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If we’re to be the men who claim her, we need to prove that we’re capable of understanding her and empathizing with her emotions—of which she has plenty, and for good reason. We got off on the wrong foot. There’s no denying or changing that. We can’t go back in time and start over. But we also cannot reject what has happened between us. There’s a shift of energy that has taken hold and refuses to let go.
The more we fight it, the worse it will be for each of us.
“What’s the status of the clubhouse?” Sky asks as we leave through the clinic’s back door and head over to our bikes. It’ll be dawn soon, and the city will awaken to startling news on every single screen in sight. “Have the Feds raided it yet?”
“Our guys are out. Harry and Trojan stayed behind,” Raylan says, having just gotten off the phone with Spike and Shiloh. “They will get arrested. The Black Hand will want Masterson to do things by the book.”
“Of course,” Sky scoffs. He’s the first to get on his bike, securing his helmet and offering a spare to Ariana. She does look better, but she is awfully quiet. I’m tempted to blame it on the events of tonight, but I’ve got a feeling it’s something else she doesn’t want to talk about. And given how our last conversation ended prior to her escape, I decide not to poke her further. Not now. “They’ll have our faces plastered everywhere,” Sky adds. “We won’t be able to move around like before.”
“We’re going to have to ditch the bikes,” I say. “Time to call in our favor with Tiny.”
“Tiny?” Ariana asks, then puts her helmet on.
“Tiny has a chop shop on the north side of the city,” I tell her. “He owes us.”
“A lot of people in Everton seem to owe you.”
I nod once. “And the Black Hand would immediately come gunning for them if they knew.”
“It’s sad,” she mutters and gets in the saddle behind Sky.
“But useful at this point,” Raylan interjects with a wry smile. “Nobody knows we’re friends with these people, so we’re able to move around with greater ease than others whose faces grace a Most Wanted poster.”
We get rolling and ride off into what’s left of the night. Leaving the dim city lights behind, I welcome the sinuous open road that leads us into the western side of the valley. The stony mountain ridges rise from the thickening woods just as the sun slowly rises somewhere behind us, painting the sky in cold shades of pink and blue.
I can almost hear the sirens wailing in the distance. I imagine SWAT vans, news vans, FBI sedans, and the sheriff’s office descending upon our clubhouse. I’m going to miss that place. It was home to us, our safe haven. We knew we’d have to sacrifice it eventually. I only hope we’ll find our way back to it someday.
Maybe we’ll be able to vanquish this terrible dragon, cut the head off the beast, ending it once and for all. And possibly, we’ll get to ride off into the sunset with Ariana. That is if we survive.
That was always the deciding factor—our survival.
The road takes us away from the interstate and straight into the wilderness. A few turns here and there, and our bikes begin to struggle with pebbles and dried mud as we make our way up the mountain. It’s not the steepest slope, but it isn’t easy on my suspension, either. By the time I get off the bike, my ass hurts like a thousand boots kicked it on the way up.
But we’re safe, at least for now.
“Is the cabin yours?” Ariana asks, taking her helmet off.
I nod and smile. “Yeah. I bought it for a pretty penny from a retired hunter. It’s not in my name, however. They’ll never find it. It’s in the middle of nowhere.”
“I can see that.”
The woodland birds are already singing their morning trills, sweet sounds echoing through the ancient oaks that proudly rise around us. The cabin itself is pretty small, with a river rock foundation and wood siding, and its roof shingles are still holding their own against the changing seasons.
“What about the others?” Ariana asks. “Shiloh, Spike, your friends.”
“They’re each on their own, and they know what they have to do,” Sky assures her. “We all knew what we were getting ourselves into. The club members will get their fair share of police grilling, but we have good lawyers on our payroll. They’ll be out after arraignment and placed under surveillance. The cops will probably keep Spike and Shiloh locked up.”
“Why?” she sounds downright terrified of the prospect.
“To get to us,” Raylan says. “But Shiloh and Spike will never talk. They will buy us some time. We have plenty of red herrings spread across the city.”
“Why would you let them take the fall, though?” Ariana asks.
“Because somebody has to, and both Shiloh and Spike have clean records, which gives them a good chance against the DA if he considers pressing charges against them,” Sky says. “My sister knows what she’s doing, besides, she’s the one who insisted on being a part of this. I trust her judgment as much as she trusts mine. Once we’re done with our mission, she and Spike will waltz out of jail with their reputations and records untarnished.”
Ariana doesn’t seem confident about all of this, but given how little she actually knows, I’m not surprised. She is, however, exhausted, her beautiful blue eyes drooping slightly as we escort her into the cabin. I haven’t been here in a while, but I had one of the prospects restock the place before we took Ariana from her home. It was only a matter of time before we’d be here; that much I knew from the very beginning.
“It’s kind of quaint and homey,” she smiles as she looks around.
