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

I could reply, Kyle threw open his door. He stepped outside the car and slammed the door with everything he had. I was stunned. I knew Conrad was a bad man, but…

    I was too focused on Conrad to understand what Kyle had said. What did he know about Conrad that I didn’t? As Kyle walked across the deserted road, I stepped out of the car. The stiffness in my legs barely registered as I followed behind Kyle.

    “Hey. Stop.” Kyle didn’t seem to be listening. My anger and frustration came out. “Kyle, stop God dammit.”

    He spun around. “What?”

    “What don’t I know? What the hell is going on?” My voice wavered.

    As he stood on the centerline of some road between Davis and Bakersfield, Kyle told me everything he knew. Hearing him speak about what he knew got to me. I could feel the world slipping away a little at a time. Dizziness swept over me, and by the end, he ran forward to catch me before I collapsed. What he told me was incredible. For a year I had lived with a monster. I knew he was bad, but from what Kyle was telling me, Conrad was downright evil.

    “I should’ve left sooner.” The words just sort of fell from my mouth. Even Kyle’s strong arms around me weren’t enough. Fear flowed through my veins. Every beat of my heart pushed deeper into my soul. The shakes were back, worse than ever before.

    “You didn’t know. Hell, I didn’t know it was this bad.”

    “But you did know it was bad?” I looked up to him, my voice trembling.

    When Kyle nodded, my breath caught in my throat. I felt betrayed somehow. “Let me explain.”

    I wanted to push him away, but I knew my anger wasn’t with Kyle. It was with Conrad. “Explain what?”

    Kyle knew when to let go of me. I wrapped my arms around my chest and walked across the road. He spoke, “When Conrad first showed up, I knew what was going to happen right away. Rich versus poor is no contest, and after your mom’s accident, I knew it was only a matter of time.” There was no malice in Kyle’s voice, only pain. “I respect you for the choice you made, but I started looking into Conrad. I didn’t trust him, but can you blame me? Some rich stranger comes in and steals my girl. It hurt like a motherfucker. If it hadn’t been for your mom, I would beat the shit out of him the first chance I got. I couldn’t say anything to you, though. I couldn’t tell you what I found.”

    I still couldn’t turn around. I knew the second that I looked at Kyle, I’d break down. “Why couldn’t you tell me?”

    “Because it wasn’t my place. Because you weren't mine anymore. I lost that right the second you chose him. That thought burned inside of me like I swallowed a hot coal. You don't know pain until you know what it feels like to not be good enough. Not rich enough, not powerful enough, just not enough .”

    “But you didn't think it was important enough to tell me I was marrying a criminal? A murderer?”

    Kyle shook his head. “All of that was hearsay. I couldn't get through on anything. I kept digging, maybe because I was hoping... I don't know. Maybe I was hoping you'd come to your senses.”

    “My senses? You said I made the right choice. What would you have done in my situation? Mom’s hospital bills were through the roof. She was a week away from being wheeled out the front door. They would’ve let her die in the street.” Tears clouded my vision, but I blinked them back.

    “Look, I'm sorry. Bad choice of words. Do you know what I really wanted? Do you know what I wanted more than anything in the world?”

    I didn’t bother trying to hide my tears from Kyle any longer. “What?”

    I was surprised to see a wet streak down Kyle's cheek when he turned to me. His eyes were still hard, though. “I wanted to see him fuck up. I wanted more than anything for the cops to take him down, or for him to slip up and reveal his true self. I never wanted to say I told you so.”

    Halfway through our year together, I did learn what