as she was to tell me she had faith in me, she’s an even bigger ball of nerves by the time we make it to the clubhouse. The guys standing in the parking lot in full tactical gear doesn’t exactly make her any calmer either.
“They look like they’re going to war,” she says, her brow furrowing when she sees the rifle in Oracle’s hands. “And thirsty for blood.”
She’s looking at Hemlock who has a murderous look in his eyes every day. Right now, he looks like he’s one foul word away from snapping. I’m for sure glad the guy is on our team, but I also think it was a fine line that tilted him in our direction rather than one that would make him go rogue and take out a small city for fun.
I climb out quickly, making it around to Mila’s door in time to hold my hand out to her. Just as her feet hit the ground, I pull her into my arms.
“I’m scared,” she whispers into my neck.
“I know, baby, but I promise you it’ll be fine. This is what we do.”
“You could get hurt.”
I pull back, both hands cupping her cheeks. “I’d die to protect you and those kids inside.”
She shakes her head, tears streaming down her face.
“Don’t say stuff like that.”
“I have a lot to say to you, Mila. I’ll do it when I get back.” I pull her into a final hug, pressing my lips to hers.
“Come on inside,” Em says from the front porch. “The kids made you some welcome home gifts. They’ve missed you dearly.”
Mila is reluctant to let go of my hand even though her feet carry her away.
Kincaid hands me a tactical vest the second she takes the first step onto the porch. I give her one final nod of assurance before I switch gears. I have to be Kincaid’s soldier right now. Staying in dad and lover mode would make this situation more dangerous for everyone.