Temperance: Biker Romance (The Davis Chapter Book 2) Read Online Free PDF Page A

in my corner, he was my champion.

    As he spoke, Kyle’s features change. His face defied the calm voice he was using. An almost ugly quality took him over. I couldn’t remember the last time I had seen Kyle so angry. He tended to be the one that stayed cool during stressful situations, so when he started heating up, I didn’t exactly know what that meant. Part of me wondered if Conrad would offer to pay Kyle to bring me back. My thirteen hundred would mean absolutely nothing compared to what Conrad could afford. I laughed off the idea of Kyle agreeing to take his money, though. I knew Kyle, and he would die penniless before dying disloyal.

    “Look, I know you’re used to money paving the way for you. I’m sure it makes life remarkably easy, I really am. This ain’t gonna be one of those times, Blythe.” Kyle began to speak through clenched teeth, but the next thing he said was still pure beauty. “Try wrapping your mind around this: You’ve got a rose bush. Every dollar, yen, and euro in the world won’t make that rosebush bloom. Every unquantifiable bit of power that you desperately grasp onto won’t make that rose bloom. Only one thing will make it happen, and I’m afraid that is something you’ve never had; care. Patience, love, and kindness. Those are the only things. The shiner you gave Celeste gives me the impression those aren’t in your repertoire.”

    I could barely wrap my head around somebody treating me that way. It had been so damn long since somebody saw me as a person. Despite the furious look in Kyle’s eyes, I had never seen him looking so beautiful.

    I heard Conrad’s voice on the other end get louder, but Kyle cut him off. “Don’t fucking threatened me. I highly suggest you let this go. Why don’t you take your private jet to L.A. or Vegas and scoop up some real housewife wannabe?”

    Conrad was downright screaming. I had only heard him get that angry when he was on the phone with associates. Even when he was upset with me, his voice was eerily still. He would express his displeasure, first with his words and then with his hand.

    Kyle chucked the phone. It ricocheted off of the windshield and bounced on the dashboard. I jumped, not out of fear of Kyle but Conrad. I watched Kyle’s chest rise and fall. He pursed his lips and clenched his fists.  

    Without turning to me, a sardonic grin came to Kyle’s face. “You want the good or the bad news first?”

    I didn’t like the idea of either option. “Good news first, I guess.”

    “Well, you are no longer engaged, so there’s that. Conrad made it pretty clear that you two are no longer an item. Pretty clear, indeed.” I didn’t like the look in his eyes. I had seen Kyle lose his temper over less. Since the moment I reached out to Kyle, I had gotten that sense of control from him. He had come up with a plan, and he had made me feel completely confident in it. I didn’t see any confidence in his eyes now. If that was the good news, the bad must’ve been really bad.

      I tilted my head. “Okay.” I spoke slowly, trying not to make the situation worse. “And the bad news is?” I tried to prepare myself for the worst. Lately, it was hard to really pin down what Conrad’s worst was. The first time he hit me, I had made excuses for him. Every time after, it was impossible to know what he was capable of.

    Kyle raised his eyebrows and gave a heavy, hard sigh. “The reason the engagement is off,” Kyle’s face seemed to drain of blood, “Is because he wants us dead.”

“Excuse me?” I had misheard. I must have misheard.

    Kyle looked as if his world had crumbled. “That’s what the man claims. They found your phone with my number in it. He said I had two choices: bring you back or get buried with you.” He slammed a hand against the steering wheel. “Fuck!”

    I couldn’t keep my jaw from dropping. “I can’t believe it.”

    “Believe it. There’s a lot about Conrad Blythe that you don’t know.” Before