Total pages in book: 72
Estimated words: 66697 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 333(@200wpm)___ 267(@250wpm)___ 222(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 66697 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 333(@200wpm)___ 267(@250wpm)___ 222(@300wpm)
She straightened slowly. “I hadn’t decided yet.”
“I have. You’re going to a property in the Smokies. Now. My driver’s outside waiting.”
She stared at me. The cut above her temple had started to bleed again, a thin line tracking toward her eyebrow, but she didn’t wipe it away.
“Your driver,” she repeated. Her voice had gone very quiet. “You’ve decided to send me somewhere. Just like that.”
“Yes.”
“No discussion? No asking what I want?” I could see the temper rising in her eyes. She definitely didn’t like being dictated to.
“The building is compromised, and I think you suspect you were the target. Discussion is a luxury you don’t have right now.”
Anger flashed in her eyes, bright and sudden. She opened her mouth to respond, but Knuckles stepped between us before she could speak. He inserted himself into the conversation with easy authority.
“She stays.” His voice was flat. “Haven protects its own. We don’t hand our people to the Miles family, alliance or not.”
I held his gaze. Knuckles was a head taller than me and built solid as a tank. The only bigger man in the club was Tiny, and I had my doubts that man was even human, he was so big.
“The alliance,” I said, “includes the understanding that when one of us identifies a security risk, we address it. Like it or not, Tessa was the target of this attack. I will be taking her somewhere secure until the threat to her is… addressed.”
“Then she goes somewhere secure on Kiss of Death property. Not yours.” Knuckles crossed his arms over his chest. I probably should have been intimidated but couldn’t be bothered. It wasn’t like Knuckles thought he would win this argument. He argued for argument’s sake sometimes. At least, that’s what I figured, because I always got what I wanted.
“The property in the Smokies has better security. Electronic countermeasures. Reinforced construction. And the only way in or out is by helicopter or ATV. Or possibly a horse, though some of the terrain would be difficult for even the most experienced rider. No one gets in or out of that property without me knowing it.”
Behind Knuckles, Griffin stood with his arms crossed. He hadn’t moved from his position near the wall where he watched over his woman, Veda. He stood, quiet and immovable, his green eyes watching the exchange with careful attention.
Veda stepped beside Tessa, putting her arm around her sister. Veda Garrison was lean and angular, her dark hair pulled back in a practical ponytail. She fixed me with a look that could have cut diamonds.
“If she goes anywhere,” Veda said, “I go with her.” The fear in her voice was sharp, and I knew she only wanted her sister safe and trusted her man’s club more than she trusted me.
“She goes to my safehouse,” I said. “Both of you, if that’s what it takes. But the decision stands. She moves tonight.”
Tessa stood wordlessly between us, her sister gripping her arm. Knuckles looked at her. Then at me. Then back at her. “This isn’t our call,” he said finally. His voice had changed. Something in it had gentled, which from Knuckles was more unsettling than any threat. “It’s hers. Always has been.”
Tessa looked at Knuckles. Then at me. Then at the ruined common room, the women huddled in the doorway, the blood on the floor where Gunnar had gone down. She took a breath, then let it go. “I’ll go,” she said softly. “But not because you decided.” She turned to me, her gaze level. Steady in a way that made something in my chest tighten. “I’m going because whoever came through that wall came for me, and I will not stand here and watch this place get torn apart any more while someone else gets hurt protecting me.” Her voice shook with emotion. I could see tears glistening in her eyes.
She raised her chin, though, and held back her tears. “Haven is supposed to be safe. These women came here because they needed somewhere no one would find them. They deserve to feel safe.” Her voice didn’t waver. “So yes. I’ll go to your safehouse. But I’m going because it’s the right thing to do for them. Not because Antonio Miles told me to.”
Holding back my triumphant smile took every ounce of my self-control. I’d achieved exactly what I’d come for. Tessa Garrison would be behind my walls tonight. In my care in a place where I controlled the variables. I’d won. But her show of defiance almost made me double over in pain. Because my cock shot hard and aching like she’d flipped on a light switch.
I’d expected her fear. I had not expected her quiet, unwavering determination to keep the others safe, even at the expense of her own comfort.
“I’ll bring you back,” I said. “The moment you ask. No conditions. No questions. You say the word, and you’ll leave my cabin within the hour and be back here straight away.”