Total pages in book: 38
Estimated words: 36019 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 180(@200wpm)___ 144(@250wpm)___ 120(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 36019 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 180(@200wpm)___ 144(@250wpm)___ 120(@300wpm)
“I’m not sure what exactly.” I shrugged. “Just that he’s handling some club business.”
Blade nodded. “It’s good that he’s keeping busy. This time of year is hard for him.”
My brows drew together. “Why?”
Blade sighed. “Anniversary’s coming up.”
I waited, giving him space to decide whether he’d tell me more. He didn’t.
It was Alice who spoke next, her voice gentler than before. “He’s visited her both years I’ve known him. I’m sure it’ll be the same now.”
“Her?” My fingers twisted together as a sharp flicker of jealousy caught me off guard.
“He earned the name Wrecker for more than one reason.” Blade crossed his arms over his chest. “We knew what he did during his time with Spec Ops in the military. He can turn a building into wreckage with precision unlike anyone else and also clear a path through it to save people nobody thought could be rescued.”
My chest tightened as I nodded, remembering the strength in Reid’s arms when he pulled me out. “I discovered that firsthand when he got to me faster than I thought possible.”
“He’s the best at what he does, but even Wrecker doesn’t have a perfect record.” Blade scrubbed his palm down his face. “Doesn’t like talking about it, but Fox didn’t give him a choice back when he was prospecting for us. Normally, he’s stoic as fuck, but there were a couple of days when he was a wreck. Prez dug it outta him, how shit went sideways and he didn’t get to a woman in time.”
I pressed trembling fingers to my mouth with a gasp.
“She made it out of the rubble alive,” he hurried to explain. “But all that time buried under concrete and steel left her legs beyond saving.”
“And Reid blames himself for it,” I whispered.
“Yup,” Blade confirmed with a sharp nod. “He carries the weight of that woman spendin’ her days in a wheelchair the same way he does the guys he knew over there who never made it back home. Even more, because he thinks if he’d just been a little faster, she’d have a normal life.”
The weight of those words sank deep. I finally understood why he didn’t like me thanking him for rescuing me. And the shadows that passed through his dark eyes. It was guilt he carried over memories of someone he hadn’t been able to fully save.
Blinking quickly, I looked down at my lap as I wondered how I could help Reid heal from something like this.
“But now he has you,” Gemma pointed out, almost as though she had read my mind.
Straightening my spine, I nodded. “This year, he won’t be alone during that visit.”
Blade flashed me an approving smile. “That’s how I know he’ll be okay this time. Nothing better for a man than a good woman who stands by his side when things get rough.”
“Aw, I’m gonna tell Elise that you can say sweet things even when she’s not around,” Alice teased, lightening the mood.
Deviant walked in and scowled at Blade. “You better not be sayin’ sweet shit to my wife.”
Alice rolled her eyes, completely unbothered by her husband’s possessive tone. “Relax, he was just trying to reassure Peyton.”
I smiled at their easy banter, but my thoughts were still tangled around what I’d learned.
“Good.” Deviant’s attention shifted to me. “I sent over another batch of files for Wrecker to look at later. Permits, building specs, contractor databases. If you’re bored and want to dig in, knock yourself out.”
“That would be great. I’ll take a look right away,” I promised.
“Laptop’s still upstairs, right?” he asked.
I nodded.
“Perfect.” He rounded the table to pick up one of the boys. “Let me know if you find anything.”
“Will do,” I confirmed with a smile that widened when his other son reached for him too.
After heading back to Reid’s room, I opened the laptop and loaded the files Deviant mentioned. Skimming through spreadsheets, I cross-referenced permit numbers and flagged discrepancies that didn’t sit right.
It wasn’t much. But at least I was doing something, which helped me feel useful instead of helpless. It was a way to help Reid.
If I could find a lead, maybe it would matter. Possibly even ease the shadows I’d seen in his eyes. Or at least not add to them.
11
WRECKER
Ileaned over Midnight’s desk, eyes locked on the large monitor set between us. Kane’s face filled the left half of the display—jaw set, sunglasses pushed up on his forehead, his voice clipped and pissed. The other half streamed live from a helmet cam, giving me a gut-dropping view of twisted metal, shattered concrete, and dust-slick chaos. The entire side of the building looked like it’d folded in on itself, all crumpled steel and splintered wood, mangled by the force of the crash.
Kane controlled a racing empire in the south. Some legal and a whole lot more illegal. He’d established the Redline Kings MC a few years ago, but even before then, we’d been tight allies. Storm had known Kane longer than any of us, but over the years, he’d proven himself more than once. He wasn’t a patch but still family.