Wild Child: A Skull Kings MC Novella Read Online Free PDF

raised her middle finger and shoved it in Gloria’s face before walking off.
    “Huh,” Gabriel said. “Someone else killed Gloria, then.”
    The young woman walked toward the camera, passing under the lamp. Her face was illuminated for the entire two seconds she remained in the frame. Then, she was gone.
    “There!” Omar cried out.
    A second figure in a black hoodie emerged from the shadows, running in from the opposite direction. Gloria reacted with a surprised jump, but she didn’t have time to do anything else. The figure pointed what was obviously a gun at Gloria’s chest. A white flash briefly filled the screen. Although there was no audio, I heard the shot sound off in my head. Then, Gloria crumpled to the ground. The hooded figure tucked his gun back into his belt, grabbed Gloria by her wrists, and dragged her toward the dumpster. Her hat fell off and rolled away into the darkness.
    “Jesus,” Gabriel said, straightening up. He exchanged a troubled glance with Omar.
    Just then, the door opened behind us. Sarah poked her head in. “You guys might want to take off. The police just pulled up.”
    “Great. Thank you,” Gabriel said. Before she could step back out, he stopped her. “You mind if we crash at your place tonight?”
    “Sure,” Sarah said. It sounded like it wasn’t a big deal at all, as if she were used to Gabriel randomly asking to stay at her place. “Come with me. I’ll give you my spare key.”
    Gabriel caught the strange look on my face and chuckled. “Don’t worry,” he said, misreading my emotions. “Sarah’s cool. No gang affiliations or anything. Probably the first normal person you’ve met since you got here.”
    Back out on the floor, we waited patiently while Sarah ducked under the bar to get her keys. Two uniformed police officers entered the room, enduring jeers from the drunk and grinding crowd. The younger looking of the two met my eyes from across the room and walked up to me.
    “Someone called the police. Was it you?” he asked, his voice dripping with authority.
    “I did,” Sarah said, suddenly popping up from behind the bar.
    “Take us to the body. And—” he waved a hand at the crowd behind him “—you might want to close early tonight.”
    “I’ll let my boss know,” Sarah said. “Please follow me, officer.” She walked away from us, leaving a single key on the bar just where her hand had been a second ago.
    “Smooth,” I said as Gabriel picked up the key.
    He raised his eyebrows at me. “That’s Sarah for you.”
    We were on our way out the door when the music stopped.
    “Ladies and ladies, I’m sorry to say that we will be forced to shut down early tonight,” the DJ’s voice boomed through the speakers.

Chapter 5
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    S arah lived in a sketchy apartment complex, but entering her actual apartment was a whole different experience. I smelled sandalwood and patchouli incense the moment Gabriel unlocked and opened the door. Instead of couches, she had benches carved from black wood. Her windows were draped with sheer sequined scarves the color of fire. A stone elephant stood sentry beside the door. I slipped off my shoes and left them at its feet.
    “Pro tip: sleep on the floor,” Gabriel said as he dropped my backpack onto a bench. “Trust me.”
    The living room had no television. I wandered toward a weathered old bookcase, its shelves straining under the weight of her many books. “Have you stayed here often?”
    “A few times,” Gabriel said casually. “I’m always coming and going, so I don’t have a place of my own here. Sarah’s the coolest about letting people crash in her living room, but the no couch thing...” He gestured around the living room and laughed. “Yeah, I try to save this as a last resort.”
    I lowered myself onto a bench. “So, what now?”
    “Hm.” Gabriel sat down next to me.
    I tried to position myself in a way that was comfortable and natural. My hands hung between my knees, still