Total pages in book: 110
Estimated words: 102335 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 512(@200wpm)___ 409(@250wpm)___ 341(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 102335 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 512(@200wpm)___ 409(@250wpm)___ 341(@300wpm)
“You were hiding him?” I straighten my shoulders and bend my neck to look up at him anyway. And after all this time, it’s still only him who can force my power to its knees.
“So what if I was?” Wicked murmurs, brushing closer to me. “What the fuck you gonna do about it, hmmm?” My eyes narrow as he sidesteps and makes his way into the kitchen, scooping up a bottle of beer. He lowers himself down onto the barstool, his arm hooking around the blonde girl’s belly as he pulls her between his legs, taking a swig of his beer while his eyes remain on mine.
“You just gonna let that shit slide?” Val mumbles beneath his breath, a half-smirk on his face, just as one of the other bikers from earlier climbs the steps, jumping on Val’s back like a toddler. He’s the younger one with a pretty smile.
“I missed you. You miss me?”
The other biker, older hot one, shakes his head from behind them both. “Go play with each other in the clubhouse. Girls don’t wanna see that.”
“Well….” Jade wiggles her brows.
“Watch it,” he warns, and Jade laughs as he scoops her up. I stand still, unable to wrap my mind around what the fuck is happening.
“Lion,” a growly voice says from beside me. He’s older, but no less good looking than the rest of them. His gray hair is slicked back, his tattoos all on display. He’s big too, not as big as Wicked but still big. He gestures to the bar chairs on the patio that are attached to little round tables. “Wanna take a seat, sweetheart, so we can talk.”
“Oh.” I chuckle under my breath while pulling out the stool opposite him. “I can’t tell you how much I am not a sweetheart.”
“Something we agree on…”
I ignore Wicked’s jab, grabbing the packet of smokes on the middle of the table and biting one into my mouth.
Lighting the end with my black Zippo, I place it on the table and cross my legs, removing my blazer and allowing it to hang off the chair behind me. I’m well acquainted with power struggles, but right now it isn’t between Lion and me, not even Papa. It’s between my nemesis, who thinks having a girl on his lap is affecting me the way it would have all those years ago, and me.
I blow out a cloud of smoke. “Come on, Papa Dearest.” I flick my eyes up at him, catching everyone else watching me carefully. Khaos, I think his name is, can’t take his eyes off my midsection, and the rest of the guys are trying to pretend they’re not staring.
I don’t bother with Wicked.
Papa takes the chair beside mine and I flick ash into the ashtray. “What the fuck has been going on?”
Lion leans forward. “Your family has threats outside of the Cosa Nostra, Lala. Ones that are beyond Victor’s control and even your own.”
“I’m listening.”
“Do you remember when Wicked gave you that envelope all those years ago?” Papa asks softly, and I finally look toward him, my throat threatening to close. I mourned him. I thought he was dead and that Wolf would never know who his grandfather was. The man who taught me so much. It broke my heart every time I thought about the events that he would miss, yet here he is. Sitting with a bunch of outsiders because he doesn’t want to consult with his family and keep it in-house.
I swallow back the taste of betrayal from both of them. “Yes.”
“If you had opened it, you would have seen—”
“What makes you think I didn’t open it?” I smirk around the trunk of my cigarette.
“Because I fucking told you not to?” Wicked growls from beneath his—whoever she is.
I drag my eyes to where they are, keeping the grin. “Aw, and how very un-Ruby Rose of me to not go against your orders.” I stub out my cigarette. “I read the note. Victor, it’s out. They know about me and what I did. She needs to marry Mikhail.” I wave my hand in the air, smiling at Khaos who slides a glass of vodka over to me.
Papa’s eyes shoot to Wicked before resting back on me. “I know you can, Bubba. But this is something else. It’s someone in-house.”
“I’m waiting!”
“Ruby!” Wicked barks and I flinch, my eyes flying over Papa’s shoulder and landing on him and his lap dog. “Give your old man a fucking minute, yeah?” My mouth closes and then opens.
“First of all!” I keep my eyes on Wicked even though it burns to do so. “You don’t get to tell me what to do anymore, Wicked. You gave up that right years ago.”
His cheeks spread into a wide smile, flashing his white teeth and perfect dimples. I didn’t notice when I first saw him, but he has a tattoo on the side of his neck and that nose ring is still there. I’m annoyed at how much it all suits him. Instantly annoyed. Fuck. “That’s funny. That’s real fucking funny.” He buries his head into the crook of the girl’s neck, biting down on her skin.