Page 12 of Bolt (Iron Thunder MC 1)
“H…how long?” I asked. Bolt looked disappointed.
“Just under a year. Seems you had no idea. Well, we had no idea he had a little sister either. Told us he didn’t have any family. Assumed he was just a loner, like most of us here.”
I hung my head down, staring at my feet now in desperation. Why hadn’t Chip told his friends about me? Why hadn’t he clued me in on his lifestyle? Was he ashamed of me? Didn’t he want me to be a part of his life? I wished I could describe to this man what my brother was like when he cooked for me or cracked jokes, and when he used to help me with my homework for school. Where did that brother go? What had happened to him?
“We lost our parents, so I guess in a way he doesn’t have any family,” I said, speaking in a low weak voice. Bolt was still glaring at me.
“If I had a little sister, I’d never hide her away. She would always be family. The only family I had.”
“If you’re trying to turn me against my brother, it’s not going to work!” I snapped. Tears threatened to leak from my eyes, but I held his gaze strongly. I was close to breaking, but didn’t want to give him the pleasure of watching it happen.
“No, that isn’t what I’m trying to do. I’ll gain nothing from it,” he said.
I sat back in the chair, crossing my arms across my chest. I caught the way his eyes were drawn to that action, to the way my arms rested on my breasts. He was studying my body, and it felt like no other man had looked at me that way before.
“So why don’t you let me out? Why can’t I go and see my brother? You said he’s a member of this MC. What’s going on with him?”
Bolt clenched his jaws. I saw the way it tightened in his mouth. His face took on a darker hue, his eyes narrowed on me. I gulped but tried to hide it. For some reason, I got the feeling he was about to threaten me.
Or deliver bad news.
But I definitely wasn’t expecting him to tell me what he said next.
“That is what we thought too. That Chip was a loyal and trustworthy member of our MC.”
I stared at him, a little confused. I didn’t know where he was going with this.
“Until he double-crossed us tonight. With our property that was worth over a hundred thousand dollars.”
I blinked. Still confused. What was that supposed to mean?
“Your property? What do you mean he double-crossed you.”
“I don’t know how else to describe it other than that he stole it from us and gave it to someone else.”
I shook my head in disbelief. “Chip did that? My brother, Chip? You must have got your wires crossed. I mean, Chip’s a bit lost but there’s no way he’d be stupid enough to pull something like that. No way.”
Bolt was glaring at me from under his heavy lids. Slowly, he started shaking his head.
“Yeah, that’s what we thought too. We don’t expect any of our patched-in members to behave this way. We trusted him. We trust each other completely.”
“He didn’t do it!” I snapped.
Bolt didn’t make a move. He continued to stare at me with those steely blue eyes, like he could see right through me somehow.
“Cassie…” he said my name in a low firm voice.
“Listen to me. Are you listening to me? My brother didn’t do it. You have to trust me. Ask him. Trust him!” I shrieked this time. This was ridiculous. Chip wasn’t an idiot. I didn’t know these guys, but I could easily tell how dangerous they were. That stealing from them would lead to some serious consequences. Why would Chip take a risk like that?
“He confessed,” Bolt said.
I clamped my mouth shut. The words choked in my throat. I could feel my skin stinging. I wanted to scream because I didn’t want to believe the words I was hearing.
Bolt peered into my eyes. “He told us he did it.”This couldn’t actually be happening. I felt like I was losing my mind. Whatever my brother’s other faults were, I did not consider him a double-crossing, disloyal liar. Neither was he stupid enough to get on the bad books of these people.
“Sit back down,” Bolt growled when I stood. I glared at him, challenging him for a moment with my eyes. I didn’t have to do anything I didn’t want, but on the other hand, was technically a prisoner here. Nobody would be able to rescue me from this place if they didn’t want me to be found.
So I sat back down.
“What are you going to do to him?” I asked in a low voice. I was fast losing hope. There was no way Chip was coming out of this in one piece. That much I knew.
