Series: Silver Spoon MC Series by Nichole Rose
Total pages in book: 41
Estimated words: 37450 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 187(@200wpm)___ 150(@250wpm)___ 125(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 37450 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 187(@200wpm)___ 150(@250wpm)___ 125(@300wpm)
I open my mouth to argue, and then Bellamy's lifeless eyes flash through my mind. The smell of blood bubbles to the surface of my memories, followed by the way the two shots echoed throughout the parking garage. They were so loud. So damn loud.
The desire to argue vanishes in a sickening lurch.
I drop my gaze with a defeated, weary nod.
Cormac carefully peels his hand away from my lips, leaving behind a tingle.
"Do you have any bags, Bella?"
I shake my head. "Just my backpack. Callum said I couldn't bring anything else."
"Safety precaution," Cormac says. "Checked bags can be tracked. We'll get you anything else you need once we get where we're going."
"And where is that, exactly?"
"No one told you?" His eyes widen.
"We were on a need-to-know basis," I say. "They didn't think I needed to know."
"Jesus Christ," he mutters. "No wonder you're pissed."
I stare at him levelly, not confirming nor denying his assessment. The truth is, I'm not angry anymore. I'm disappointed. My dad flipped his lid when the police showed up at his door to explain what happened. He's been in papa bear mode ever since. Not even my mom has been able to talk him down. I know he loves me, and he's only trying to keep me safe, but he's gone overboard this time. Way, way overboard.
And we both know he did it because he's worried that I'll do something to get myself hurt, not because he's afraid he can't protect me at home. He doesn't trust me to know my own limits. In his eyes, I'll always be the rash little girl who acts before she thinks. I'll never be an adult, not really. But I'm not telling that to a man I met five minutes ago, either.
Strangers know far too much about my family as it is, thanks to my biological mom, Marion. When my sister and I were little, she went to prison for embezzling millions of dollars from my uncle and various other Fortune 500 companies. She tried to pin it on my dad because she hated that he loved us. We were big news in Tennessee for a long time because of it.
Growing up with the whole world knowing your mom tried to send your dad to prison because she hates you isn't easy. It's partly why my dad is so overprotective. Luckily, our stepmom, Jenna, is nothing like our biological mom. Jenna is a real mom. She loves me and my twin, Isla, unconditionally. There's nothing she wouldn't do for us.
Marion was released from prison a few years ago. She still tries to keep in touch with us. Isla sees her every so often, but I said everything I needed to say to her a couple of years ago. She didn't want us when we were little. She tried to destroy our dad because he loved us. As far as I'm concerned, she isn't a mom to me. She's a stranger. I don't wish her any ill will, but I don't want to know her either.
"Here," Cormac says, hooking two fingers through the loop on my backpack. "Let me carry this for you, Mischief."
"I told you that's not my name, Tiny."
"Callum is former Special Forces. The man can track a goddamn terrorist through the desert with nothing but a ball of string and a speedo. You slipped out of his custody five minutes after you touched down," he rumbles, deftly stripping my backpack off my arms and out of my control. His gray eyes meet mine, glinting with humor. "Believe me. You're nothing but mischief."
"A ball of string and a speedo?" I blink, not sure if he's kidding or not. Why did he need a speedo? No wonder Callum is so cranky, though. He's former military. He probably has better things to do than spend fifteen hours bouncing through every airport in the south. It still doesn't excuse him from staring at my ass.
Cormac winks, giving me another pirate's smile.
I get a little lost in his gaze.
He's way too handsome, and I'm way too tired to deal with that fact right now. Letting my guard down around this man is not a good idea. He'll bowl me right over and leave me wondering how it happened. I don't think I'd like being handled, not even by hands as sexy as his. And this man has man-in-charge written all over him. He's used to being in control and calling the shots. In his world, it's probably his way or the highway.
My stomach quivers at the thought of shaking up his world. I want to do it. I want to rattle him and throw his life entirely out of order just to see what he'll do. Will he really bend me over his knee like he threatened? Or is he a little bit wild too?