Total pages in book: 50
Estimated words: 46500 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 233(@200wpm)___ 186(@250wpm)___ 155(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 46500 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 233(@200wpm)___ 186(@250wpm)___ 155(@300wpm)
I didn’t bother asking what the surveillance was for. Alejandro always paid exceptionally well when I did a job for him, and I knew that even though he had deep ties with this club, he would never answer to us, just as we didn’t answer to him.
We just sort of used each other.
“Got a deal,” I told him. “When do you need it done?”
“Tomorrow evening,” he told me. “I’ll get your team together, and you can sort everything out with them.”
I nodded once before I laid back again and grabbed the weights in my hands. He slipped out of the gym, saying something quietly to Antonio that made the baby giggle.
I didn’t want to be away from Jessie, but I needed time to think about what the hell to do. And doing surveillance with nothing but my thoughts to occupy me would be the perfect way to figure out some kind of fucking game plan.
When I got back into the room, Jessie was reading a book, and a warm glass of milk was sitting on the table beside her. I leaned over the bed and dropped a kiss to her lips. “Good girl,” I rumbled, running my hand over her hair.
“For?” she quietly questioned.
I flickered my eyes towards the glass of milk on her nightstand. “For staying hydrated without me having to tell you.” I kissed her again. “I’m proud of you.”
Tears flooded her eyes. “Are you really?” she croaked.
I cupped the side of her neck. “I’m always proud of you, my girl, even if you’re getting on my nerves with your defiance or you’re lost in your head. You know why I’m always proud of you?”
A tear slid down her cheek. “Why?”
I brushed my thumb along her jaw. “Because you’re always fighting, my girl. You’re a warrior. You refuse to give up.”
She set her book aside and reached up with trembling hands to hold my face. “I love you, Ink.”
I breathed a shaky sigh. “Til the end of my fucking days,” I swore to her.
She leaned up and kissed me, molding her lips to mine. I groaned. “I’m sweaty,” I rasped against her mouth.
She moaned, tugging me down to the mattress. “I don’t care. Make it stop for a little while.”
I didn’t have to be begged twice. I settled my body between her thick thighs and kissed her again, intending to make love to my remarkable woman until she was too tired for her brain to torment her anymore tonight.
19
Jessie
Being without Ink for a night was hard. After being separated for so long and then him being shot, months later, I still wasn’t ready for us to be separated.
But Alejandro summoned, and Ink went. I just prayed that Alejandro kept my man safe this time, or I might seriously put a bullet between his eyes. To hell with the fucking consequences that would follow.
Because I couldn’t live without Ink. He was my lifeline, my float out in the middle of the ocean that kept me from drowning. He was my killer whale keeping me protected from all of the other predators in the sea: my thoughts.
I tilted my head back under the spray of water, allowing the heat to curl around me, warming me when Ink wasn’t around to do so. My brother was keeping an eye on me, most likely under Ink’s orders, but I knew Joey was worried about me.
My belly cramped, and I groaned, straightening back up, my hand fluttering to my lower belly. Another cramp quickly followed the first, twisting my insides like a knife. Blood trickled down my leg, flowing down the drain when it mixed with the water.
Fear clamped around my throat.
I quickly turned the water off and got out of the shower, pain twisting my features when the cramping became continuous. I knew in my gut what was happening.
Turns out, I could be worse than my mom. She may have left us because her mind couldn’t handle it; I couldn’t fault her for that. But she’d tried.
She had, at least, been able to give birth to us.
I rolled my lips into my mouth to keep a sob from escaping as I quickly put a pad in my underwear, knowing better than to shove in a tampon. I pulled on a pair of Ink’s sweats and one of his t-shirts before going to find my brother, tears now streaming down my cheeks.
He was sitting in the barroom with Elaina on his lap. Whiler was sitting next to him. I sobbed when my twin’s eyes locked on mine. His dark eyes widened in alarm, and he quickly moved my sister-in-law off his lap. “Jessie?” he asked, jumping out of his chair and rushing towards me.
I collapsed into his arms, sobs wracking my chest. He wrapped his arms tightly around me, squeezing me to him in the kind of hug only my brother could give me.