Total pages in book: 118
Estimated words: 107118 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 536(@200wpm)___ 428(@250wpm)___ 357(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 107118 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 536(@200wpm)___ 428(@250wpm)___ 357(@300wpm)
“We ain’t getting kicked out?” Cowboy asked.
Styx shook his head. Ky pointed to the wall. “Get the fuck up.” I wondered what the fuck was going on. Ky got to his feet, just scowling and waiting. For what, I had no fucking clue.
We stood and moved to the wall. Ky stood before us. He looked us both dead in the eyes. “As your VP, I can’t kick the shit outta you about Sia.” A cold smile pulled on his lips and he cracked his knuckles. “But I can fucking rearrange your faces as her big brother.” His punch smacked me across the jaw. My head snapped to the side, drawing back just in time to witness him deliver the same to Cowboy.
“What the fuck, Ky?” Cowboy drawled, as laid-back as ever.
Ky grabbed us both by our cuts, wrenching us forward. “You ever do anything to hurt her. You ever dare raise a fucking hand to her or make her fucking cry, and I promise I’ll cut off your dicks and make eunuchs of you both. Got it?”
“Graphic, Ky,” Cowboy said, rubbing his jaw.
Ky raised an eyebrow. “The only reason I’m not doing it now is because, for some fucking reason, she loves you. And she’s been through enough shit in her life that I want . . .” He bit his lip, like the next part was killing him. Finally, he managed, “ . . . you fuckers to make her happy.”
He didn’t say shit-all else, but I got the subtext—he was thanking us.
Cowboy held out his arms. “Shit, VP. Does this make us actual brothers?”
Ky glared at my best friend. He pointed viciously at our faces. “She better have a cut on her back by the end of the fucking week. You’re gonna own that shit, and you’re gonna kill anyone that has a problem with it.”
“We will,” I promised. Ky moved to me.
“I get you ain’t had the best life either.” He paused, and I felt my heart beating faster. Sia, I thought. What has she said? “You ever get in trouble, have shit to deal with from the past or even the present, you come to us.” He jerked his thumb at Styx, who was silently watching all this play out. He was looking at my healing bruises and cuts. “We got an old ranch that used to belong to one of the brothers who died a few years back. It’s near here.” He smiled. I got it. He wanted us close, to keep an eye on us with his sister. “Giving it to Sia. Selling her old place—too many bad memories there. It’s not on compound land, but it’s so close it may as well be. She’s part of this club now too. Too fucking late, I know. But now she’s here. And I want her near me.” He ran his hand through his hair. “No doubt you fucks will be living there too.”
“Yeah,” I said.
Ky turned, then, looking back at us, said, “If I hear one word about you fucking my sister . . . You tell any brother—” He stopped mid-sentence and corrected himself. “If you fucking dare tell Vike, then I get to rearrange your faces for real. Deal?”
Cowboy laughed, but quickly agreed, “Deal.”
“Deal,” I said.
Styx got to his feet. He lifted his hands and signed. Ky translated. “Outside. Now.” Ky fell into step behind him.
“Where the fuck we going?” Cowboy whispered.
I shook my head. I didn’t know.
Styx burst out of the back door, the sunlight fucking blinding me. I shaded my eyes with my hand, and fucking froze when I saw what was in front of me.
“Shit,” Cowboy rasped from behind me.
My brothers.
All my brothers, waiting on their bikes. Ready and in formation. I looked to the side to see Sia standing with Lilah and all the other old ladies. Ky and Styx turned to look at me.
Styx raised his hands. “You’re a fully patched-in member of the Hangmen, Austin mother chapter.” I noticed four empty bikes at the front of my brothers—Styx’s, Ky’s, Cowboy’s, and mine. Vike was lounging over the handlebars of his bike, a huge fucking smile on his face. AK and Flame were beside him. Smiler, Tank, Tanner, Bull . . . all waiting, watching me. Cowboy’s hand dropped onto my shoulder, fucking anchoring me, as always.
Styx’s hands moved again. Ky’s voice explained, “We’re your family. And family look out for each other.”
Styx folded his arms across his chest and watched on, as Ky met my eyes and continued, “And family fucking ride out, when one or more of our family members fall.” I sucked in a breath, and my body froze. “Your folks deserved to be honored in the Hangmen way.” I started shaking, my fucking eyes starting to water as I looked at my brothers again . . . All of them were wearing black armbands around their biceps.