Total pages in book: 38
Estimated words: 33577 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 168(@200wpm)___ 134(@250wpm)___ 112(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 33577 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 168(@200wpm)___ 134(@250wpm)___ 112(@300wpm)
I rubbed my knuckles, suddenly itching to put them through Shank's face. I tried to process what Ghost was telling me. Flowerz had betrayed us to the Copperheads. Had been betraying us for months. And now she was dead—not just dead, but murdered slowly, painfully, on my property. While Flowerz fate had been sealed the moment she chose to aid our enemies, I didn’t torture women. If a woman needed to die, she got a clean death.
"Anything salvageable from the burner phones?" I asked, keeping my voice low. We stood in a shadowed corner of the compound yard, both of us positioned to see anyone approaching before they got within earshot.
"Bug's working on it. So far, just confirming what we already knew. She passed intel about shipments delivery dates, security rotations. Basic stuff, but enough to give them an edge. You know. Like knowing there was going to be a huge Hell Night party where the Copperheads might slip in a few men we didn’t suspect." Ghost shifted his weight, a tell I recognized from years at his side. There was more.
"What aren't you telling me?"
Ghost's gray eyes met mine. "Last text she sent before she died was about Honey."
The world around me narrowed to a pinpoint, the ambient sounds of the compound fading until all I could hear was the blood rushing in my ears. "What about Honey?" My voice came out as a growl.
"Nothing specific. Just that you'd claimed her as your old lady, and she was staying in your quarters." Ghost watched my reaction carefully. "Bug thinks Flowerz was trying to curry favor after the raid went south. Offering up information about a potential weak spot."
Weak spot. The words hit me like a physical blow. I'd claimed Honey to protect her, but in doing so, I'd painted a fucking target on her back. If I were honest, I’d known what I was doing all along. I just didn’t care. Not because I wanted her to get hurt. Oh, no. I think I knew from the first second I saw her I’d never let her leave me.
My gaze moved around the compound yard until I found Honey. She sat with Wren at one of the picnic tables, the sun catching in her honey-blonde hair. She laughed at something Wren said, the sound carrying across the distance. Something in my chest tightened at the sight of her, this woman who'd stumbled into my world by accident and somehow carved out a space for herself in such a short time.
"When did this happen?" I asked, still watching Honey.
"Based on the decomp, Bug thinks she was killed the night after the raid. Body's been there a long fuckin’ while."
Which meant the Copperheads had already struck again, right under our noses. My failure to protect my own territory twisted in my gut like a knife. First, they'd infiltrated our party. Then they'd executed one of my people on my fucking land. This had to stop. If that meant I lived up to the name Bloody Jack, so be it.
My gaze stayed locked on Honey. She must have felt me watching because she looked up, those amber eyes finding mine across the distance. She gave a small smile, and something inside me shifted, rearranging priorities I'd thought were set in stone.
"I need to get her out of here," I said, the decision crystallizing in my mind. "Not permanently, but somewhere off the compound until we get a handle on this shit."
Ghost nodded, no questions asked. That's why he was my VP. He understood the unspoken.
"Where're you thinking?"
"My place." I meant my private garage, the converted warehouse I'd bought years ago when I first took the president's patch. It was off the grid, known only to a handful of people, Ghost included. A sanctuary when the weight of leading the club became too much.
"Smart move," Ghost agreed. "Bug has the whole place wired so we’ll know if you need help. How long you thinking?"
"Few hours at least. Need to clear her head, make sure she understands what's coming." I paused, watching Honey laugh again at something Wren said. "When this blows open, shit's gonna get real ugly real fast."
"And you need her ready."
It wasn't a question. We both knew what was coming. War with the Copperheads was inevitable now, and when it came, no one connected to the club would be safe. Especially not the president's old lady.
"Keep this quiet for now," I said, turning back to Ghost. "Don't need the brothers getting worked up until we have a plan. Keep it between you and Bug. Bug finds anything else, call me immediately. I'll have the sat phone."
"What about a security detail?"
I shook my head. "Not this time. More bodies means more attention. Just me and her. Bug can keep a watch and let you know if you need to send anyone to us.