The Reclamation (The Club Trilogy Book 2) by Lauren Rowe Read Free Book Online Page A

of himself.
    Interesting.
    “Let’s just talk it through,” Josh continues. He smirks. “ Talking about it doesn’t mean we’re disagreeing .”
    Jonas rolls his eyes. “So I’ve heard. Repeatedly.”
    Josh flashes a wide smile.
    It seems they’ve reached some kind of common ground.
    Kat and I exchange a “what the hell just happened?” glance. Neither of us speaks.
    Josh breathes deeply, in through his nose and out through his mouth, obviously trying to lure Jonas into following suit—and Jonas does. It’s like Josh is some kind of gorilla-whisperer or something. And it’s working—I can see Jonas calming down with each breath. It’s fascinating to watch. And a total turn-on, too.
    “Okay. Let’s think,” Josh says. “What’s the point in taking down the entire organization? I mean, really? Just think about it, logically. That sounds like an awfully big job—and maybe overkill. Think about it, Jonas. Yes, we’ve got to protect Sarah and Kat, of course . . .” He smiles at me and then at Kat. “ Of course. And we will. I promise. But beyond that, why do we care what The Club does?”
    I note Josh’s adoption of “we” rather than “you” in that last sentence. Very well done.
    Jonas shifts in his seat. He’s considering.
    “Why kill a fly with a sledgehammer when a flyswatter will do?”
    A muscle in Jonas’ jaw pulses.
    Josh barrels ahead. “The Club provides a service—and very well, I might add, speaking from experience. So, yeah, maybe things aren’t exactly as they appear, maybe they oversell the fantasy a bit—but so does Disneyland. I mean, you can go ride a rollercoaster anywhere, right?—but you pay ten times more to ride that same roller coaster at Disneyland. Why? Because it’s got Mickey Mouse’s face on it.” Josh nods, thoroughly convinced by his own logic.
    Jonas huffs but doesn’t speak. His eyes are like granite.
    “Maybe all these guys who join The Club want to ride a roller coaster with Mickey Mouse’s face on it—and they’re happy as clams to pay a shitload to do it. They don’t even want to know they could ride the same roller coaster without Mickey’s face on it for two bucks down the street.”
    Jonas bursts out of his skin. “Jesus, Josh,” he says, jumping back up. “Really?” He’s barely suppressing his fury. “‘Live and let live?’ Is that it? Let these guys go on their merry way while I sit around and wonder night and day if they’re gonna come after my baby or not?” He’s roaring now, absolutely enraged. “No fucking way.”
    I stand and put my hand on Jonas’ forearm, signaling him to let me speak. He jerks his arm away, fuming. “I expected you of all people to understand,” he seethes at Josh. “Fuck!”
    I take a step back. He obviously doesn’t want me to meddle. And he’s right. I shouldn’t have butted into this brother-to-brother conversation. Not yet. Not now.
    “I do understand. I’m just saying let’s narrow down exactly what we’re trying to accomplish here.”
    There’s a long beat.
    Jonas is incapable of coherent speech. He’s absolutely furious. After a long beat, he motions to me as if he’s giving me the floor.
    “Josh,” I say. I feel the need to choose my words carefully. “Your premise is faulty. When you buy a ticket for Disneyland, you know you’re signing up to ride a Mickey Mouse roller coaster. Not everyone signs up to ride a Mickey Mouse rollercoaster when they join The Club—but that’s what they give them, anyway.”
    Josh looks genuinely confused.
    I feel too stupid to say anything else. I sit back down on the couch, wishing I were invisible.
    “What do you mean?” Josh asks me. He sounds remarkably sincere. The tone of his voice makes me look up at him. The expression on his face matches his voice.
    Jonas exhales. “She means not everyone is totally fucked-up like you and me.” He clears his throat. “Or, at least, like me—you seem to have been cured of your fuckeduppedness by