Total pages in book: 158
Estimated words: 146477 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 732(@200wpm)___ 586(@250wpm)___ 488(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 146477 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 732(@200wpm)___ 586(@250wpm)___ 488(@300wpm)
It’s a little after ten in the evening, and I don’t doubt that the boys were already asleep after the fucked-up shift we endured today, but they know I wouldn’t ask them to join me if it weren’t important.
“What the fuck did you get me out of bed for?” Diesel mutters as he climbs out of his truck and strides across the street, not recognizing the house of the car I’m up against.
I haven’t told them much about Harper or the ins and outs of our relationship, but they know she means something to me, especially after I drove her home from the bar the other night. Sure, before Harper, I was more than happy to spend the night sinking into random women, but that’s all it ever was. I never cared about them, never cared how they were getting home or what their days looked like, and I sure as fuck never called it quits on a boys’ night just to drive her home.
Up until right now, the boys have only been able to guess how deeply my feelings for Harper ran, and I suppose all of that is about to change.
“This is Harper’s car,” I tell them, tapping the car behind me and watching as they both stare at me with brows arched. “And this,” I add, pointing toward the rundown shithole on the other side of the broken chain-link fence, “is the home of the asshole who stole it.”
They both glance at me, and with just those few words, they know what Harper is to me. If it had been any other woman, I would have let the police or insurance deal with it, but the fact that I’m here, putting not only myself but my boys at risk, tells them everything they need to know.
“No shit,” Ace murmurs, his gaze swinging back to the house, probably already trying to figure out the best way in. Though there’s no point, I’ve more than cased the joint. I know every inch of that home and have my plan well and truly ready to go.
“Mm-hmm. Did I mention the fucker stole it after he and four of his friends jumped her in a back alley before leaving her for dead. She’s fucking lucky someone called for help.”
“What?” Diesel grunts, his head snapping between me and the house, his hands already balling into fists, barely able to keep still. “Awh fuck no.”
Ace lets out a heavy breath and immediately begins to pace, already pissed on my behalf. “Shit,” he mutters, his jaw clenched, taking it just as personally as I have. After all, any woman of mine would be seen as nothing less than a sister to these guys, despite never having met her. “She good, man?”
I cross my arms over my chest, the vision of Harper in that hospital bed tormenting me, and I shake my head. “She had emergency surgery to repair her liver and spleen. Other than that, she’s bruised up and swollen. She’s going to be sore for a while.”
“Fucking hell,” Diesel says, stepping in beside me, his jaw clenched. “Whatever you need, you know we’ve got your back. No matter where this goes.”
I nod. I didn’t even need to ask. They’ve had my back from day one, but truth be told, I didn’t ask them here to have my back. I can handle the asshole living in this house and anyone else who might be here as well. I simply don’t have enough asses to drive both my truck and Harper’s Civic back home, but if they suddenly have the overwhelming desire to jump in and teach this guy a lesson, then who the fuck am I to stop them?
This will be a piece of cake. I’m not a violent man, but something tells me I’m going to thoroughly enjoy this.
Trystin Black, the piece of shit now working as the night shift janitor. It was all too easy to get his information. After Harper kicked me out of her room, I sat outside her door for a few hours, just needing to be with her, needing to hear the steady beat of her heart rate monitor, but after overhearing the nurse say she’d fallen asleep, I was on my feet in seconds.
I couldn’t just sit there and do nothing, especially while I knew she was safe, and if I was right and all of this stalker bullshit was in her head, then she was going to be okay while she slept. As for me, I was knocking on the hospital’s surveillance room door the moment I could.
It took all of a few seconds to convince Carly to give up the personnel file for their newest recruit.
“Trystin Black,” I tell the boys, letting them know our target. “Twenty-seven years old and lives in his deceased mother’s estate with his two deadbeat friends and three rottweilers. Currently on probation.”