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But not for long.
“Don’t watch.” Tex curls me into his chest, blocking me from seeing her fall.
It doesn’t block the sound of her scream as she loses her grip, or the sickly thud of her hitting the lawn.
7
JESSICA
“Where are you taking us?”I twist in Tex’s arms as he marches me out of the house. I manage to land a good stomp on his boot, but I think it hurts me more than him. I wanted this to be my ticket out, but not if it means just being someone else’s prisoner, and not if it puts Anne at risk.
“Easy, honey. You’re coming with us one way or another, and this’ll go a lot smoother if you stay quiet,” he says with a deep chuckle that slides right through me. “Look at your little friend over there. She’s watching you to see how to react. The more you fight me, the more scared she’s gonna get. If you keep calm, she won’t panic and that’s safer for everyone.”
“Is that a threat?”
He blows out a frustrated sigh. “It’s reality. We can’t let you go and we can’t stay here. Thank her daddy for that. He’s got our guy and we have you.”
I shiver, partly from the cold but mostly from the thought of what’s going to happen when Victor decides to cut his losses. Anne is his daughter, he’ll save her even if it’s just to save face,but how important am I to him really? Not very. He didn’t even bother to try and help his own girlfriend.
No tears come when I think of Marissa lying cold on the lawn, but it leaves a sour taste in the back of my mouth. She was horrible, but she trusted him to care at least a little.
“Mount up! This place is dust in ten!” Hellfire yells. “You know your routes. Follow your team lead.”
All the bikers seem to know what to do, breaking into smaller groups as they go to their motorcycles. Riot is holding Anne off to the side. Her wide, terrified eyes are locked on me.
“Jess? What’s happening?” she shouts.
“Keep her calm,” Tex whispers in my ear.
“Th—They’re going to take us somewhere safe and um…”
“We’ll contact Kane for the trade,” he offers.
“And they’ll talk to your dad about fixing all of this. It’s going to be okay. I promise.” More softly, I whisper to Tex, “Please don’t make me a liar.”
Ghost helps me awkwardly mount up behind Tex on his motorcycle. I give Anne a weak smile and wrap my arms around his waist. It leaves me no choice but to lean into his wide back and hold on tight. Riot holds Anne in front of him on his bike, cradling her to his chest. She looks so small, gripping his forearm for dear life.
When the engine starts, I let out a startled yelp. I’m not used to this kind of close contact, especially not with men like this, and the steady rumble of the motorcycle is… confusing. It feels good in a way I’m not sure I should feel good right now.
“What did he mean by ‘this place is dust’?” I ask Tex.
He laughs. “You’ll see.”
We ride out of the ruined gate, and as soon as we are on the road, Tex floors it. Dark asphalt zooms by underneath, so fast and close it’s scary. I’m used to being protected inside a car, and right now the only thing keeping me safe on the bike is my grip around Tex’s chest, and my thighs clutching the outside of his. If I’m holding too tight, he’s not giving any sign of it, and as the minutes pass, I relax in spite of myself.
At least until a massive blast cuts through the night, so powerful I can feel the gust of air as it blows by us, even this far away. I twist to look, my grip on Tex tightening again. Smoke billows up from the direction of Victor’s beach house. A second explosion sends sparks and more smoke soaring over the trees.
Holy crap! I didn’t think the dust thing was going to be literal.
As the miles pass, I finally resettle enough to observe a little. My life depends on keeping a clear head. The bikes flow along the road like a flock, moving and adjusting to each other in ways that are mysterious to me, but the riders seem to understand instinctually. Riot is off to our left side with Anne, and Ghost is ahead of us, the club logo clear on the back of his jacket, with Outlaw Sons in big letters underneath. It’s almost like a pirate flag, with a masked skull and something that looks like maybe engine parts crossed behind it?
We ride under an overpass. The rumble of the bikes echoes and multiples until it’s almost a physical pressure. A growling wave that threatens to pull me under.
Am I riding to freedom? Or death?
Eventually we pull off the highway into a section of the city I’ve never seen. I was never allowed to drive or go out on my own, so all I really know are Victor’s estates and a vague memory of the suburban neighborhood where I grew up. I can smell the salty tang of the ocean on the wind but I don’t see the water.
We drive down a four lane street, lined with houses that look small and packed together, then past shabby looking strips of stores and businesses. I almost feel like I’m in a movie even though I know this is probably normal and I’m the one with the messed up version of what that means.
