Page 47 of Whispers of Fire

“Other than fuckin' insane and poor as fuck?”

I nod, already knew that, but I need to know as much as possible before gettin’ to him.

“Does have a few bodies on him.”

“Who?”

“Six girls,” he says, his eyes driftin’ faraway. “Young girls, kids basically.” His fist clenches. Out of all of us, Carter has the hardest time dealin’ with women and kids gettin’ hurt; it gets under his skin every single time and triggers the fuck out of him.

“Raped them and buried their bodies up in the valley. Got a friend there lookin’ out for us at night near where we put some bodies sometimes.” We also have our fair share of blood on our hands, and we have a few spots in the area to hide bodies, makin’ it easier for us to dispose of them without any additional trouble.

His cold eyes find mine, his hand runnin’ in his blond hair. “This guy isn't what he seems; there's hundreds of people out there listenin’ to him like he's a fucking Messiah. Know a few folks who fell into his trap. The bastard had a fuckin’ ego complex and turned it into a religion. If I had him, I swear, I would fuckin' rip him apart,” he says, chuggin’ the last sip of whiskey.

I let his words sink in, lettin’ me think about how I could get to him and find a way to save Rose.

Fuck. That’s if she even wants me to save her.

She would probably hate me for tryin’ to push her away from her cult, but I can’t fuckin’ stay here doin’ nothin’ while she’s slowly losin’ her spark there.

Won’t fuckin’ stand it .

Words keep bangin’ in my mind. Words I want to shove away but always seem to come back.

Mine, mine, mine .

Opening my phone, I check my surveillance app. As I watch the footage from her getting ready for school, I can’t help myself and take a glimpse at her when she removes her nightgown to put on another of her awful brown dresses.

I know I’m out of line, but fuck, haven’t we blurred them so much already? I’ve tucked her in my bed for god sake.

Lookin’ at her toned body, plump curves and perfect creamy skin, I have to bite my lips to swallow a growl.

Fuck.

She’s so fuckin’ perfect.

And now I’m not even sure she’ll want to come back to me. Makes my sore chest fuckin’ ache for her.

Those fuckin’ walls… Each day spent in her presence breaks more bricks than I can build, lettin’ her sink into me like invisible ink .

Since my family’s accident, I haven’t got scared. Not from our numerous fights with other gangs, not from the time I got in a hell of an accident with my bike flyin’ into the air and crushin’ on the ground like a hundred pounds on my body, not even from the time I almost died with a bullet in my lung five years ago when we took over Arkansas in a bloody fight with Jameson.

Hence why we keep an eye on this fucker and whoever he sends to sniff in our territory.

Even bleedin’ to death, I haven’t been scared until now.

Until her.

I gritted my teeth, the memories flooding my mind like a damn tsunami. I pride myself on being one tough son of a bitch, never backin’ down from a fight, never flinchin’ in the face of danger. But this, this is messing with my head in a way nothing else ever had. The thought of Rose—of her trapped in that fuckin’ cult, surrounded by those brainwashed bastards—makes my blood boil. I want to show her the truth, to save her.

But would she want to stay with me after knowing what I do?

I'd seen and done things that would make most people run for the hills.

Would Rose be able to handle that?

Could she accept me for who I am?

The thought of her rejecting me, of running away because of what I do for the club, cuts me deeper than any knife ever could. I want her to see me, the real me, but I know she'll run away as soon as she discovers who I am.

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